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8. Don't overdo it – Tailor your edit notes to the amount of
work that needs to be done. If you see major plot/structural issues,
stick to detailing those, don't get caught up in copyediting and line
edits. If the plot feels mainly okay, focus on chapter-level issues. If

most everything is in place, feel free to pick nits. There are two
reasons for this approach: 1) You don't want to overwhelm the author
and 2) There's no reason for spending a lot of time on line edits that

are changing in a major revision anyway.
9. Remember that personal taste is personal – We humans can
be too sure of our own viewpoints. We may hate things other people
love and love things other people hate. Never be too sure of your

opinions when editing; you may be the only person who feels that
way. Be cautious when making suggestions and frame your thoughts
as your own personal reaction rather than as a pronouncement from

the editing gods.
10. Be Positive – Your job as an editor is not to crush someone's
spirit, even if you think their manuscript sucks. Your job is not to "tell

them like it is" (telling them like it is is telling them how YOU see it).
Your job is not to transform a mess into The Great Gatsby. Your job
is to be helpful. Your job is to be supportive. Your job is to leave the

manuscript and the writer in better shape than you found them. That is
the essence of editing.

11 Compare the text below with the previous text.
The Ten Commandments of Editorial Integrity
1
By John Brady
These are the times that try editorial souls, forcing them to

reflect on what they so often write about: the appearance of conflict of
interest. Is editorial integrity a problem at your magazine? As H.L.
Mencken, a grand old guru of magazine editing, once observed, “for

every complex, difficult problem, there is a simple and easy solution
… and it is wrong.” Granted, the path to editorial integrity is both
complex and difficult; nonetheless, here are ten guidelines intended to
keep you on the straight and narrow.

1
Brady J. The Ten Commandments of Editorial Integrity. – Available at:
http://johnbradyinfo.wordpress.com/2007/05/01/the-ten-commandments-of-
editorial-integrity/ [Copyright John Brady. All rights reserved. [Reprinted from
Folio: magazine]