Editing Fact and Fiction: A Concise Guide to Book Editing

by Leslie T. Sharpe , Irene Gunther , Foreword by Richard Marek

• ISBN13: 9780521456937
• ISBN10: 0521456932
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1994-09-30
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Editing Fact and Fiction is a concise, practical guide for people interested in book publishing or already working as editors who want to learn more about the opportunities in various kinds of book editing. Writing in a lively, informal style, two editors with extensive experience in a wide variety of fields--fiction and nonfiction, trade and reference, academic and commercial publishing--explain what editors in different jobs really do. The authors take the reader step by step through the editing process, from manuscript to bound book. They discuss the principles of sound editing and provide many specific examples of how to--and how not to--edit copy. They also give examples of how to deal tactfully with authors and show when editorial restraint is the best intervention. Editing Fact and Fiction is a book to be read, not just referred to. It will be an indispensable guide for anyone thinking about a career in book publishing, a valuable resource for working editors who want to enlarge their knowledge, and a useful tool for senior editors training staff. Leslie T. Sharpe and Irene Gunther are both editors and writers. An experienced trade book editor, Leslie T. Sharpe teaches editing and writing at New York University and Columbia University. She is also a regular contributor to New York Newsday. Irene Gunther was a senior editor at Macmillan Publishing and has extensive experience in reference and college book editing. She is the author of a teenage biography and a contributor to various publications.

Table of Contents

Foreword	vii
Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	1	(1)
A Good Editor Is Hard to Find	1	(3)
The ``Un'' Professional Profession	4	(1)
A Principled Approach	5	(1)
Editing from Our Experience	6	(2)
Who (and What) Is an Editor?	8	(23)
Classifying the Species	8	(14)
Theme and Variations	22	(3)
Editing by the Book	25	(2)
The Winding Road from Manuscript to Bound Book	27	(4)
Fact or Fiction? Finding Your Niche	31	(46)
A Novel Approach: Editing Fiction	34	(7)
On-the-Jon Learning: Editing Nonfiction	41	(4)
Getting the Picture: Editing Children's Books	45	(3)
Checking It Out: The Wide Wide World of Reference	48	(11)
The Sale's the Thing: College Textbooks	59	(5)
An Academic Environment: The University Press	64	(3)
Elementary and High School Publishing	67	(5)
Other Publishing Areas	72	(1)
A Foot in the Door	72	(2)
Getting Ahead	74	(3)
Principles to Edit By	77	(25)
Economy	80	(4)
Tact	84	(4)
Flexibility	88	(4)
Consistency	92	(3)
Confidence	95	(3)
Respect	98	(2)
Responsibility	100	(2)
The Editor's Senses	102	(28)
The Editorial Read	103	(4)
Memory	107	(6)
The Editor's Eye	113	(6)
The Editor's Ear	119	(3)
The Editor's Nose	122	(2)
Common Sense	124	(2)
Knowledge	126	(4)
The Editor's Sensibility	130	(27)
Choosing the Books	131	(2)
The Author/Editor Relationship	133	(8)
Learning to Think Like a Writer	141	(3)
Some Elements of Good Writing	144	(13)
A Guide to Editorial Freelancing	157	(17)
The ``Big Three''	157	(6)
Getting Work	163	(7)
What Makes a Successful Freelancer?	170	(2)
Beyond Books	172	(2)
Electronic Editing Today and Tomorrow	174	(22)
Linda Joan Britain
The Computer in the Editing Process	175	(7)
The Computer as Research Tool	182	(7)
A Look Ahead	189	(5)
Annotated Bibliography	194	(2)
Tools of the Trade and How to Use Them	196	(27)
At the Editor's Elbow	196	(1)
Annotated Bibliography	197	(12)
Getting the Facts by Phone	209	(2)
Grammar Hotlines	211	(4)
Publishing Courses	215	(8)
Index	223