As a reader, I've had those moments of "Why didn't the editor catch two incidences of 'accidentally' spelled 'accidently'? Don't these editors know the difference between 'vise' and 'vice'?" Etc., etc. But then I look at my own publication, and despite all our best efforts (two edits and proofing for every story), we have occasional embarrassing errors, too.
Until my books were submitted, I didn't realize that one editor still works very closely with the author on the book and shepherds it through the process, just like in the Good Old Days of publishing. That was actually a happy surprise, as I assumed today's process would be more impersonal — partly because of those laments in the media about editors not doing their jobs. Now I can attest to the fact that editors do indeed read, fall in love with and champion particular books and have detailed revision plans for them — which I guess I should have known all along. But part of me thought it would all be done by committee, like what I've heard about the film industry process.
