After the editing of the first four chapters of The Scholar’s Apprentice: Secret of the Valor Lexicon, I had to end my contract and my relationship with my editor.
SB, my editor, tried to have a personal relationship with me but refused to check her race privilege and class privilege. This woman, this so-called professional, would actually rather end our friendship than check her privilege. She suggested we have a professional relationship only.
Which I refused.
I’m not going to give her my money and help her “build her empire”, as she put it, because that means supporting her ignorance and unwillingness to listen and face her issues. I’m not going to support the unprofessional habits she exhibited, such asking me the title and length of my book instead of looking for herself AFTER I submitted it to her. Or claiming she was was ready to do edits on the third and fourth chapters but not actually doing them until days later AFTER I paid her.
I gave her the chance to work on it with me and salvage our relationship. She refused.
In our private conversations, SB claimed she wanted to challenge herself, to stop being fake and dishonest. Well, she failed. Facing your privilege, how you participate in oppressing others and doing something about it is the most genuine way you can challenge yourself as a multiply privileged person. She couldn’t do that. Instead SB made the situation about her hurt feelings. Instead she chose to protect her privilege. She failed me, and that hurt. More importantly though, she failed herself.
Besides. She told me that in her opinion I don’t really need an editor anyway because I check my work well enough on my own. I’ve thought that for a long time but always preferred to have a second set of eyes on my work to make sure it’s as good as it can be. However, I am confident now that I don’t need her or anyone else trying to make a buck off me when it comes to my work. And someone who is unwilling to check their privilege can never be called my friend.
Sepia Heaven 