JOB DESCRIPTION: Medical Editor. Graduate degree preferred with a scientific/medical background as well as English graduate-level aptitude in writing. Copyedit and proof medical tomes of fascinating surgical procedures accompanied by long-winded indecipherable descriptions of intricate invasive operating techniques. Speed and precision are a must. Salary depends on expertise and experience.
I’ve got five glorious hours ahead of me this morning to edit an upcoming book tentatively entitled Core Topics in General and Emergency Surgery. I met the author/surgeon at the publisher’s office six months ago, when the doctor signed the contract and insisted on meeting the editor. Me. 
Oh, what an “honor” to meet such an important man.
I had begun my position at Black Publishers when I was 25, newly out of graduate school, and having no idea what I’d do with a Master’s in English. The job as “medical editor” kind of fell in my lap. I saw the classified ad, drove the 30 minutes from my home to the flat-roofed meandering building in a tiny southern New Jersey town, interviewed with the publisher, his wife, and the Editing Director, and was offered the job within 45 minutes.
Later I realized that the publisher was desperate to get someone, anyone, willing to deal with the big-headed doctors who wrote with zeal for their subject and an absolute lack of any writing prowess.
But now here I was, three years later, with a baby at home. I tried to quit a month before she was born, but Black Inc begged me to continue. I could work from home. They’d pay me double. Please, please, I was too good to leave the job. No one else could do it.
Ha. No one else could handle these doctors. I knew that. But I also liked working while my tiny daughter slept. I liked making money, and I liked being appreciated.
But mostly, I loved these doctors who blustered at every red line I placed across the pages of their manuscripts. I smiled when they called me on the phone, disdainful, asking me how I dare shorten their 1½-page-sentence; “it’s long because it’s important and full of material you couldn’t possibly understand.”
Yes, the red pen became my friend. And their enemy. And yet, I was the one with power, because the publisher would only accept my edited work; otherwise, the doctors’ contracts were void and their work would not be published.
So here I was, the baby down for her morning nap, and I’m crossing out one word, exhaling, then one entire line: 
“Cryptococcosis is unique among opportunistic fungal infections because it is the only disease that can occur in normal individuals. The common practice of misdiagnosing this disease clinically should be abandoned. Although there have been several published reports of such infections, all were fatal. So let it be known that the interdependence of anatomic systems, symbolic activity, and the external social and physical environment entails a holistic orientation and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration.”
Sighing with pleasure, I re-write the entire paragraph. Ah, another wonderful red-pen day.
One of my first “writing/editing” jobs. How about you? Do you have fond memories of one of your early jobs?
roughwighting 
I wonder if Black Publishers rhymes with a real-life place in S. Jersey? 😉 I had a friend who worked there.
Red pencils–and phone calls–are things from the past in publishing. Well, maybe “important doctors” get phone calls. I follow a doctor on Substack who is a very good writer.
I just retired from the test-writing job I’ve done from home for a long-time.
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Hmmm, yes, we need a PM, Merril. And my GP is an excellent writer who posts on Medium at times and is working on a medical memoir. She hasn’t asked me to edit it, fortunately. 🙂
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Thank goodness she hasn’t asked you. You might read something you don’t want to know! 😂
Not sure what PM means here.
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This is a great read, Pam. It’s nice to hold the red pen.
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The red pen IS power. And although lots of people prefer to edit ‘on-line,’ I still think editing a “real” ms with a ‘real’ red pen is much more effective.
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the power of the red pen!!
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Forever! 🙂
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Red pens can be cathartic, but must admit im a bit nervous at the prospect of sending some work to an editor and being on the receiving end of the red pen 😬
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I know, I know. I joined a critique group while writing my two novels, and those women LOVED the red pen. But my books were better for it.
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What a great job to have – and I can easily believe finding the right person for the job must be difficult! Wonderful read.
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I liked the job but I did find the fine line work repetitive after a few years, and hard on the eyes (and mind). I then changed to editing a medical journal where I used my writing and production skills also. Loved that job.
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I can easily understand getting tired of it! Glad you followed it with something you loved.
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I did one editing job and it was for a friend. I found myself running out of red ink and revamping most everything. I handed the book back without finishing and suggested she start over. Never again. You are a brave soul. With writing comes larger than life egos.
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Hi Pam,OMG – I thought you were giving us bad news! There had been such a long pause since you last posted. Luckily, you were writing about a job opportunity th
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I enjoyed reading this as I never knew about this early career move. It sounded like a stressful job to me. I simply taught elementary children but I loved it!!!
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A good editor usually shortens the text by at least a third. As an author, I can forget about an editor who doesn’t use a lot of red ink. As an editor, I usually delete a lot to make a text easier to read.
Wishing you a happy weekend
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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I would like to see that sentence rewritten!! Good one Pam !
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A red pen, in good hands, can turn an OK manuscript into a great one! Love this. My early jobs were in retail and you can learn a lot about people in those jobs! (great material for a future writer)
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There is really nothing quite like a red pen, is there? Great story!!! Beyond the red pen, were the little gold foil stars for a job well done. You get one of those shiny stars for this story!!!
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Good grief! A book of word salads! Wield that pen!
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Power to the red pen, and to those who understand that power!
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The long paragraph you quote is a doozy. I imagine there were many like it in the book it came from. Oy veh!
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Gotta love the red pen action disrupting their egos and giving them the opportunity of someone actually reading it❣️💃🏻 What are they thinking❣️.. 😂
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