Why revising is like pitching to the 1927 New York Yankees

After finishing my revisions on "The Mockingbirds"  just last week,  I realized revisions for an editor are like pitching to Murderer's Row. That's the famed lineup of the 1927 New York Yankees with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, considered by many to be one of the greatest lineups of all time.

I've revised before — for my critique partners, for my agent, even for my editor before she bought the novel. But now I am effectively revising for the reader. These revisions are to turn the book into...