By Aditi Kaila, Grade 11
I had the pleasure of attending Sudeshna Shome Ghosh’s masterclass, “Snipping Words, Moulding Tales”, which explored what exactly a children’s book editor does. Sudeshna, a publisher at Talking Cub, took the audience through what it takes to edit a children’s book, and highlighted the various aspects of changing these books. Particular emphasis was given to the liberties an editor can take while editing a book, and how they strategically make modifications to the text to improve its overall quality.
Sudeshna explained the steps and the overall process of book editing, and the multiple factors that influence it. She focused more on how the editor goes about making changes to the story and what exactly they do to improve its appeal to readers. Editors primarily focus on proofreading material, as well as removing and adding sections, all of which is done to sharpen the clarity and flow of the story. In essence, the editor has a guaranteed power to be able to shape the course of the book. Sudeshna proceeded to explain how these alterations can be viewed from both a negative and a positive perspective.
From the disadvantageous perspective, what I found most interesting was how editors need to be very cautious while editing a book. Altering elements—such as incorrect grammar, misinformation, formatting, structuring—brings about significant changes in the book that may cause the intended essence of the story to be affected. For example, if an author intended a specific structure to convey a scenario or a desired tone, and the editor changes this structure to improve other aspects it may engulf, the author could be displeased.
Editing can also extend beyond the powers of an editor—oftentimes, there are fact-checkers who ensure that there is no misinformation or potential miscommunication. This is important, especially when it comes to children’s books, as the audience is particularly focused on young, impressionable children or adolescents. But this gives editors and fact-checkers a great deal of authority, as well as a fair amount of latitude, to make adjustments; some of these adjustments could be unnecessary or unwelcome.
In contrast, the positive response is rather simple: the author could be receptive to editorial suggestions and be content with the impact of the modifications on the story.
Needless to say, Sudeshna’s masterclass improved our understanding of how children’s books are edited. It is a challenging job since editors should make revisions without distorting the author’s intent and vision. We discovered that even minute modifications have a significant influence on a story. The masterclass emphasized editors’ responsibilities, particularly when working on publications for young readers. We were given a glimpse into the world of book editing through this session, and it made us appreciate the effort that goes into creating the stories we adore.
