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A line editor reads a text word for word, correcting grammatical and spelling errors, and ensuring coherence and consistency. They may also research and fact-check a document. Line editors are often called copy editors and can work for newspapers, magazines, or publishing houses, or as freelancers. They may also look for inconsistencies in characterizations and make appropriate changes.
There are two definitions for the line editor. Early computer programs used a program of this name that evaluated lines and found errors. Typically, however, the term refers to a copy editor who very specifically reads a text line by line.
Being a line editor is just one of the many jobs editors can hold. This type of editing requires reading a text word for word and a very good sense of correct grammar and usage. He or she may make comments or actual edits to the text to improve readability and correct any grammatical errors or spelling errors.
The line editor is more often called the copy editor, since directly reading and editing the copy is its most important function. In addition to examining a text for grammatical errors and cleaning up poor wording, the editor also needs to evaluate the text for coherence. For example, it could evaluate dates in a text to make sure they are all consistent. The line editor might also research and fact check a document to be certain that all the facts are accurate.
Long manuscripts can be a bit fiddly for a line editor, but exceptionally important to edit. Avid readers are familiar with Alexandre Dumas’ classic blunder in The Three Musketeers, where he makes D’Artagnan a musketeer on two separate occasions. A line editor will obviously check the work for errors. Many more recent translations of Dumas’ work fix dates and make D’Artagnan a musketeer only once.
A line editor may also look for inconsistencies in characterizations in long manuscripts or short stories. If a character appears to be acting inconsistently with the previous statements, the editor will question the author. On the author’s advice, he or she will make the appropriate changes.
A good and rather amusing example of this form of interrogation is in William Goldman’s The Princess Bride which is a fictional translation of a fictional work by a fictional author. In italics, Goldman captures his editor’s reaction to the massive inconsistencies in the work. Publisher nearly throws in the towel after being unable to reconcile issues. For publishers of all types, this inventive dialogue is a fine example of the problems publishers run into.
A line editor can be employed in many different ways. Newspapers and magazines often hire these editors, as do publishing houses. Many work independently from a company as freelancers. Depending on the experience and people the editor works for, these positions can be lucrative or financially unrewarding.
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