Decius posted:

I disagree with that. The editor is there to make the stuff the author writes readable (or sellable nowadays...). This includes cutting stuff, which is completely normal and happens to every author. Of course it is the author who has the last word, but the editor is the one who has to convince them that this chapter is too long or that storyline doesn't work. And often authors do cut the stuff, as much as it pains them - until they get big and famous. Then, suddenly the publishers are too afraid to have the editor cut stuff mercilessly because it might mean that they lose the author to a publisher who is less demanding. Also, people are more likely to pay 25 USD for a 900 pages book from <Famous Fantasy Author> than 15 USD for a 400 one, so longer works are actually better for the publisher in many cases.
The end result are fantasy series, which start out great, well-paced and readable. And end up with gigantic tomes filled with drawn out and outright boring parts.
Erikson is one of the better in this regard, there are maybe 5-10 % of the later books I myself consider too long/much (and which others might like on expanse of stuff I like, although I wonder if anyone liked the length of for example Nimander's traveling depression therapy group or the Mhybe's lamentations).
There are far more severe cases like GRRM, Hamilton, Jordan, Rowling or Rothfuss, who would have benefited from condensing certain storylines in half or a third of the pages used.