Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy [Paperback]

Carolyn Howard-Johnson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

...[This booklet] offer[s]  real help. Writers polishing their manuscripts and query letters will find this guide more useful than Strunk and White.
--June Casagrande, author of "Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies" (Penguin) (added by author)

"Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips For Writers" is highly recommended reading for anyone preparing to write pretty much anything -- and a fascinating read in its own right ..." --James A. Cox, Editor in Chief, Midwest Book Review (added by author)

Product Description

Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers is a handy little (but magic!) booklet that will help you avoid the gremlins lurking in your writing--the ones determined to embarrass you. You'll feel more secure when you send out your blog posts, your business and query letters, or your manuscripts to those who can help build your career.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 56 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (February 17, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1450507654
• ISBN-13: 978-1450507653
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #385,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Editing Tips for Writers, March 20, 2010

By	K. Ventrice "Karen Cioffi-Ventrice" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy (Paperback)

What's more important to a writer than words? Not much . . . maybe how to put words together properly, using correct grammar, weaving them together to create descriptive or informative content . . . but, we still go back to the foundation of every writer's manuscript or article . . . words.

Carolyn Howard Johnson's latest book, Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers, is a little 55 page book (or e-book) that a writer can refer to over and over and over to find help with some of the most common word trippers.

In the Before You Get Started section of this book, Howard-Johnson explains, "Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers is full of words that are trouble causers. They either sound alike or are spelled similarly. They are not arcane words that you will seldom have an occasion to use. They are not words the writer knows but still mistypes."

Words such as climactic and climatic used improperly or misspelled can mean a rejection when submitting to the "gatekeepers." The addition or deletion of that little second "c" makes a huge difference in the meaning of the word.

Or, how about the words: all together / altogether; demur / demure; one in the same / one and the same; and peeked / peaked / piqued. These are just a few of the word trippers added in the Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers.

Listed in an A - Z format, the words chosen for this book are thoroughly explained with the aid of examples. This all makes for an easy to understand and easy to read guide. The author also provides two resource sections at the end of the book: Reading: One Editing Book at a Time, and Other Writers' Aids.

I happen to be a fan of Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Frugal series and have the Frugal Editor as well as the Frugal Book Promoter. They are a part of my writing and marketing toolkit. The author has done it again with the Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers. She has compiled this much needed booklet as an addendum to a list in the appendix of her book, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success.

I learned a great deal from Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers and will be referring to it often; I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Karen Cioffi, author, writer-for-hire, freelance writer
Day's End Lullaby

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Choosing the right word has never been so entertaining, March 18, 2010

By	Magdalena Ball "http://www.compulsivereader.c... - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy (Paperback)

I'm firmly of the opinion that one of the main difference between a good book and a great book is the quality of the edit. Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows that and has provided a series of books designed specifically to help authors edit their books without having to spend a fortune. The latest one in the the Frugal series is a handy list of tricky, "trip-you-up" words that every writer would do well to master. Some, like "advice / advise" are common problems that dog the writer from primary school onwards, and it's probably time to get these sorted out. Others, like "although / though" are more subtle, and Howard-Johnson doesn't shirk from pointing out why the use of one word is preferable over another. The explanations are always clear, with well written and original examples, and once you've read Howard-Johnson's words of wisdom, you won't make the mistake again. The book is just 50 pages, and is easy to carry around for reference, or check through quickly when you're unsure. You could also use it as a kind of course book, taking on a pair of words a day with the aim of improving your overall English skills. Even if your English is masterful already, you might be surprised at how often you misuse some of the more common sets, such as "bring / take" or "childlike / childish." Howard-Johnson even provides ill-used phrases like "It is what it is." or the difference between i.e. and e.g. (I'm afraid I've misused this one myself). The book ends with a list of other recommended editing books.

A few small errors in a manuscript or piece of writing may seem like a minor problem, but they mark the writer as an amateur and can be just what an overworked editor is looking for in order to move your unread manuscript over to the slush pile. At best, they make the writer look sloppy and uneducated. At worst, you may be conveying something quite different to what you had in mind. Not all of writing is this clear and straightforward, so ensuring that you understand and are able to easily use and distinguish commonly confused words correctly is more than just a good thing. It's essential. That so much helpful advice is couched in such light-hearted, easy to read and entertaining prose is due to Howard-Johnson's capability. This little book has a simplicity that belies the importance of what it's conveying. Do yourself, and your readers, a favour and make sure that you choose the right word every time you write.

Magdalena Ball is the author of Repulsion Thrust

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Things Come in Small Packages, March 4, 2010

By	Queen Jaw Jaw "The Queen of Experiences, www.... (AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy (Paperback)

My copy of "Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers," arrived today. First of all, I love the look. I'm grateful you considered how locating a book of monochrome colors can frustrate a writer when they're in a rush and need quick answers. And using the cover art of your other books is an ingenious way of promoting them. No surprise there since you are the Queen of Promotions. Next, I want to say it was an easy read and done in one sitting. Another stroke of brilliance. Who has the time to read, cover to cover, a 300-page book of word use?

However, I'm holding back some final praise unless you guarantee me there will be others like this to follow. Yes? I mean, what about the words, "title--entitled?" Or "affect--effect?" I can go on. They don't call me a gabologist for nothing. Do me and the rest of the literary world a favor. Get back to the keyboard and crank them out. Of course they're not for meeee, they're for a friend. Ahem.

Georgia Richardson
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Throne