The Subversive Copy Editor, Second Edition: Advice from Chicago (or, How to Negotiate Good Relationships with Your Writers, Your Colleagues, and ... Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)

18 people found thus review helpfulThe Subversive Copy Editor, Second EditionBy Carol Fisher Saller.Reviewed by C J Singh (Berkeley, California).Teach Yourself CREATIVE COPYEDITINGThe first item I noted is the quote on the opening page from H. G. Wells: “No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else’s draft.”This prompted me to finally knock at the manager’s door of the nearby Whole Foods Store I frequent. “Please consider changing your ad from ‘The World’s Healthiest Food Store.’ “Why?” she frowned. “Yes, many customers know your store is very HealTHY -- some have complained on the internet that lot of items are overpriced. We, your regular customers, would appreciate being assured that the items also are the most HealthFUL.” “No,” she said, “I majored in English.” "Right," I said, "English major! -- right, of course: Healthy, not Healthful Store,". I slipped away to my double-spice chai cup to peruse the new edition of this charming book.In both editions of the book, the subtitle is typographically understated: “Advice from Chicago (or, how to negotiate good relationships with your writers, your colleagues, and yourself). It’s also overstated: “Advice from Chicago” assumes that the casual reader recognizes that “Chicago” stands for “The Chicago Manual of Style” and its editors and publisher.In the second edition, Part One is aptly titled “Working with the Writer, for the Reader.” Saller notes the “age old battle” between prescriptivist- and descriptivist-grammar linguists (page 50). Prescriptivist copy editors “can wave the rule book about and try to assume the power of saying ‘no you can’t’ to writers, or they can acquire the power of knowing when to break the power of knowing when to break a rule in order to help writers achieve great writing.” The latter choice, Saller terms “subversive” copyediting.Good. However, she doesn’t go far enough: she cites the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th edition, but not the Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage (MWDEU). The former includes only brief usage notes on 500 items compared to the latter’s detailed usage histories of 2300 items that present many more choices. MWDEU invites writers to what I call CREATIVE COPYEDITING of manuscripts -- their own or their clients' works-in-progress. Subversive? Genuine creativity is, by definition, subversive. (See my review of MWDEU on amazon.com).Part Two: “Working with Your Colleagues and with Yourself” is also aptly titled as are the chapter titles: 7. When Things Get Tough; 8. Know Thy Word Processor; 9. The Living Deadline; 10. The Damned Village: Managing Work Relationships; 11. The Freelancer’s Quandries; 12. Things We Haven’t Learned Yet: Keeping Up Professionally; 13. The Zen of Copyediting; 14. You Still Want to Be a Copy Editor? Breaking In.To teach yourself the copyediting craft, I recommend:1. Doing the exercises in the current edition of A WRITER'S REFERENCE;2. Doing the exercises in Amy Einsohn's "THE COPYEDITOR'S HANDBOOK";3. Reading Carol Saller's "The SUBVERSIVE COPY EDITOR." (See my reviews of these three books on amazon.com)Five-star book.------For a flavor of the charm in Saller's writing, please read my brief review of the first edition: below.-- c. j. singhReview of the first edition71 of 73 people found the following review helpful June 2, 2009.Reviewed by C.J.Singh (Berkeley, California).Teach Yourself the Craft of EditingIn teaching editing courses at UC Berkeley extension, I always assigned The Chicago Manual of Style and Richard Lanham's Revising Prose (5th Edition) for the introductory course. For the advanced course, we discussed Joseph Williams's Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace (ninth edition) . As noted in my detailed reviews of the two latter books, most students found them excellent. I'm sure they'd be just as enthusiastic about "The Subversive Editor" by Carol Fisher Saller. In fact, I'd place this book near the top of the reading list for anyone interested in learning how to edit.Saller, a senior mansucript editor at the University of Chicago Press, also edits "The Chicago Manual of Style Online's Q&A" (Question&Answer). Written with charming wit, her brief book presents numerous tips. For several samples from the book, please read on.Introducing her book, Saller writes: "Although people outside the Press address us `Dear style goddesses' and assume we are experts on everything in the `Manual,' most of the time I feel more like the pathetic little person behind the curtain in `The Wizard of Oz.' It's only because I'm surrounded and protected by knowledgeable and generous coworkers that I can assemble the authoritative front that appears in the Q&A" (p. xi).From the Q&A: "Q/ Oh, English-language gurus, is it ever proper to put a question mark and an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence in formal writing?" (p. 31). "A/ In formal writing, we allow a question mark and an exclamation only in the event that the author was being physically assaulted while writing. Otherwise, no" (p. 43).On serial commas: "A/ Well, if you don't allow the serial comma at all, you will be stuck with situations like the following hypothetical dedication page that our managing editor likes to cite: 'With gratitude to my parents, Mother Teresa and the pope'" (p. 70).Know Thy Word Processor: "Q/ Is there an accepted practice for use of emoticons that include an opening or closing parenthesis as the final token within a set of parentheses?" (p. 71). "A/ Until academic standards decline enough to accommodate the use of emoticons. I'm afraid CMOS is unlikely to treat their styling . . . But I kind of like that double-chin effect" (p. 79). Included in the above chapter is a footnote: "Hilary Powers has written a gem of a guide, 'Making Word Work for You: An Editor's Intro to a Tool of the Trade.' You can download it inexpensively at...." (p. 72). I did. Thanks.On Associated Press Stylebook: "Minimizing word count must be another goal for newspapers: have you noticed their avoidance of 'that' even when it's needed? 'They maintained the house for years was a haven for crackheads.' It drives me crazy" (p. 28).Saller's use of "subversive" in the title is a bit of a teaser. And she knows it: "Editor's first loyalty is to the audience of the work you're editing: that is, the reader. . . . Common sense tells us that working on behalf of the reader is not really a terribly subversive move" (p. 4).--------To teach yourself the editing craft, I recommend:1. Doing the exercises in the current edition of A WRITER'S REFERENCE;2. Doing the exercises in Amy Einsohn's "THE COPYEDITOR'S HANDBOOK";3. Reading Carol Saller's "The SUBVERSIVE COPY EDITOR" (See my reviews of these three books on amazon.com)Five-star book.

Read this over a weekend. Great advice that can be applicable in many settings, not just editing. Particularly the advice on lists, schedules and logs, along with the advice on how to get along with office colleagues

This book is just so relatable. I love her style, her examples, her advice. I highly recommend this book to any new or struggling editor—struggling in any sense of the word. With editing, with client communication, with decision-making, with managing stress levels, etc.

This book was written by a long-time copyeditor at the University of Chicago Press. It's ostensibly aimed at copyeditors or would be copyeditors. There is advice about breaking into copyediting, but most of the book can be read with profit by anyone interested in writing. Any writer who interacts with copyeditors can profit from learning more about how copyeditors approach a manuscript and what their expectations are from writers.I found quite a few useful tips. Perhaps her most important message is that grammar and usage evolve over time and that too many people believe that what they learned in college (or grade school!) is sacred writ. It isn't.The book is a quick read and has earned a place on my shelf of writing books.

I have had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Fisher Saller in person, and I am happy to report she is as delightful in print as she is in person. This book is a must for every copy editor's stash of professional reassurance reference books. By listing (and copping to) mistakes we have all made or are semingly fated to make, she provides just the right level of "been there, done that, can laugh about it now, will never do it again" guidance to help you keep calm, carry on, and maybe even learn a macro or two. Buy it. Read it. Hang on to it.

This is not a book about grammar rules or the hard skills required for editing. The Subversive Copy Editor looks at the soft skills required to navigate business relationships and other areas of importance to become a good copy editor: organization, attention to detail, and knowledge of the tools used in editing. I liked the further reading list and other resources at the back of the book.Overall, a good book for both editors and writers.

This is an excellent look into the life of a copy editor. Anyone who is or wants to be one will benefit from it. It is no perfect job by any means, and Saller's stories along with her common sense and good advice make this book an insightful and valuable read. As a freelance editor myself, I could relate to much that Saller described. I also picked up some valuable nuggets of advice - especially her explanations about where to negotiate with authors on making changes you feel are correct but they may not like. She includes a wonderful chapter for writers and also one for freelancers. I think anyone involved in publishing can benefit from reading this book and applying Saller's advice.

Only because by then you are guaranteed to have seen first-hand at least one of the author or editor foibles Ms. Fisher Saller describes and prescribes a thoughtful, practical, and funny treatment for.I've purchased and actually read and reread (cover to cover, footnotes and all) both the first and second editions of this book. And if there's ever a third edition, I'll buy and read that one too, because I pick up new information, techniques, morale boosts, and swats across the nose for my editorial misbehavior with every reading.

While having no intention to become a copy editor, I am a writer and just as I suspected I learned a great deal from this book that will improve my own writing. And the tips for using Microsoft Word are invaluable in terms of self-editing prior to submitting my work. It was helpful to learn that copy editors suffer just as much as writers do about knowing when to let go of a manuscript as "good enough". It will never be perfect. Lost but not least, I enjoyed the author's sense of humour.

A terrific read. With good takes on the kind of issues that editors of all persuasions face from time to time. Funny and lucid.

Perfect condition

The book was a gift for my daughter. She loves it!

Very entertaining and informative.