ethics | class notes | where to draw the line

As Editors, it is our job and our obligation to be ethical in all of our dealings with our Author and with our Publisher. There is no middle-ground here such as ‘sort-of ethical.’ You must be absolutely ethical in the true Platonic sense. Your loyalty is to your Author, your Publisher, and of course, to yourself. You must always be loyal to your Author – really, to all three as listed above. We have learned never ever to ‘sugar-coat’ or ‘protect’ the Author from obvious truths, such as how their book is selling, which reviews they are getting or not getting and why, and other matters as they relate directly to the Author’s book.

We must be fair and ethical in our contractual dealings and keep our word just as we expect our Author to keep his or her word. This is, after all, a binding, legal contract and more, we want to establish ourselves as editors or agents with integrity in the business with a good reputation. This is also key to your career.

We must be able to objectively support the Author’s work and be professional Editors while at the same time not trespass on the author’s right to freedom of expression (to a certain point, such as yelling “Fire” in a crowded movie house where there is none - one question; what do you do about a book that does essentially shout "fire" or something untrue and you know it to be untrue in this sense? Do you publish the "fire" book?) What types of books are alarmist in this sense that would cause people to action that could be potentially very dangerous and irresponsible? This is a thin line because of freedom of speech, yet there must be a line somewhere.

Remember that you are the Editor, not the Creator of the work. Be careful of your edits - it's not for you to rewrite the work, but instead, to craft the work so that it is, at the end, a better book. That's your job. You are not going to get the glory here and if you want that - then reconsider your career choice and be on the other side of the desk as an author becuse that is only slightly more glamorous. Publishing has been over-glamourized by the media and you need to remember that it is a job like any other. You are not unlike journalists who are members of the Fourth Estate - publishing should not be, in my view, exempt from the Fourth Estate as many of the same issues, rules, situations, will and do apply and we are bound, much like journalists by certain codes of ethics. Know them and put them into practice in your work.