My favorite YouTube channel by far is Baumgartner Restoration, in which Julian Baumgartner talks us through the process of restoring damaged paintings. Along with his soothing voice and thoughtful explanations, being able to see something being repaired instead of destroyed is a welcome relief from These Trying Times.
In the last video I watched, Vows, I was struck once again by how many parallels there are between art restoration and book editing. Though one deals with paint and the other with the written word, the principles can be applied to both at all stages of the process.
This post will look at how the principles of art restoration apply to:
- Preparing the brief and preparing to edit
- Doing no harm
- Being aware of your impact
- Protecting the author’s intention
- Contributing to the growth and evolution of the profession
- Sentence-level editing
- Holding yourself to a high standard
Preparing the brief and preparing to edit
Julian starts every project with a thorough examination of the painting and preparation of the documentation he’ll use to keep track of his process and decisions. Julian uses industry-specific tools to assess the damage to paintings, like UV lights and test areas. I use macros, add-ons, and other tools to help me in my work too. Julian documents the decisions in his notes, and I’ll create a style sheet from the beginning to keep track of the decisions made in this manuscript. I’ll refer to it throughout the editing process, and it will be useful later if there are following books in a series.
I use DocAlyse and other macros from geniuses like Paul Beverley to assess the needs of a manuscript, and I also skim the text and make a checklist for particular tasks a book requires. For example, if it’s a historical novel, I’ll make a note to check for anachronistic usage of language. My favorite tool for that is the Historical Thesaurus of English.
Just as Julian notices previous work done to the painting by other conservators, I might see comments or leftover markup from previous editors, which might alert me to other things I need to pay attention to. Julian doesn’t always know exactly how the damage happened, and I don’t always know exactly how the errors crept in. “Suffice it to say, it’s here, and we have to do something about it.”
Julian outlines a proposal for his client. It explains in detail what he thinks needs to be done. I also make sure to clarify the brief, and I list exactly what will be included in the edit in my Working Agreement. I used The Paper It’s Written On to make my Working Agreement, and it protects my rights and those of my clients. Julian mentions how decisions about scope and method of retouching are made by the conservator and the client together. You should have a conversation to clarify the terms of the brief. During his initial inspection, Julian thought the lining added by a previous restorer was attached with rabbit-skin glue. Later, he finds out that it’s contact cement, but since he only noticed that after agreeing the brief and fee with the client, that’s just going to eat into his profit margin for this piece of work. Some editors build in a “files didn’t match the sample” clause to prevent this sort of nasty surprise, and they might need to adjust their brief after discovering it.
On top of that, “What’s right for one client, one painting, and one conservator might not be for another.” I assess each manuscript individually by doing sample edits. That way I can really get an idea of what that manuscript might need before quoting for my services. Some editors use a project fee or a per-word rate, but I find that the type of work I get varies so much between tabletop role-playing games and novels that a sample edit gives me the most accurate estimate for the final rate, and it’s fairer to my clients and to myself. It’s also why many editors differ in how they define their services and calculate their fees. One-size-fits-all editing is likely to be flawed. It’s important to keep the author’s preferences in mind, and this is why we ensure a clear brief before beginning work, and usually query things that are subjective rather than just imposing our opinions on the text.
Once the client has accepted, work begins!
First, do no harm
Julian protects the painting by stabilizing the paint surface, facing it with Washi Kozo paper. I protect the manuscript files by creating backups of the originals. I use Carbonite for my backups.
Julian is walking us through the conservator’s code of ethics while he’s restoring this painting, and I see so many parallels in my own work!
“All actions of the conservation professional must be governed by an informed respect for the cultural property, its unique character and significance, and the people or person who created it.”
In editing, I also take care to respect the author and cultural context. This also brings in conscious language, as I always want to make sure the readers, authors, and the people depicted in the story are given the respect they deserve. To inform this aspect of the work, I am always trying to learn more, and I use the Conscious Style Guide as a starting point.
Julian’s client is worried about the additional cost of replacing the lining of the painting, but Julian points out that it’s part of his responsibility to be an advocate for the painting. Similarly, it’s part of my responsibility to advocate for people represented in books I edit. I will encourage authors to seek out authenticity readers if I think readers from those communities are at risk, and I’ll call the author’s attention to legal potholes they might inadvertently be stepping into with copyright and defamation laws. While Julian’s client is worried about paying more than anticipated for this restoration, it will save them money (and reputation) in the long run.
“Whoever worked on this painting simply wasn’t aware of any code of ethics,” Julian mutters, “or didn’t care.”
As an art restoration expert, Julian follows a strict code of ethics, and so do I as an editor. You can read the CIEP’s Code of Practice. Authors, be careful to vet the people you hire to work on your books. If you go with the cheapest option from an unvetted source, you’re likely to end up spending more money fixing what they will inevitably break by just running an automated spellcheck or putting contact cement on the lining. Members of organizations like ALLI and the CIEP are your safest bet.
Be aware of your impact
Another aspect of social and cultural responsibility is our responsibility toward the environment and those around us. Julian takes care to minimize risks and hazards to coworkers, the public, and the environment. When it comes to the environment, all my work is paperless. I also do everything I can to make sure the process continues smoothly once it’s out of my hands. Remember that style sheet? That lets the next editor know what’s going on with this manuscript. I also mark up paragraph styles to help the typesetter later. I’m glad I don’t have to use toxic chemicals in my work, as Julian does. The most toxic chemical involved in my editing is the sheer quantity of coffee that I drink!
The most important principle in art restoration, and in editing: Do no harm. Don’t screw up the book, don’t hurt the author, don’t introduce errors, don’t make things worse than they are. Julian says that even though unexpected and frustrating things made the job take longer than anticipated, he must take care not to compromise the quality of his work. Don’t do a crappy job on a book because you’re rushed or annoyed. And for the love of all things art, don’t use contact cement on paintings!
Julian uses reversible materials in retouching, and I use Track Changes so that the author can revert any edits they don’t agree with, and that is 100% their right. At this point, Julian has spent eight hours just doing the preliminary prep work on this painting. I usually take about four hours to do all my pre-flight checks, paragraph styling, and style sheet setup. But it’s worth it.
Protecting the author’s intention
Julian uses a heat table to re-bond the flaking paint, soften the canvas, and remove planar distortions. I also use automated processes to take care of the grunt work, specifically PerfectIt 5. Other editors tell me they like ETK+, though I haven’t spent much time exploring that one. PerfectIt doesn’t do all the work for me, but it certainly smooths out a lot of bumps.
Now Julian is starting to fill in the holes. He’s starting to zoom in on the flaws in the painting, and I start to zoom in on the sentences. He’s also constantly trying to avoid introducing new problems. And so am I. Julian is careful to remain within scope.
“The retouching process is exciting, but it is also one of extreme discipline.”
While retouching, Julian makes tiny dots in just the right color, with the most minimal changes potentially having a major impact. It’s important for conservators not to overstep when working on paintings, and it’s important for editors to remain within their scope while editing. The simplest change is usually the best (and cheapest) one. “Don’t get out in front of your skis,” says Julian. Don’t rewrite the book. I’ll also recommend another editor if I’m not the best person for this job, another level of editing if the book isn’t ready for me, and proofreading as the final step if necessary.
“I’m not here to make the painting better,” he says. And a proofreader isn’t here to make your writing better. “I’m here to respect it, and help it, well, become itself.”
Contributing to growth and evolution of the profession
Julian explains another conservation principle, and this one I particularly like:
“The conservation professional shall contribute to the evolution and growth of the profession.”
That’s something I love about the CIEP community and its courses, conferences, forums, and local (and virtual) group meetings. Julian expands on this by explaining that contributing to the growth of his professional community can happen in many ways. He does it with his videos, and editors like Sophie Playle and Louise Harnby do it with courses, blogs, podcasts, webinars, and book clubs.
“Conversely,” he says, “any time I’m able to steal [wisdom] from another conservator or professional in any field, you can bet I’ll do it.” There’s no need to reinvent the wheel, so if other editors are sharing their knowledge and solutions, then go for it!
“Some of the best tips and tricks I’ve picked up have come from people outside the field of conservation and adapted to my own work.”
Or, ahem, applying art conservation principles to editing. If you’re stealing a technique, then like Julian, give credit where it’s due. Recognize the hard work others have put in to contributing to the community.
This connects to another principle:
“The conservation professional shall act with honesty and respect in all professional relationships, seek to ensure the rights and opportunities of all individuals in the profession, and recognize their specialized knowledge.”
Julian says, “Don’t close the gate or pull up the ladder.” I totally agree. Support those who are following behind you. If someone needs advice, asks a question, or needs mentorship, then help them, and seek help when you need it. “Everything is built upon the work of others,” Julian says. We should all help each other along.
“The conservation professional shall promote an awareness and understanding of conservation through open communication with allied professionals and the public.”
This contribution can take many forms. This blog post was originally a thread on Twitter, and many other editors use podcasts, infographics, or are active in community support forums and writers’ and editors’ groups.
Sentence-level editing
Back to the painting. It’s time to look at the front of the painting and start the very satisfying cleaning process. I get the same satisfaction from catching typos and fixing grammar mishaps. Julian gets to see what the artist saw, and I get to see what the author meant to say.
Julian’s goal is to make the painting a cohesive whole, so your eye doesn’t get caught up on flaws, and you can enjoy the artwork. My goal is to invisibly smooth away the speedbumps that trip up readers. If you see either of us in the final product, then we’ve overstepped. Julian is highly critical of sloppy retouching where it is the wrong color, doesn’t match, and is “just . . . bad.” Editors need to be careful not to impose their voice or stylistic preferences on their clients’ work. It’s not our book.
Julian makes sure to document every problem he finds, and he makes a record of how he addresses them as he goes along. I use Track Changes to record the work I’ve done on a manuscript, and I create a thorough style sheet to explain the choices that have been applied. Like Julian, I create the documentation at the beginning of the job so I can refer to it frequently while working on a manuscript. This ensures that changes are consistent. It also saves me (and Julian) from having to re-solve problems each time they’re encountered. This document is always open on my secondary screen, and I am adding to it throughout the edit.
According to Julian, each conservator chooses the approach that works best for them. Some editors work top-down, others big to small, others bottom-up. Whatever helps you get the job done in the most effective way for you is the right way for you to do it.
Holding yourself to a high standard
“The conservation professional shall strive to attain the highest possible standards in all aspects of conservation.”
Like Julian tucking in the corners on the back of the canvas, I also take care to do things that no one will likely ever notice. Professionalism matters. That means finding italicized spaces, styling paragraphs, checking that straight and curly quotes have been used consistently, and taking care to be efficient, clear, and tactful with my queries.
Julian says, “Each conservation professional has an obligation to promote understanding of and adherence to this code of ethics.” Although there’s no legally binding code that we have to follow to be “licensed editors,” I think the CIEP is doing a fabulous job in developing their code of practice and creating a standard for editors to hold themselves (and each other) to.
Finally, Julian varnishes the painting and provides guidelines for protecting it in the future. I have my own clean-up process at the end (similar to my pre-flight), and I’ll also include notes to the author for next steps they should take.
Julian’s channel is extremely relaxing and many people use it to help them sleep. As for me, well, I find that every time I watch one of his videos, I come away filled with energy, inspired by new insight into my business practice, from dealing respectfully with clients to creating my own tools that make my work easier—the same way he built his own heat table. It gives me a little jolt of motivation and pushes me to inspire the same level of joy in my clients that Julian’s clients feel when they first see their clean and cohesive artworks, the way the artists intended them to be.
If you have a manuscript that needs a bit of gentle cleaning, have a look at my proofreading service.
