Pro claims many of Japan’s light novel authors can’t write, aren’t the ones creating their books

https://en.rocketnews24.com/2018/02...nt-write-arent-the-ones-creating-their-books/

I wonder, though, why is this even a thing? The editors work for the publisher, so why are they taking this massive extra step to cover for the deadbeat authors? If a deadline is missed, it's not their problem. Are they freelance or something?

 

More than likely, the editor will also be blamed for the author's failings so they really have no choice

 

If true, terrible news.

 

Ghost writers is what it is the author effectively is poorly skilled but has great ideas

submits it to editor editor asks for change
Author says ok
Author cant do it
editor goes to publisher says he cant do it and needs more time
gets more time author scraps and gives up
editor writes it otherwise no pay
author gets hit book with shitty ending or inconsistencies
author collects royalties while editor gets little money
cycle repeats with growing size of LN Boom in japan

 

I agree with everything except for the fact that the dude says would-be-authors can't write.

 

It is editor job to not miss the deadline. Literally job description.
The author goes down, the editor also loses.

 

I tried to be surprised, but with the over saturation of the same tropes to the point where reading one novel is equal to reading then all I'm really not.

 

Well that would explain why so many light novels lately have been felt like they were written by editors instead of authors.

Personally I think editors are also part of the problem.

 

He said that MANY of the would be authors cannot write, as in write in Japanese. As in Japanese prose that is print worthy.

 

Could explain why some novels get drastic changes. From Loli to big breasted woman *Peers at Dungeon Master*

 

1. Because they already have released informations about the book & a lot of readers were expecting it to be published sooner or later.

2. They had to push (no matter what) the publishing of the book for reputation of the company. Especially in this industry where competition is a rough one.

3. The author is one of those "trending " ones you see online & the company can see that they can utilize this "trending" authors to increase their popularity or make money.

4. It's pretty much an editor's job to supervise his/her author so the company would never in a million years pardon an editor who'll use the excuse "sorry, my author can't write sht. So suck it up"

 

Mmm, yep. I guess that's the folly of taking an amateur and expecting them to instantly become a professional. It's like if you found a web comic artist who's making an awesome story and told them, "Great! Now go redraw this for publishing, but make it look 100x better!" Yeah, unless they've been holding back this entire time, that's not going to happen.

In this case there really needs to be another role added in the process, someone who can mentor the original author or just straight-up rewrite it for them. Poor editors.

 

Problem as in?

 

I wonder if they provide some trial contract..
Editor would rewrite the story within contract limit then no more volume of the said story...

BTW, it also publisher fault for picking the story especially ongoing one just because it look promising

 

Heh, I was about to post this as well.

 

Not that it matters to me since I read the web novel versions anyways.

 

I’m really not surprised, I’m pretty sure we all know that a lot of these authours can’t write. They’re junk food novels, they’re shit, but we read them anyways, one cause their easy, two cause it’s free online, three cause trashy novels can be entertaining

 

Problem as in that many editors try to push authors towards writing "what is popular now" rather then letting them push their own creative talents. Aka, the editors are forcefully taking over some authors works making some light novels WORSE than the web novels.

 

But the editor works for the Publisher, thus he's probably editing for several authors. Just because one author isn't producing doesn't mean the editor is not doing any work, in fact he's got more time to handle his other authors. Plus my impression is that it's the new authors that are the most problematic, they're choking now that writing is "work" instead of "hobby". Thus, they're not even costing the publisher much money yet, probably just a sign-on bonus so far. The worst scenario may be that the publisher will kick the author out and the author will get a bad rep in the publishing community. The editor just gets a new assignment.

 

Suddenly it all makes sense.