Author's Editor or Authors' Editor? Who Needs Them Anyway?

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I just googled the following lines and got these results:

"author's editor" –"authors' editor"
(I got 8,550 web pages.)
"authors' editor" –"author's editor"
(I got 32,000 web pages.)

The minus sign (–) means excluding the term in between double quotes. The results of my search mean that "authors' editor" is 4 times the more acceptable term than "author's editor." But, looking at the webpages, I see that Google is erroneous – it includes entries that say "editors or authors" and "authors – editor" and "authors, editor" and "authors/editor" and so on! Google Search does not know that the double quotes mean "give me this exact phrase and not anything that looks like It, or where the two words simply appear together"?!

Never mind Google's AI inaccuracy and sloppiness. As an editor of 4 decades, I prefer "author's editor" (singular) as it is personal; the author's editor is concerned only at the moment only with you as author. The term "authors' editor" (plural) refers to many authors at any one time, suggesting mass assistance by a single editor of a gathering of authors, and is not realistic.

Joy Burrough-Boenisch & Valerie Matarese say (sciencedirect.com):

Authors' editors do language and substantive editing for authors on texts that are not yet fit (the) purpose.... The authors' editor helps authors achieve their publishing goals, by improving format, grammar, style, technical precision, argumentation and language efficiency. Rather than simply correct manuscripts, the author' editor dialogues with authors, through notes in the text and by other means, to inform, query and elicit revision.

Peter Morgan says (ncbi.nlm.nih.gov):

(Author's editors) do "creative" editing, which means that in addition to being responsible for word usage, grammar, logic, clarity and conciseness, they make original contributions to the content and organization of the manuscript.

No, author's editing is not ghostwriting. It is not simply copyediting either, which is the last stage of editing, when you already have the finished product called a manuscript.

Author's editing is not only for technical publications. Most people who write something for others to listen to or consider, don't realize that they are better off if they are helped by an author's editor in order to improve their material not only to correct the errors but also to clarify the message, strengthen the argument, or justify why the information presented is relevant or even crucial to the matter at hand.

Is an author's editor useful for virtual assistants? Of course! In fact I think such an editor is more than useful – he is necessary. Most VAs are not writers and do not realize that a sharp skill in writing is an added advantage where the competition is sharp – it always is sharp.

Barbara G Cox says ("The Author's Editor," January-February 1976, Anesthesia & Analgesia, journals.lww.com):

When a physician or scientist and his editor work together on a personal basis, a creative interaction takes place. The talents of both merge to generate a superior product. And the effectiveness of this symbiotic relationship is enhanced over time. That is, as the author and editor collaborate on more projects, both the quality of the manuscripts and the efficiency of the writing process improve. Ultimately, this means that many hours of the author's time are freed for his scientific endeavors, the institution saves money, and the published material is superior.

If you are a virtual assistant, speaker, preacher, speechmaker, columnist, or even a book writer, go look for your author's editor now! You'll thank me for it.

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