The Copy Editing And Headline Handbook

by Barbara G. Ellis

Everyone in the newsroom agrees that copy editors are the unsung heroes in the business who, until now, have never had a succinct and authoritative guide for on-the-job use. From counting the headline to line breaks, from decks to jumps, from editing numbers and photo captions to editing for organization, The Copy Editing and Headline Handbook is the complete source of essential information for the copy editor. Whether copy editing on a computer or on the printed page, for a newspaper or for a magazine, Barbara Ellis shows how to clean, organize, and proof copy like a pro. With special sections on libel, captions, forbidden words, job hazards, and head counts, as well as a section of the most commonly used symbols in copy editing and proofreading, the Handbook is essential for every copy editor's bookshelf.

Genres: Writing, Reference, Language

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2001

Reviews

[Lee]

I started reading this title because it was available in my local library system and I was thinking about starting a freelance career as an editor/proofreader.

The book provides detailed and descriptive explanations about various jobs as a copy editor, including elements related to writing headlines, copy-editing content, and the politics and diplomacy of working as part of a larger team. The part about writing headlines (very complicated and multilateral process!) did not necessarily related to my professional goals, but it was still an interesting section to read. After so many years of quickly reading through newspaper headlines, I had no idea it was such an involved process that required so many considerations!

If work as copy-editor, or are thinking about becoming one, this is a valuable resource.

[Joseph VanBuren]

I couldn't finish this one. The author's voice is so pompous and belittling that it makes even the useful parts (which were very few for me) almost unreadable. Most of this book relates specifically to newspaper editing, which is not really helpful for the type of editing I do. That's okay, though; I read many editing books and usually gain knowledge and insight from editors of all kinds. That was not the case with this book. The information and techniques described are very outdated. The few useful nuggets I could have gotten out of this book were covered in convoluted prose and sprinkled with sour self-righteousness. It's great that the author has had a long career as a copy editor, but her dinosaur perspectives do nothing for people editing in the real world today.