Yeah, yeah, firemen are important too, but right now copy-editors are my heroes. Without them, news—the essential element for a functional democracy—would be sloppy looking and therefore perceived as illegitimate. Books would probably be the same. Meaning there would be less of both. Or at least less than people give any creedence to.

And when you consider how much more copy there is in the world to edit nowadays, it really becomes clear copy-editors are the unsung heroes of democracy. Especially since the job is so f@#$ing awful. I’m currently slogging forward in the copy-editing process for my manuscript and it’s just slow, mind-numbing tedium that I only have time for after work, when I’m already exhausted and bleary-eyed.

Copy-editors should all get one bazillion dollars an hour, gym memberships and the Congressional Medal of Honor.