Customer Reviews

Copy Editing for Professionals

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This combination textbook/workbook is one of those projects that makes me wish I had done it. Or that one as good as this was available when I was teaching.

It is broken down into three areas: copy reading, headline writing and publication layout. This is for any kind of publication, but the major focus is on newspapers.

A major factor in the book's appeal is the writing style: It makes copy editing sound like fun. It is fun, but many textbooks make it sound dull as dust. Even hardened old copy editors could learn a thing or two from this book.

Another strength is Chapter 5, which goes into some detail on the topic that gives young journalists the most problems: grammar. Without becoming simplistic, the book offers a clear understanding of this most important of all challenges.

If there is an unfulfilled need it is that the book does not take advantage of the computer. Most publications today are copy edited on a monitor. Paper is passé. Perhaps the next edition will offer a remedy.

As a former student of this copy editing book, I know it is indeed a copy editing book for professionals. I am a journalist who flips through the Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual frequently to remind myself of its rules when the need arises. However, the great book is not nearly as comprehensive as Copy Editing for Professionals, a manual that includes copy editing answers to words and grammar questions not addressed by the Associated Press. And the book goes many steps further with easy to understand explanations and examples of Associated Press rules, chapters on issues that copy editors and reporters face in the field and quizzes to test the reader's knowledge. The useful examples are gained from the experience of authors who are experts in the field. Copy Editing for Professionals is a must-have for students, teachers and professionals in the editing field.

Dozens of books have dedicated themselves to teaching poor college students how to become a copy editor. The people who do this sort of thing for a living often wonder why; most are convinced the only way to learn copy editing is to do it. If they need a reference, they simply reach for a dictionary, a thesaurus, an Associated Press Style Book or their own publication's style sheet. If the students somehow don't get hired because they have no experience, and if they have somehow forgotten to acquire a shelf-full of copy editing books, however, the next best thing has arrived. Copy Editing for Professionals provides one-stop shopping for the student or journalist who needs a single reference that addresses the three skills copy editors need: reviewing stories or manuscripts, writing headlines and laying out pages. Even when computer software has taken much of the work (and fun) out of the process, copy editors still need those three skills and the journalistic attitudes that back them up (and often need some computer skills as well). Not that Copy Editing for Professionals dispenses with the need for other references like dictionaries and thesauruses; it doesn't. In fact, the authors, Edmund J. Rooney and Oliver R. Witte, assume the student has a copy of the AP Style Book and they make frequent references to it. Because any serious student of English must have a sense of humor, the book is splattered with cartoons and examples of how not to use the language, for example: "She carried a basket on her bed which was empty," "Wearing a bouffant gown of lace, the father gave the bride away," or what's wrong with the movie title "Honey I Shrunk the Kids." (It's Shrank.) Rooney and Witte have filled their book with solid, practical exercises, even inserting photos and reusable templates with their layout exercises. And after many, they have included common student errors, pointing out why they are errors and what students can do to rectify them. Copy Editing for Professionals is not the sort of book journalists would read from cover to cover-although they could. But I have not seen a more comprehensive reference or text, written so crisply and cleanly.

When was the last time you read a textbook because you wanted to?

I ordered this book to help the folks on my team who have become copy editors with no background or training in editing. I meant to simply skim through it, but enjoyed it so much I read the whole thing.

Another co-worker, who is not even an editor or writer, told me he too picked up the book to glance at it, and ended up reading an entire chapter and deciding he had to read the whole thing.

This is indeed a good copy editing textbook -- and a great read.

As a professional journalist, I wouldn't be caught dead without this book at my desk. I used it in college as a textbook but it is so much more than a textbook. It is a great resource that is easy to use while working on deadline. The book is easy to navigate and gives quick, easy to understand answers to all relevant questions. The amount of time dedicated to this book is obvious. There is no doubt in my mind that I am better copy editor because of this book. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to get into journalism, whether as a writer, copy editor, or photojournalist. This book will be a great aid. Although it appears pricey, the book pays for itself many times over in the frst week on the job.

I became familiar with a draft of this book some five years ago, as a student in a copy editing class under one of the authors. I quickly put the knowledge from the book to use in a student newspaper and in friends' term papers. Within a year of graduation, I was sometimes backing up editors at a 12,000 daily; within a few years of using the books, I was editing an 18,000 TMC; and another year after that, using the knowledge as the managing editor of a 32,000 weekly. The book's careful instruction of the how-tos and the whats of editing -- from the general approach to some specifics -- were instrumental in helping me help get better copy to readers and, probably, for some of the promotions. The book is superb.

This is a college textbook, but it's written for the professional who has just been given the job of editing copy and lacks a journalism degree. Or for writers who need to do a better job of editing their own copy. The authors have awesome professional credentials as reporters, editors and teachers. Rooney has a doctorate in education to go with his Pulitzer Prize. Witte, currently the managing editor of a financial news Web site, used to edit the Quill and has Lisagor awards (tops in Chicago journalism) in news, editorial and feature writing. Perhaps because of the authors' background as reporters, the book offers the unique perspective of when NOT to change copy. I especially liked the informal teaching technique, which relies on humor, cartoons, games and examples. The chapter on headline writing is hilarious, and the chapter on picture editing and layout explains the basics. But what separates this book from the rest is its articulation of a philosophy of editing that is based on coaching and teamwork. If you're going to be a lawyer (or whatever), you need to know how a lawyer thinks. This book explains how copy editors think. One short chapter - only three pages long - explains how to apply the five-step problem-solving process to editing. Other strengths of the book include its strict adherence to AP style and its emphasis on helping you understand, explain and justify your editing decisions. The book will make a better writer of you and of the people whose work you edit. If you admire literate writing, you need this book. It's worth the (stiff) price.

This is an excellent, though dated, guide to copy editing with a focus on Associated Press style.

At college, I fell into a position editing the A&E section of a local paper. My managing editor told me to get a copy of the AP Stylebook and to figure it out on my own. I thought I did well at the time, but I know better now.

I was floating in the months after graduation as a teaching assistant when I read "Lapsing into a Comma" by Bill Walsh. The book hooked me on the idea of copy editing, but I had no idea how to start.

This book provided a cohesive look at the profession. The more I read, the more excited I became for the future. I'm not quite ready (making sure my quiz answers are right without a teacher or answer guide is time consuming) but I am already a much more confident writer.

My only gripes:

-The book is a textbook, so the answers aren't always in the back. A way to find the answers without searching the AP stylebook would have been nice.

-The book is dated. A new edition addressing the internet would be nice.

With either gripe removed, I'd would give this book five stars.

I've known the authors professionally for six years. This innovative work-text is the product of their many years of classroom testing. One of the authors is a Pulitzer Prize Winner, the other a former copy editor of daily newspapers. The book seems appropriate as the text (and workbook) in virtually any copy-editing class. There are many exercises and games in the book. The authors have also provided an Instructor's Manual.

In my opinion, this book should be the model for teaching copy-editing today. It's the best book available.

Buy this book if you teach any form of copyediting, and any form of professional writing. Buy this book if you are studying these topics. Purchase an Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law while you're at it. It serves well as a teaching tool, and as a desk reference.

What Rooney and Witte have constructed is a book of necessary proportions. If you write or edit, or teach writing or editing, you need to know the material taught in "Copy Editing for Professionals."

Easy to use, with an emphasis on practicality, the reader will soak up the years of experience owned by Rooney and Witte.

Look at any newspaper... yes, even that great one, the "New York Times." You'll find errors galore. The NYT has the liberty of hiring the best... look through any newspaper, whether the Chicago Tribune or the Small-town Gazette. More errors. Shame on them! They should know better. Moreover, they should buy this book.

Is this book for journalists? Of course. But it is also for the professional communicator, whether he is a marketing person or a PR exec., or anyone else who depends on words to make a living.

Having studied under Witte at the Wheaton College Graduate School, I learned humbly how vast and detailed an editor must be. This helped forge my career as a marketing communicator, and your career will similarly benefit.

Knowing Witte's credentials and experience (former editor of the Quill, and other known magazines), and knowing Rooney's career, realize this book is by some of the best editors.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com