Editing Fact and Fiction: A Concise Guide to Book Editing [Paperback]

Leslie T. Sharpe (Author), Irene Gunther (Author), Richard Marek (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521456932 | ISBN-13: 978-0521456937 | Publication Date: September 30, 1994 | Edition: First Edition

Editing Fact and Fiction is a concise, practical guide for people interested in book publishing or already working as editors who want to learn more about the opportunities in various kinds of book editing. Writing in a lively, informal style, two editors with extensive experience in a wide variety of fields--fiction and nonfiction, trade and reference, academic and commercial publishing--explain what editors in different jobs really do. The authors take the reader step by step through the editing process, from manuscript to bound book. They discuss the principles of sound editing and provide many specific examples of how to--and how not to--edit copy. They also give examples of how to deal tactfully with authors and show when editorial restraint is the best intervention. Editing Fact and Fiction is a book to be read, not just referred to. It will be an indispensable guide for anyone thinking about a career in book publishing, a valuable resource for working editors who want to enlarge their knowledge, and a useful tool for senior editors training staff. Leslie T. Sharpe and Irene Gunther are both editors and writers. An experienced trade book editor, Leslie T. Sharpe teaches editing and writing at New York University and Columbia University. She is also a regular contributor to New York Newsday. Irene Gunther was a senior editor at Macmillan Publishing and has extensive experience in reference and college book editing. She is the author of a teenage biography and a contributor to various publications.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Every month, it seems, brings a fresh crop of books on writing. Whatever it is you want to write, you can be sure there's a shelf's worth of books to guide you. But try to locate a book on editing, and you're likely to come up empty-handed. Editing is so dependent on instinct that a newcomer is expected somehow to just figure it out. We can imagine no finer introduction to book editing than Editing Fact and Fiction. Authors Leslie T. Sharpe and Irene Gunther explain what different editors (acquiring, copy, production, managing) do, as well as how those tasks vary depending on the type of book (fiction, nonfiction, children's, reference, textbooks, etc.). They address freelance editing, electronic editing, and publishing courses, and have compiled a terrific bibliography of useful books for editors.

But most important, they have "distill[ed] our philosophy of editing into a set of guiding principles," principles "that will inform every editing decision." These principles are all about restraint and respect and having a deep understanding of the elements of good writing. "Do no harm," the authors advise. "Change as little as possible." A book belongs, ultimately, to its author, and it is the editor's job to coax out the best version possible. An editor, they say, is like a baseball umpire. "The best umps, like the best editors, are invariably the ones you don't notice. They guide the game but don't intrude on it." --Jane Steinberg

From Booklist

Sharpe and Gunther really know their stuff. From the job descriptions of editorial staff members through the minutiae of the actual editing process, they cover this field thoroughly and with astonishing concision. It is the editor's role, they contend, to make each book the best its writer could produce--and never to replace the writer's voice with their own. To this end, they show how careful pruning and sensitivity to rhythm and style are both necessary to the editing process, and they describe seven "principles to edit by"--economy, tact, flexibility, consistency, confidence, respect, and responsibility. Many readers may be drawn by the book's "Guide to Editorial Freelancing" and other job-related chapters, but the book would also be useful at reference desks for answering elusive questions of style. Pat Monaghan --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; First Edition edition (September 30, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521456932
• ISBN-13: 978-0521456937
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 3.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Teaching Tool, June 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Editing Fact and Fiction: A Concise Guide to Book Editing (Paperback)

As an editor, I'm always amazed at how few texts are out there to teach young editors how to edit. I discovered this book, when it was first published years ago, and gave it to my junior staff to read and, hopefully, teach them the basic principles of editing. Which it did, really well. I went back looking for it again, and I was amazed and delighted that it's still in print (though it could indeed us an update in the tech chapter especially). But the core chapters--on principles, senses, and sensibility--are still solid, fresh, and very, very useful. I'm going to recommend it to this new generation of editors. And I'm so pleased it's still around!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth the Purchase, December 30, 2002

By 

Maurice Williams "mauricewms" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Editing Fact and Fiction: A Concise Guide to Book Editing (Paperback)

One Stop shopping for editing information. This is a great tool for beginning editors and writers. The book is concise, easily readable and contains a wealth of information about the editing role in publishing. There is also great insight and tips for freelance editing and excellent reference information in the back. This is the best book of its type that I've come across to date.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Strong on overview, philosophy; weak on technique., February 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Editing Fact and Fiction: A Concise Guide to Book Editing (Paperback)

While not much of a how-to book, it provides a fine overview of the publishing business, with details on specific editorial positions and what kinds of people will succeed in them. It's also good at describing/prescribing the editor-author relationship: how to write tactful queries, be a friend to authors, and generally get what you want. More of this would have been helpful. The final chapter, on technological advances in publishing, is out of date and mostly pointless.

I enjoyed the read, but I could easily have lived without this book. Glad I bought it used; it's not a book to which I will often refer.

P.S. One of the ugliest covers I've ever seen. What on earth was Cambridge thinking?