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3rd out of 60 books
—
9 voters
The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, with Exercises and Answer Keys
by
Amy Einsohn
The Copyeditor's Handbook is a lively, practical manual for newcomers to publishing and for experienced editors who want to fine-tune their skills or broaden their understanding of the craft. Addressed to copyeditors in book publishing and corporate communications, this thoughtful handbook explains what copyeditors do, what they look for when they edit a manuscript, and ho...more
Paperback, Second Edition, 560 pages
Published
December 7th 2005
by University of California Press
(first published May 16th 2000)
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{This review is for the Third Edition, published in 2011.}
With all of the books out there on copyediting, it’s not easy to know which ones are worthwhile and which ones are just freshly packaged regurgitation of stuff we already know. I’d heard of this book and made a mental note—but it wasn’t until I came across Carol Fisher Saller’s glowing praise and her interview with Einsohn (on Saller’s Subversive Copyeditor blog) that I was sold. If it’s good enough for our snarky friend at the University...more
With all of the books out there on copyediting, it’s not easy to know which ones are worthwhile and which ones are just freshly packaged regurgitation of stuff we already know. I’d heard of this book and made a mental note—but it wasn’t until I came across Carol Fisher Saller’s glowing praise and her interview with Einsohn (on Saller’s Subversive Copyeditor blog) that I was sold. If it’s good enough for our snarky friend at the University...more
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It's been 44 years since I started my first job out of college, as a copy editor at Scott, Foresman, educational publishers. Throughout my incredibly checkered career, one consistent thread has been editing. No matter what the job or where it's taken me, my editorial switch just always seems to be in the "on" position. This is the context for my reading of Amy Einsohn's very useful guide to copyediting.
Now that I'm retired from the completely engrossing field of user experience design, in which...more
Now that I'm retired from the completely engrossing field of user experience design, in which...more
Amy Einsohn explains the information in the style guides in a readable and interesting way. The book is intuitively organized and includes not only information on how different style guides handle a variety of situations, but it also has quizzes throughout the book so that you can test your knowledge.
For experienced copy editors, I imagine this book might not provide anything new. For those of us who are still learning, however, this book provides an excellent overview that is significantly les...more
For experienced copy editors, I imagine this book might not provide anything new. For those of us who are still learning, however, this book provides an excellent overview that is significantly les...more
While this book unquestionably provides a complete picture of who a copyeditor is and what they do and do not do, as well as including some fantastically valuable grammar guidelines and when and how to break the ‘rules’, it is an American publication and I can’t help but wonder if all of this information will be relevant to me. In other words, how does the Canadian publishing world compare to the American world? For example, Einsohn provides a list of the standard accepted spelling of words with...more
May 17, 2011
Ysabet
added it
I've only just started reading this for a course I'm taking, but my initial thoughts are:
1) It's too bad that my class is happening before the third edition comes out, and frustrating that it's close enough to that release date that I know the new edition is coming. There're things (on the technological side) that're less current than I'd like in the second edition--no surprise, since it dates back to 2005.
2) It uses the Oxford comma. Since I work exclusively with style guides that don't allow t...more
1) It's too bad that my class is happening before the third edition comes out, and frustrating that it's close enough to that release date that I know the new edition is coming. There're things (on the technological side) that're less current than I'd like in the second edition--no surprise, since it dates back to 2005.
2) It uses the Oxford comma. Since I work exclusively with style guides that don't allow t...more
A wonderful, quick-and-dirty guide to copyediting in (Am.) English. Einsohn guides the editor from grammar and punctuation review all the way to the more time-consuming editing of charts, facts and figures. I absolutely recommend this for anyone looking into being an editor or just wanting to brush up their writing and self-editing skills: Einsohn's style makes any grammar issue easy to approach, and I found wanting more exercises to practice on*!
(*And no, it's not a mistake to end a sentence w...more
(*And no, it's not a mistake to end a sentence w...more
I won't disagree that it's a great reference grammatically, but it is severely outdated when it comes to computer terms. I don't know of many people who use the actual editing symbols anymore (though it was a fun trip down memory lane to see how many I still remembered learning way back when in school). Some parts were very well-written -- not just informative, but fun to read -- while others seemed to drag on and on. Part of that is subject matter (it's hard to make pronouns and clauses excitin...more
After being intrigued from afar by this career for awhile--very afar, since I live on a remote island in the South Pacific--it was really fun to jump in and start learning and testing myself. Hopefully, my use of the em dash is appropriate here, I am already getting rusty! A great reference book for anyone employed as or learning to be a copyeditor, or for someone wanting to improve their writing and proofreading skills. I think it is used as a textbook in some colleges.
This book was used as the primary textbook in my copyediting course and I loved it. It's not too dry to just sit down and read and it answers so many questions about what a copyeditor's duties are as well as grammar issues that you really can't afford NOT to have it in your library if you're a copyeditor or just aspiring to be one.
Unfortunately, since only so much information can be held in one book, it just skim quite quickly over a few topics that I thought could have used more detail, but th...more
Unfortunately, since only so much information can be held in one book, it just skim quite quickly over a few topics that I thought could have used more detail, but th...more
I found this book immensely useful. Even with a strong knowledge of language, usage, and grammar, I felt that I learned a great deal that I have been able to apply to both my writing and editing.
My ultimate reference book. Not as complete as the Chicago Manual of Style but not as heavy either.
Everything you ever wanted to know about grammar and punctuation, plus how to mark up a document as you edit. The book also includes sample passages to practice editing at the end of each section.
The author really knows her stuff!
The author really knows her stuff!
Earlier edition is available full text at Google ebooks.
Essential and marvelous.
It's for school.
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This was a pretty invaluable resource, and now my copy is all marked up with various highlighter colors and those little page-marker flags. I'm a little frustrated that my class used the second edition and that my class happened right before the third edition was released, but I don't think much new information was contained therein excepting that it conforms to the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual.
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This was a pretty invaluable resource, and now my copy is all marked up with various highlighter colors and those little page-marker flags. I'm a little frustrated that my class used the second edition and that my class happened right before the third edition was released, but I don't think much new information was contained therein excepting that it conforms to the 16th edition of the Chicago Manual.
Jun 01, 2009
Kimberly
added it
Half the people on the major freelance editing and writing circuit have desktop published their own books (which they'll happily sell you--in PDF format), and not one that I've read is worth a yard-sale price. Einsohn's book, on the other hand, really gives the entry-level editor what is needed to start the job on the right foot: advice, techniques, processes, and loads of tips and practice segments.
Now, all you need is someone to pay you for being a manuscript tyrant...
Now, all you need is someone to pay you for being a manuscript tyrant...
1 like · like · see review
Brings together grammar and style rulings from a number of style guides to provide some context on why some rulings are debated. I'd recommend the Chicago Manual of Style over this book for a desk reference, since this handbook lacks the depth found in other style guides, but this handbook does do a decent job of explaining how copy editors should handle certain debatable language issues when they arise.
A lot of people in my class complained about this book, but I thought it was very helpful. It's not a style manual - that's what Chicago is for. I found that even in exercises where I occasionally disagreed with the author's answers, I was still learning through discussing certain points with my instructor and classmates. So overall, I'm a fan.
This book is awesome if you need a refresher on grammar or if you plan on going into copyediting. It was a textbook for my editing class but I'm keeping it. I would like to do some editing work in the future and think that this book will be an indispensable reference tool.
I am SO GLAD that I bought this book. It has taught me a lot about the business and made me better at what I do. It's been especially helpful with making my work more professional - particularly the forms and sample docs that she provides.
This is the Most Useful Reference Book for copyeditors to have. It has detailed, well-communicated information on just about any grammatical or stylistic issue there might be. Highly recommend for any professional.
As an independent writer and editor I have found this book to be a helpful resource for a holistic view of the copyeditor's roles, rules, and responsibilities as well as techniques, style suggestions, and resources.
Supremely helpful for anyone who needs a refresher course in American grammar rules. This book provides exercises and answers as well as rules and examples. And, to top it all off, it's not a dry, boring read!
This book is SO good! Incredibly well-researched and informative (and not a bad read either). All grammarians should own this one.
I found this book very helpful and informative. It's definitely worth reading if you're interested in editing and/or publishing.
Incredibly helpful for newcomers to the profession. Great explanations, real-world examples, and exercises.
I still turn to Einsohn when I have subject-verb agreement questions (it's trickier than you might think).
If you give a crap about not sounding like an idiot--own this book.
Jan 19, 2009
Erica
marked it as to-read
The guidebook for my dream job. Riveting (probably only to me).
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