The Elements of Editing (Paperback)

by 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: 2.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,352,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

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

By A Customer

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.

16 of 17 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

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time he wrote the edition I am reading - 1982 - into modern times, I am dismayed that the technology he refers to is so outdated.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.

7 of 8 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

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.