I am not posting this to start a fight, but rather to warn all of you. If you signed up for the 'editing option,' your book will not be edited.  It will be spell checked, but nothing more.  A professional editor from a traditional publishing house will call an author to discuss a ms.  He/she will mark suggested changes in the body of the text of a ms.  He/she will make serious suggestions of change to the author in order to make the author's ms the best it can be.

On 11/18/2005 I received an email from my 'supervising editor' from PA.  This email was the usual, "Here are your page proofs.  Look them over and send back the corrections within two weeks."  Since I chose the editing option, I wrote back asking for the editing suggestions.  I have added the emails I have sent and gotten back from my 'supervising editor' below.  These emails prove that PA does not edit.  They simply do a spell check and grammar check.  The first email below is my first response after I received the "Here are your proofs.." email. Checking for spelling and grammar problems is not editing.  Even if you asked for the 'editing option,' you will receive nothing more than a spell and grammar check. 

Please read the following emails.  They are quite telling.

Tracy

11/18/05      

Dear XXXXX,
It was my understanding that I would have an editor for this book.  When can I expect the list of suggestions from my editor?  I thought that I would have an editor from PA going through my ms with me.  The professional editors I have worked with in the past have made changes in the ms in a different color and/or talked to me directly about how to make my ms the best it can be.  When can I expect to have these conversations with my editor?
Thank you,

Tracy Kiewel Sutterer
        

11/18/2005

Hello, Tracy,

Actually, I have already read through and edited your entire book, since I am the editor who personally worked on your manuscript. As per your contract, I made technical and grammatical changes that did not require discussion (i.e., incorrect spellings, punctuation, etc.). This is the exact same procedure that was followed with your previous two PublishAmerica books, and the rest of the process is the same too.
Please take the following two weeks to read through the PDF. Any changes you have can be sent to me at the end of the two weeks and I will review them, discussing if necessary, before implementation. Then, as with your previous books, you'll get your final 48 hour review.
As always, I'm here for any conversation should you require my assistance. If not, I'll expect to hear from you at the end of the two weeks.
Have a great day!
XXXX, Supervising Editor
PublishAmerica
      

11/18/2005

Dear XXXXX,

        Technical and grammatical changes are certainly important, but I am more interested in your suggestions on the content and the literary devices of my poetry.  A professional edit includes a great many aspects other than just the technical and grammatical changes of a manuscript.  
        I use a great deal of imagery in my poems.  Did I go overboard with it in any of the poems?  Are there certain poems that need to be worked on in this area?
        I also tend to extend my metaphors.  Do I need to tone some of them down?  Are they easily identifiable?
        Do you believe the rhyming schemes in my poems sound forced or do the lines flow well?
        Are the cadence and the meter of my poems done in a flowing manner or do they sound choppy?
        I use similes and onomatopoeia in my poetry as well as many other literary devices.  Can you make some suggestions as to how to improve any of my poems in this regard?
        I can not tell you how much I've been looking forward to working with an editor for my poetry.  I'm sure that you want my book to be at its best too.  Since PA is a traditional publishing house, I'm sure that PA does a professional edit just like the other traditional publishing companies.  
        I'm looking forward to your direction and help to make my book the absolute best it can be!

        Tracy Kiewel Sutterer

                 
       11/22/2005

Good morning, Tracy!

I believe there is some confusion on your part. The editing for "Dancing Naked in South Dakota" is the same as it was for your other two PublishAmerica books: technical and mechanical changes. I'm unsure where your definition of "professional edit" comes from, but the implication that our editing is not professional is erroneous and detrimental to our overall professional relationship.

I understand that you have these stylistic questions, but style is all about the author's choice, and to change or influence that is (a) contrary to our mission to publish an author's true voice and (b) beyond the scope of the editing services promised: "Our staff proofs your manuscript for errors in grammar, spelling, mechanics, typos, and the like. Because we believe that every author possesses a unique and compelling style and voice, we do not edit for stylistic preferences." If I were to answer these questions, the poetry would cease to be your true voice, and neither of us wants that to happen.

Once again, I'm here if you have questions. At this time, I ask that you focus on what was requested of you: "You have two full weeks to review the file, and I ask that you e-mail me your list of noted corrections so that I may implement them for a deadline of December 2..When the original document is submitted, it is under the assumption that the work is at its most complete, and that the editors are to only be responsible for changing grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors."

Have a good day!

XXXX

You're welcome, GG.

The sick part of all of it is the fact that PA says they 'edit.'  It's just an out and out lie.  It makes no difference if an author picks that option or not.  The book will be no better than when the author submitted it.

Tracy