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McGraw-Hill Proofreading Handbook

Joe Wallace — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:07:47 +0000

The most attractive parts of the McGraw-Hill Proofreading Handbook include a how-to on creating a personal style sheet, a section on fact checking, and some advice on how to train your eyes to spot copy errors.

Like the absolutely essential Elements of Style, the Proofreading Handbook is small, compact, and an easy read at just over 160 pages.

No, you’ll probably never need that section of typesetter’s marks, but you never know, and the existence of that section in the book shouldn’t dissuade you from taking advantage of the other solid info in these pages.

This is a serious professional manual. It’s lousy for reading on the subway, but for those who want to transition from writer to editor, it’s a good addition to the old professional library.

Cleaning Your Copy

Joe Wallace — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:07:14 +0000

Grammar, punctuation, and AP style–that’s what you get with Vicki Krueger’s Cleaning Your Copy seminar at News University. It’s a two-hour online course focusing on the basics of scrubbing your own copy and being your own editor (at least for the technical stuff.) There are also tips on the most common mistakes and how to avoid making them.

That may seem fairly basic stuff, but for any writer who wants to transition into editing, this course is a good way to get into the editor mindset and think more critically about what goes onto the page. It’s also a way for new freelancers to get off on the right foot when it comes to submitting final drafts that are error-free and easy to edit.

News University offers a variety of webinars for writers and journalists–some for pay, some for free. To take advantage of the Cleaning Your Copy seminar, register at News University–it’s free.

Editors On Editing: What Writers Need to Know

Joe Wallace — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 21:05:51 +0000

Editors on Editing: What Writers Need To Know About What Editors Do is not the most lightweight book title in the universe, but it is a handy volume to own if you’re just getting started as a writer or editor.

Editors on Editing has gotten rave reviews from readers who recognize the power of this collection of three dozen essays on the art, craft, and career path of editing. Editor writers take note, this book not only tackles nuts and bolts, it also covers a variety of different needs across many genres.

The 377 pages of this beauty are just want any newcomer needs to read in order to get a leg on up the competition–surely anyone ignorant of the contents of this book will suffer when they go up against someone who has absorbed this materal and taken it to heart.