Customer Reviews

The Associated Press Stylebook 2009 (Associated Press Stylebook & Briefing on Media Law)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am a copy editor and writer who uses the AP Stylebook all of the time, and while I usually think on-line books are better than paper, the AP on-line was making me nuts. The on-line version is very difficult to use - doesn't bring up entries for the most basic searches - and not very user-friendly. The updated paper version is way better. It has extensive information on the use of numbers, IT language, a must-have section on punctuation, independent and dependent clauses, serial commas, etc. It is quick and easy to use to find answers for such usages as continuously or continually, effect or affect. The punctuation section alone is worth the price, and the Stylebook has improved my copy editing immensely. I recommend using for editors who must use several different style guides. Create a spreadsheet with your most common style guides and uses (serial commas, punctuation questions, IT word spellings, capitalization rules, etc.) and pull the information from your AP Stylebook for quick reference. This spreadsheet will improve your copy editing time and keep you from confusing styles.

This is the news desk bible for AP style. The only problem with this edition is they have gotten rid of the spiral bound option. Its nice to have a copy stay open while you are writing.

This book is always helpful and is really well written. The only negative is that it is not spiral bound like previous issues.

Chances are if you are looking to buy this book it is because you have to; not because you are being forced to buy this book, but rather because the AP style book will become a natural extension of you throughout your writing career. While one hand is typing away the other will be flipping though the pages of the style book. The AP Stylebook is one of the few books I never packed away after college and that I use on a daily basis. In the PR/journalism business there is no substitute.

Honestly, this stylebook won't improve your writing, what it will do is bring clarity and consistency to your work and make others take your work seriously. A must for journalists, bloggers and freelancers, the stylebook will help clean your copy. The punctuation section at the end is extremely helpful and the reason for giving this stylebook four stars instead of five, is that this amazing stylebook keeps changing (which ofcourse is a good thing). So skip the book and subscribe to the online edition which updates as soon as AP makes any changes or adds a new entry.

I really like how this book is written. It is a guidebook for writers when it comes to being accurate and honest in the stories that they write on a regular basis. I know that it has come in handy for me when I have written comments or blogs of my own so that it keeps me honest in my writing habits.

I have long used the AP stylebook at my workplace (I work in the editorial department of a magazine). This book, the most recent version, includes 200 new entries, several of which are Internet related. As with the previous editions, it includes sections on sports, media law, punctuation, business guideilnes, and editing marks.

One minor error that appears in the book is under the Twitter entry. The entry states that the verb form of using Twitter is "Tweet" or "to Tweet." AP has since issued a correction, stating that "tweet" should be lowercase. I originally learned of this correction in the Grammar Girl podcast (quickanddirtytips.com), and this is noted in podcast #175's transcript.

Other than that small error, this continues to be a great reference that I use almost daily.

The book was sold at a very reasonable price. This seller shipped the book really fast, just in time for my quiz on tomorrow!

It's really hard to write a review of the AP guide, simply because it isn't really optional. If you're a J-student or a professional journalist (or, in my case, a photojournalist trying to make it somewhere), you have to have this book.

If you're getting this, get the spiral-bound version. I didn't and it's a real pain to not have it.

AP, Amazon, whoever's in charge, please make a Kindle version of this book. This is exactly the sort of thing that would be so much better if put in a digital, searchable form.

This is a great resource for anyone serious about writing, not necessarily just journalists. It's not the newest edition of the book, but not too much has changed in the newer editions so I'd say just buy this one and save the extra money. That is, unless you can fork out the cash to buy the new one.