By Darren Gilbert

There are a number of qualities that any good editor should have. And this is besides the biggest one: a keen eye for detail. With that in mind, here are another three that all good editors should have.

They must understand the publication

If you want to edit something, you need to understand everything there is about it. So, for example, if you want to edit a community newspaper, you must know for whom it caters; what it focuses on; and what your audience generally wants.

It’s a point which business journalist, Michelle Rafter makes on her website. “They understand their audience, their approach to the subject or their particular department,” writes Rafter. “As a result, they can explain why a pitch is or isn’t a good fit, and if it’s the latter, make suggestions for changes that would bring it on target.”

The reason for this is fairly simple: if you don’t know the publication, you’ll fail with anything that you attempt. It doesn’t matter how good an article is. If it’s not within the mandate of the specific publication, it’s useless.

They must be able to deal with criticsm

If you have ever had experience as an editor, you will have come in for some criticism at some point of your job or career. That is fairly common enough because the fact is, it comes with the job. At the same time, you should also be able to stand your ground and believe that your decision, whatever it is, is the right one.

“Since it is the editor’s job to ‘clean’ a particular piece of writing, it is not difficult to assume why they are not frequent contenders of the ‘best boss’ awards,” writes eFiction India’s managing editor, Nikhil Sharda. “However an editor needs to have the ability to deal with all the criticism that may come his way and still deliver with as much drive and passion as may be necessary.”

Yes, an editor’s job is often thankless. However, their purpose is just as important. And in order to be able to do it, they need to develop a thick skin.

They must have good management skills

While an editor must have a keen eye for detail and know what a publication needs in terms of content, they need something else to be successful. That is the skill of project management. Without this skill, you can’t hope to control or even know how to manage a publication.

Writer and author, Ian Linton believes this too, pointing out that they need good project management skills. He writes, “They prepare plans for future issues, generally months ahead of publication date. They identify the possible content for each issue and create assignments so that contributors are aware of their individual commitments and deadlines.”

At the same time, they manage the people who write for their publication. That involves good man-management skills as well. An editor’s job is stressful as it is without any issues that contributors or staff members might throw into the mix. If they can manage people well, then they have won half the battle.

What are your thoughts? Do you know of any other qualities that a good editor should have? Tell us below.