Copyediting: A Practical Guide,   ISBN:9781560526087

Customer Rating: 

What makes copyediting so complex is that the English language is a knotty monster. And for the most part, the reference books that try to tackle and untangle said language are fairly thick and complex tomes.

Let's say you are preparing to interview for an editing job. Chance is good that, if you aren't constantly editing or constantly reviewing, you're going to be a bit rusty in the editorial joints. And chance is very good that, for most editing positions, a copyediting test will be required.

So, with only a few days until your interview and test, do you really want to brush up with a book the size of the New York Yellow Pages? I thought not.

While the bigger bookshelf hogs (like The Copyeditor's Handbook by Amy Einsohn and Chicago) go into greater depth in both explanations and exceptions, Karen Judd's book is perfectly organized for the purpose of reacquainting yourself quickly and efficiently with the essential rules of copyediting. And unlike those other books (I'm looking at you, Chicago!), Judd's work deals thoroughly with the difference between copyediting and proofreading.

It's a good book for your first book, and you might be surprised to find yourself returning to it again and again when you feel your skills could use some refreshing or refining.

Customer Rating: 

Certainly worth the 4 dollars, INCLUDING shipping, that I paid for it. Excellent book but old, and thus out of date in places. Good cheap buy for someone who has never copy-edited before and is interested in what it is and how it works.

Customer Rating: 

Like other reviewers, I found the errors which fill this book made many of her examples confusing. The errors also make me question the credibility of this text. This is the third edition; there should not be as many as four errors on a single page.
Also, her tone is condescending at best. I'd rather not be spoken down to by someone who has produced such a poorly copyedited text...about copyediting.
This book is a required text for a graduate class (in an English and Publishing program) and we all spent a fair bit of time complaining about it.
In spite of this, it is reasonably helpful. I would, however, recommend purchasing stylebooks instead or at least in addition to this text.

Customer Rating: 

I recently purchased Every Page Perfect by Mary Lynn. I find the book to be indispensable. I don't know what I did without this book. I have used the book and I find a huge difference in the way I present my writing to the public and to editors. I recommend this book to both seasoned writers and beginners out there. Every Page Perfect is 8 1/2 x 11 and shows how to set pages up exactly as an editor would want them for all genres etc. It should be on everyone's book shelf. It is clear, comprehensive and friendly. Don't write without it!


keelia

Customer Rating: 

This book is simple yet in-depth. Recommended to anyone who works in copyediting. This may even be useful for people who work in more "creative" writing fields, since it talks about the importance of consistency vs. "correctness."