Book Review: The Copyeditor’s Handbook

Complacency is easy. It is also ruinous.

As an editor, it is probably not in my best interest to insinuate that I am anything less than perfect at my craft. After all, correcting mistakes and submitting manuscripts that are without flaw is how I make a living. However, perpetuating this fairytale would, I feel, be disingenuous to editors (and humans) everywhere. The fact of the matter is this: editors are never perfect. They can often be pretty close, but ultimately there are too many factors to consider in a manuscript, and so many of these come down to preferences of style, education, region, voice, and a million other tiny annoyances that get in the way of our pursuit of perfection. Blast them all!

After an unfortunate run-in with the blasphemous piece of legislation known as AB 5, or the Gig Economy Law, I was recently left unemployed and was thrown headfirst into the joys and trials of freelancing FOR REAL. This is a competitive business, and in the grand scheme of things, I’m still a relative newcomer to the editing scene. I’m trying to go toe-to-toe with editors who’ve been editing professionally for longer than I’ve been alive, and that’s intimidating. These gurus are probably the closest humanity will ever get to that eternally coveted perfection. And me? I am just pretty good. Thus, after a few proverbial slaps in the face from the universe in the form of job rejections, bungled contracts, and radio silence on the email front, I came to the full realization of my “pretty good”ness and realized that everyone needs a little refresher once in a while. After all, even the big baddies in my industry still whip out their “big orange bibles” religiously. And a lot of them have been professionally trained! (Yes, in retrospect, perhaps I should have gone for the English degree instead of the journalism one, but then I never would have joined the school paper as copy editor, and then I never would have . . . but that’s a whole other topic for another post).

Anyway, all of this circumstance and proverbial face-slapping led me to decide that I needed to get Back To Basics™, so I stumbled (not really, I researched this) upon this lovely gem:

The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn and Marilyn Schwartz

also referred to as My Savior.

This book ROCKS. Seriously, it should be called The Copyeditor’s Bible, or even just The Writer’s Bible, it’s that good. I purchased the fourth edition, published in 2019, which offers updated information regarding digital editing, technological resources, and current style standards and preferences. It is split into three parts, with the first part covering the editorial process and procedures, the second part focusing on mechanics and matters of style, and the final part delving into language, usage, and deeper editing.

Part 1 is an excellent resource for people who are new to editing or to copyediting in particular. It describes the various elements of the editing process and the differences between types and levels of editing, and it defines the purpose of the copyeditor. This section is probably less helpful for writers, as it highlights the business side of editing and offers several references and tips for the novice/freelance copyeditor. I highly recommend this section of the book to editors who are planning to set out on their own.

Part 2 is about one thing and one thing only: mechanics. As it turns out, copyediting is 90% mechanics—that is, going through a mental (or physical) list of routine items that must be fixed in every manuscript. These items are usually simple or quick fixes, but I swear the easy ones are the trickiest of all; this is why every manuscript needs several pairs of eyes! This section goes into agonizing detail about the quirks and conflicts surrounding punctuation, spelling, abbreviation, and all the aggravating bits of our style guides that drive us mad, like numbering conventions, the treatment of proper names, quotation preferences, and so, so much more. The level of detail is seriously mind-numbing but in a really, really good way.

Part 3 focuses on the actual writing itself: Grammar. Usage. That mercurial beast known as Personal Preference. This section is probably the most helpful for writers in general, as it breaks down the various parts of speech, principles and pitfalls, and the antiquated “rules” beaten into our skulls in school that are not actually rules (Yes, this book says I can start a sentence with “But,” and I have never felt such triumph). The great thing about this section is that it addresses all the tricky, rare occurrences that stump even the most astute editors. Funnily enough, there is often no “wrong” answer to these, as rare is the convention that has gained consensus among grammarians and language guides.

As a whole, the book is delightfully written, offering interesting tidbits, occasionally humorous asides, and, honestly, a sigh of relief for all of the editors terrified of making a grammatical misstep. I can guarantee that there’s an “official” source somewhere that will back you up in supporting any “mistake” you may make. The entire time I was reading this handbook—absolutely giddy at every “Aha!” moment and every answer to a particularly finicky bit of syntax—I couldn’t help feeling that for the majority of the population, this probably seems like the dullest book ever written.

But I suppose that’s why editors exist, isn’t it?: To save all the writers out there with too many ideas and not nearly enough time from having to endure the nearly 500 agonizing pages of em dash usage and dangling modifier solutions this book encompasses. (And I reveled at every paragraph! What a nerd!)

In short, if you are a novice copyeditor, a veteran copyeditor, an aspiring copyeditor, an author desperate to procrastinate, or a complete grammar geek, then this is the not-so-technical technical language guide for you. I know I’ve been slightly flippant and snarky in this review, but seriously, this is the best editing book money can buy, and it wasn’t even expensive. Just do yourself a favor already. I swear that the week I spent binge-reading this paperback behemoth has transformed me from a “pretty good” editor to a “pretty damn good” editor, and if that’s not a great endorsement then I don’t know what is.