The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications

The "Copyeditor's Handbook" is a must-read for the editorial professional. It is an essential guide to grammar, various styles, mechanics, and copyediting and proofreading functions--for which it includes numerous examples, charts, and a glossary of terms. It also provides samples of different copyediting levels with suggestions for estimating fees for light, medium, and heavy editing. Beyond Grammar, a lengthy, but important chapter toward the end of the book, focuses on four broad areas that copyeditors normally face: organization, expository style, bias-free language, and publishing law. As an editor and copyeditor, I use numerous reference books, including "Chicago," "Words into Type," AP, and whatever other style manuals a house publisher dictates. "Copyeditor's Handbook" isn't this type of a style manual, but a handbook that will not only guide newer copyeditors through the editorial process, but will also be an appropriate read for many writers and communication professionals. This is my second time purchasing this book, because I highlighted my first copy too much and wanted to start fresh. I tend to do that with reference books that are extremely helpful, which is why I know that this one is a good one.