Copyediting: A Practical Guide (Paperback)

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"Every item intended for reading should be copyedited," says Karen Judd: books and periodicals, of course, but also appliance instructions and menus. Strange, then, that Judd's Copyediting is one of the few resources on the subject, but no matter. It's a terrific guidebook. Judd takes on all aspects of copyediting with startling authority, from copyediting symbols to advice on getting work. Intervening chapters cover punctuation and grammar, spelling, style and word usage, numbers and abbreviations, specialized copyediting, proofreading, and more. "Copyeditors ... know that Massachusetts is a commonwealth, not a state," says Judd. "They would know exactly how to address the pope if they met him. They don't mind going back over 1,000 manuscript pages because they have just decided to spell out numbers up to 100 after all." While they need not be good spellers or trivia buffs, they need to know when to look up a word or fact. And, though copyeditors tend to be stringent about the uses and abuses of language, "Copyediting means doing what the publisher wants, whether you agree with it or not." --Jane Steinberg

Product Description

Filled with sound, practical advice, this book is a must if you wish to become an effective copyeditor. In addition to being a comprehensive guide to the "real world" of copyediting and publishing, sections on diction and style answer practical questions not addressed in other copyediting books.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 328 pages
• Publisher: Crisp Learning; 3 edition (August 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560526084
• ISBN-13: 978-1560526087
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #61,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

97 of 98 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nuts and Bolts, April 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Copyediting: A Practical Guide (Crisp Professional Series) (Paperback)

This is a great nuts and bolts volume for the beginning copyeditor. Judd covers nearly everything you need to learn. She follows Chicago Manual of Style fairly closely and when she doesn't, she tells you. This book also includes exercises to allow you to polish your skills. One of the most useful I have read on this topic.

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been the best, but..., March 25, 2006

By	Daniel L Edelen (Mt. Orab, OH USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Karen Judd's "Copyediting: A Practical Guide" is one of the few books on this topic. Any help in this area is appreciated, and Judd's guide is extremely handy.

Pros:

1. Her examples are excellent, unlike some other grammar and punctuation guides. Got a strange sentence construction? Her examples will cover it. Not sure if that appositive needs commas or not? Judd gives the correct answer.

2. Methodical. The book delineates the technical aspects of copyediting well.

3. Covers proofreading techniques and notations not found in style and grammar manuals.

4. The trade paper size of the book makes it far less cumbersome than others that include workbook training. Judd's workbook questions are just as easily managed in the smaller format.

5. The price is right.


Cons:

1. This is an enormous con: There are enough errors in the book to confuse readers. Judd sometimes lays out a rule, but then the example is wrong. (A few other reviewers noted this, too.) In a book on copyediting, you'd expect perfect copy! Needs a revision badly.

2. While the copyediting and proofreading marks are extensive, there are not enough variants listed. Some publishing houses require marks that aren't here. I'm no expert like Judd is, but I've seen far more mark variants in my copyediting experience than she covers.

3. This book is "plain brown wrapper" and could use a layout freshening. Almost too dull to look at.

4. Some of the proofing marks are not crisply printed. As a suggestion, this book would benefit greatly from a two-color printing process that makes the marks stand out from the text more effectively.

5. The paper used in the book's construction is cheap, possibly leading to durability issues over the long run. For a true reference work, this is a shame.


Could have been the best value out there in a copyediting reference, but there are enough cons to relegate it to being merely good. A new edition would be excellent, but one doesn't appear to be on the horizon any time soon. Too bad for us.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, hands-on, in a manageable size, February 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Copyediting: A Practical Guide (Crisp Professional Series) (Paperback)

This is, indeed, a practical, information-packed guide, with lots of exercises, answer keys, and checklists. It doesn't go over every point of grammar--you can get that from your other reference books--but it does tell you most of what there is to know about pen-and-paper copyediting.

The book shows its age whenever computers are mentioned; Judd's comments on these magical machines are amusing and entertaining, but not very useful. I found it worthwhile, but if you edit online or on disk, this may not be the best book for you.