Exploring the Editor-Author Relationship in a Multi-Cultural Context: The Influence of Editorial Interventions and How the Author Experiences Them in the Process of Finalising and Producing the Published Book

Abstract

This research project investigates the editor-author relationship in a multi-cultural context, focusing on the influence of editorial interventions and how the author experiences them in the process of finalising and producing the published book. The central question in this study of the cultural dynamic of an older white editor and a young Black author is about the effect on the final work of the interactions between them. This study was informed by an interpretivist ontology and epistemology, and a qualitative methodology. The research design incorporated multiple interviews to determine the experiences and views of editors on the one hand and Likert scale statements to determine the experiences and views of authors on the other. The research on the editors is fully qualitative in that their views are analysed through one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The findings from this research illuminate the differences between editor and author opinions of the editing process. Publishers, it seems, need to have a more hands-on approach to editing so that the author feels supported and the editor feels validated. This research is but one example of the development required for editing to be a truly beneficial and respectful industry with clear goals and with the author’s best interests as the primary goal. The key finding from this research highlights the mutual respect and harmony experienced and proclaimed in interactions between white editors and Black authors in South Africa.