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[catkinpixie]

I'm a TT assistant prof in the humanities. I've got a revise and resubmit from a major University Press. The readers' reports, though encouraging, give rather conflicting advice. At the suggestion of one of my colleagues I am seriously considering employing the skills of an academic editor to help me revise the ms. I'm also going to try applying for university funds to do this. Whatdaja think? Any experience / suggestions gratefully received.

[tee_bee]

I'm a TT assistant prof in the humanities. I've got a revise and resubmit from a major University Press. The readers' reports, though encouraging, give rather conflicting advice. At the suggestion of one of my colleagues I am seriously considering employing the skills of an academic editor to help me revise the ms. I'm also going to try applying for university funds to do this. Whatdaja think? Any experience / suggestions gratefully received.

There are all sorts of editors, of course. Are the reviews asking you for a careful copy editing of the manuscript? This will be different from a more active editor. Are the reviewers' comments so "deep," in a sense, that they would require a wholesale edit of the book? Or are they scattered comments that you could address individually? I assume the former, and that perhaps you need a second pair of eyes to help you reorganize and streamline the manuscript.

I've only hired copy editors, for a few grant proposals. I have a good friend who is a professional copy editor, and she can handle citation formatting and the like, but as good as she is, she wouldn't be comfortable with suggesting substantive changes. But a "academic editor" could be pretty expensive.

I say "go for it" if you strongly believe that the outcome is worth it and that an editor really could help. But if the comments in the reviews go to scholarly matters, you may want to tackle those on your own--you know your work best, after all.

[seniorscholar]

If the readers' reports really gave conflicting advice -- so that you can't possibly do what both want and feel you can't even go with one and skip the other because then the whole thing might be rejected -- have a good talk with the press's editor about the issues you're facing. Make up a list with examples so you can be specific with the editor; perhaps e-mail it in advance and schedule a time to talk by telephone.

What makes you think that a professional editor who has not put years of research and thought into the issues in the manuscript (as you have) could possibly solve its problems in any but the most blandly journalistic way (erase the difficulties by papering them over)?

Unless, as catkinpixie suggests, the central problem is largely copy editing -- i.e., language issues -- in which case a good copy editor might do what you need. But (again) ask the press's editor if that's the case, because paying for a copy editor to fix the language/grammar/style/organization if the problems lie elsewhere would be a waste of time and money.

[systeme_d_]

I can only advise from the position of my current and former employers, which are only 2 universities, one public and one private.

Neither would approve applications for funds for substantive editing services for someone in the humanities.  We are supposed to be able to do that stuff ourselves.

An application for funds to be used for copyediting and for indexing would be approved with alacrity.  But substantive editorial services?  No.

[weathered]

Man, I am lucky. My wonderful colleague helps me out with editing. I am just so blessed. :)

[perpetualmotion]

I just posted a similar inquiry and then found this thread. How do you go about finding a solid professional copy-editor for the Humanities? Is there a professional organization that might give references? What are going rates? What would be a reasonable time-frame for a paid copy-editing job on a dissertation of roughly 250 pages?

[snowbound]

Seniorscholar is absolutely right, on all counts. 

When I had conflicting (and a few nonsensical) suggestions from reviewers, my editor told me to use my best judgment in making changes, and to explain in the letter accompanying the revised ms a) the changes I had made in response to suggestions and b) why I had not fully followed certain other suggestions.  I did so, and my revised ms was accepted.

I suppose you could try to hire an expert in your field to help you make substantive changes, but I cannot understand why you would do this.  YOU are the expert on what you are writing about.  And such a person (if you could find an academic with the specialized knowledge you'd need, willing to take on a side-job with you) would probably limit themselves to diss.-director-type comments, which is not what you seem to be seeking.

[infopri]

As a former professional editor, I'm going to take a different view.  Yes, you are the expert in your material--and that may be exactly why you need a fresh pair of eyes to take on even substantive revisions (versus mere copy editing).

You, of course, know what you mean, every word of the way in your manuscript.  But you may be too close to it, so your brain is filling in the clarity that may be lacking in the manuscript for someone without your expertise.  It's entirely possible that the manuscript is not organized in the best possible way, or that there are logical gaps as you move from point to point.  Or perhaps there are redundancies and circular passages that make it hard for the reader to wade through the text.  A professional editor--even one who is not an expert in your field--can help to resolve these problems.  Unlike a copy editor, who will mark up the manuscript and basically fix your problems, a substantive editor will expect you to do the rewrites, but s/he will guide you so that you know precisely what needs to be done.

This kind of work doesn't come cheap, but there's no uniform price structure.  Some charge by the hour, some by the manuscript's word count, some by a flat fee, etc.  Sometimes there's room for negotiation, sometimes there isn't.  The fee (and how it's calculated, and how/when you'll be expected to pay) is something you should discuss up front.  The hardest part will probably be finding the editor.  I'd start with the university press and see whether they can recommend anyone.  Ask your colleagues, too, as word of mouth is sometimes the best way to locate someone.  Check your local classifieds, too, as well as the yellow pages (or the Internet equivalent, I guess--I'm an old-fashioned girl and still rely heavily on paper sources).

Good luck!