The Elements of Editing [Paperback]

Arthur Plotnik (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: MacMillan Publishing Company.; 1st edition (January 1, 1982)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028614518
• ISBN-13: 978-0028614519
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,988,127 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Arthur Plotnik, in spite of his funny name, is a versatile author with a distinguished background in editing and publishing. Two of his works have been featured as Book-of-the-Month Club selections: "The Elements of Editing," a standard reference through some 20 printings, and "The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts into Words." Reviewers have consistently praised Plotnik's writing for its accuracy, style, and wit, often ranking it with "The Elements of Style" (Strunk & White)in practicality. However, his popular "Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style" (Random House)challenges some of Strunk & White's inhibiting dictates as it guides the writer to more risk-taking, more adventurous, more publishable prose.

His latest book, published in spring 2011 by Viva Editions, is titled: "Better than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives." It offers 6,000 alternatives to "great," "awesome," "amazing" and other shopworn terms of praise and acclamation. (www.freshsuperlatives.com) Former Poet Leaureate Billy Collins calls it "AMEN-ASTONISHING!"

A native of White Plains, N.Y., Plotnik studied under Philip Roth and Vance Bourjaily in the Iowa Writers Workshop. After an Army stint, he served as a staff writer on the Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union, where novelist-to-be William Kennedy worked across the city desk, puffing cigars.

Plotnik ground out 22 pseudonymnous potboilers for the Scott-Meredith Literary Agency, some of them while completing work on the second of two master's degrees (English, library service). In his return to respectability, he surfaced in Washington, D.C, as press and public relations assistant to the Librarian of Congress and newsletter editor. He was later a magazine editor in New York, where the second of his two daughters was born.

As a publisher, Plotnik brough five national awards to the American Library Association's book imprint. He won numerous honors also as editor of "American Libraries," ALA's flagship magazine.

Plotnik has written scores of magazine articles and columns, seven nonfiction books (including his first writer's guide, "The Elements of Authorship") and short stories and poems. He has appeared in publications ranging from "La Prensa" (Bolivia) and "Playboy" to "The New York Times" and "Los Angeles Times." A contributor to "The Writer Magazine" and member of its editorial board, he has also contributed to "Britannica Book of English Usage" and the "American English" column of "American Way" in-flight magazine.

A passionate observer of trees, he is author of "The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town," illustrated by his wife, the artist Mary H. Phelan. "The New York Times Book Review" called this work "indispensable." On July 4 of the Constitution's 200th birthday year (1987), the National Archives published his "The Man Behind the Quill," a biography of the Constitution's calligrapher, Jacob Shallus. The award-winning book was highlighted in "Time" magazine and praised as "a small miracle of research."

A popular speaker, Plotnik taught briefly in the journalism department at Columbia College in Chicago. Special honors include service as a charter board member, American Book Awards, and first place in the prestigious "Verbatim" national competition for essays on the English language. He is listed in "Who's Who," "Contemporary Authors," "Journalists of the United States, and other directories of writers and journalists. He lives in Chicago and is represented by literary agent Roger Williams of New England Publishing Associates.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great tool for smart editor, September 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Elements of Editing (Paperback)

Plotnick's book may be a tad dated, but his insight into the process of editing and the relationships formed about editors and the rest of the publishing crew are insightful and sound. The book doesn't pretend to be an exhaustive look at the minutiae of editing, but rather to set the stage for the intelligent person to gain context on what goes into making a good editor, along with some of the frustrations along the way. Good primer for the editor's shelf. I've been in the business about 20 years and wish I'd had something like this when I started out.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not Bad But Still Disappointing, January 4, 2000

By 

Mike Sarzo (Glenn Dale, MD USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Elements of Editing (Paperback)

As someone who has edited newspapers at the college level, I thought I was getting something that would give me a great reference point for a future in journalism. Plotnik's book assumes that the reader has experience with journalism but is new to editing. It is not intended to be a primer showing the would-be editor how to edit; rather, it is designed to be a guide into avoiding pratfalls that can befall a novice (or even a veteran) editor.

While I am fairly pleased with the extent of his advice that can be translated from the time he wrote the edition I am reading - 1982 - into modern times, I am dismayed that the technology he refers to is so outdated. The modern editor does not have to spend 10 minutes staring at a proof page to look at how to set type any longer thanks to technology desktop publishers have at their fingertips.

Plotnik would have been much better served if he had someone well-versed in modern publishing technology update his technical knowledge base.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mild, but not THAT bad, April 6, 2001

By 

consumer123 "dnaeye" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Elements of Editing (Paperback)

Whilst the other reviewers loved to thrash a decent book, I for one would like to throw in my two pennies in defense of this fine book. It's not as useful or insightful as I thought it would be, but for a beginner it contains a lot of interesting anecdotes for those who haven't really stepped into the publishing world. The section on printing and photography is very good for giving a general idea which is exactly what I needed. Not the Bible it could've been, but still worth its existence. Want something better, just buy the Chicago Manual of Style.