Carol Fisher Saller

“There should be no crying in copyediting.”
― Carol Fisher Saller, The Subversive Copy Editor: Advice from Chicago

“Knowing how to tinker with a broken piece of prose until it hums is a source of contentment known by all who have mastered a worthy craft.”
― Carol Fisher Saller, The Subversive Copy Editor: Advice from Chicago

“In editing, as in life, I have found "We can discuss this" to be a reliably effective suggestion. Sometimes the other party thinks, "Oh, well, since I have a choice, I'll let it go," and sometimes, "Omigod-she wants to discuss this endlessly. I'd rather just let it go.”
― Carol Fisher Saller, The Subversive Copy Editor: Advice from Chicago

“Over my entire career in editing, I don't think I've encountered more than half a dozen difficult authors. By "difficult," I mean a writer who simply does not want changes made to his manuscript and is not even prepared to discuss them. We know the stereotypes: The hotshot journalist jealous of every comma. The poet who claims that his misspellings and eccentric punctuation are inspired. Assistant professors writing a first book for tenure are notorious for their inflexibility, and understandably so: their futures are at stake. They take editing personally; red marks on their manuscripts are like little stab wounds. And then there are vain authors who quarrel when we lowercase their job titles, who want their photos plastered all over the piece or their
names in larger type. And don't get me started on writers who don't know what they're talking about, writers who are your boss, writers who are former high school English teachers.”
― Carol Fisher Saller, The Subversive Copy Editor: Advice from Chicago