Editing and the art of being invisible.

While chatting with one of my high school best friends, something she said resonated with me.
In relation to podcasts, she said, "Editing should be invisible."
It should be so seamless that the listener can enjoy the content without little things spoiling the experience. It could be as simple as an incorrect level or a crackle, or a background noise that doesn't belong.

I realised that editing books is the same. You have a seamless reading experience with no errors and can be completely immersed in the world the author created. As soon as you come across an error, it can jar you out of the moment.

There are readers who clearly don't mind issues as much--as evidenced by the best selling books full of tense issues and head hops--but there are those who appreciate excellent writing and editing.

And a lot of those readers probably don't even realise how much editing went into that book.... Why?
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Because great editing is invisible.