In my nearly two decades of professional book editing, I’ve had the pleasure to serve hundreds of authors of non-fiction (self-help, business, health) and fiction (novels). I’ve found that the two genres of authors have very different expectations, greatly affecting how I work with them.

Non-Fiction Authors

First, non-fiction authors. Their books tend to have a practical purpose, generally centered around helping the reader solve a problem. The problem could be how to live a healthier and happier life, reduce pain, lose weight, get a date, become less stressed-out, succeed at work, enjoy a brilliant career, dress for success, save energy, cure a disease, help save the earth from pollution—the variety of subjects is almost endless. Of course, the author must have their own proprietary solution to the stated problem, but the foundation of any self-help book is a sense of pragmatism.

For this reason, non-fiction writing is most often expository, designed to explain a concept and convey information. Narrative, persuasive, and descriptive approaches are used less often.

In every self-help book, the two most important questions are, “What is the problem? What is the solution?” My job as an editor is to help the author answer those questions. For that reason, authors tend to be objective about what they’ve written, and don’t take criticism personally. When editing, sometimes I need to recommend drastic changes and re-writes. I may suggest re-ordering chapters, deleting redundant text, adding stories or case studies, or even changing the title. (Titles are always tough!) When the author understands why changes are necessary, they’re generally happy to go along. The goal is to make a difference in the life of the reader.

Fiction Authors

My valued clients who write novels have a very different attitude. Even if a novel has a strong point of view, it’s very different from a self-help book. A self-help book is a work of science, while a novel is a work of art. You can value a self-help book based on its ability to spur the reader into action, while there is no such yardstick for a novel. A self-help book comprises a logical progression of ideas, while a novel may be more of a patchwork.

Authors of novels are much more emotionally attached to the words they have written. They tend to be much more resistant to suggestions that something needs to be changed. More times than I care to count, I’ve reviewed a scene in a novel and gently informed the author that there was a part that I didn’t understand, or seemed confusing, or (most commonly) just wasn’t believable. (I’ve written before about how your novel doesn’t have to be real, but it must be believable.) In response, the author is likely to say to me, “Oh, you don’t understand. Such-and-such is the way it is because of so-and-so. I cannot change it.” They don’t realize that when a reader a thousand miles away picks up their book, the author cannot be at their side, explaining his or her choices. The reader has only the words on the page.

It’s difficult to edit a novel because fiction is highly subjective. What one reader finds ridiculous, another will find enthralling. What one thinks is boring, another will proclaim to be a literary triumph. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve bought a highly celebrated novel only to put it down after twenty pages, thinking, “Why am I reading this nonsense?” And I’m sure I enjoy many novels that many critics would dismiss.

When editing a novel for a valued and talented client, a very light touch is required! This really is their “baby,” into which they may have poured their heart and soul, and sometimes you may have strong opinions about it, but you need to be very diplomatic. I always remind my fiction clients that a novel is a work of art, and often it’s not a matter of being “right” or “wrong,” but of saying, “It is what it is.”