In my nearly ten years as a book editor, I’ve edited a range of books with touchy subjects: extreme political beliefs, sexual content, or other taboo or risqué topics. (And full honesty here: Some of these books go against my personal beliefs or even make me cringe while editing them.)
But while I have my own personal beliefs that might not always align with the authors I work with, my rule is that as long as these story elements serve the plot, I’ll edit them like every other scene in the book. (And in fact, there was one book whose acts of violence against real public figures did not serve the plot, and that I declined to edit.)
At the end of the day, editing manuscripts is my job, and I don’t feel the need to insert my opinion or work at a lower quality because an author’s personal beliefs don’t align with my own. No, I don’t let personal politics get in the way of a job well done. My only goal is to help ensure an author’s success with a well-edited book.
Still, some authors prefer to work with an editor who shares their personal beliefs—so if you’re more comfortable moving forward with an editor who shares your beliefs, that is totally fine too!
Book editor Kristen Hamilton is the owner and sole employee of Kristen Corrects, Inc., where she provides manuscript editing services for traditionally and self-publishing authors. Several authors whose books she has edited have won awards and have topped Amazon’s best sellers lists.
Reading is Kristen’s passion, so when the workday is over, she can usually be found curled up with a good book alongside her four cats. She loves watching cat videos and scary movies, eating pizza, teaching herself French, and traveling, and she is likely planning her next vacation. She lives outside of Boise, ID.