The levels of editing are upside down

"Levels of editing " has become a widely used tool since the appearance of the first booklet on the concept in 1976. Levels of editing schemes have been widely praised and adopted in a variety of organizations, yet from the way most "levels of edit" systems are structured, content (the author's main concern) is seldom addressed in any way until the second or third level of editing is invoked. I argue that the primary beneficiary of most systems as they are structured is the editor, and that the author's interests are far too often ignored. Given that the author is our client, the author's major concerns should be addressed even at the lowest level of edit, nor only when there is time and money for more extensive levels of editorial work.<
>