Copyediting & Proofreading For Dummies. by Suzanne Gilad

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2 Copyediting & Proofreading For Dummies by Suzanne Gilad

3 Copyediting & Proofreading For Dummies Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ Copyright 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, , fax Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, , fax , or online at Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that

4 the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professiona person should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Website is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Website may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Websites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read. For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at , or fax For technical support, please visit Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: ISBN: Manufactured in the United States of America

5 About the Author Suzanne Gilad is the founder of PaidToProofread.com. Over the course of ten years, Sue proofread or copyedited over 1,200 books for Random House, Simon & Schuster, John Wiley & Sons, St. Martin s Press, Oxford University Press, and Workman Publishing, among others. Illustrating firsthand that proofreading and copyediting can be profitable and fun while allowing additional pursuits, Sue is also a successful voice-over artist based in New Yor You can hear her voice happily hawking products and playing characters on national an regional radio and television. Thanks to some unexpected proofreading projects on personal finance a few years ago, whole world of education in residual income opened for Sue. She wrote The Real Estate Millionaire (McGraw-Hill, 2005) with her husband, Boaz Gilad. Sue currently leads seminars on multiple streams of income, and her latest passion is to teach financial freedom. Sue s next book is the story of the creation of 15 millionaires in five years. Visit to learn more.

6 Author s Acknowledgments This book is the culmination of thirteen years experience, and many people encouraged me during the entire process. I would like to acknowledge the generous individuals who helped bring it to fruition. To my students at PaidToProofread.com, who gave such valuable feedback on creating proofreading and copyediting careers across the country and the world. Your success stories are thrilling. Thank you to Mike Lewis and Joyce Pepple at Wiley, and to Wendalyn Nichols who gave the manuscript such a detailed technical review. Special kudos to editor Joan Friedman. To Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada, magnificent agents of change! To my remarkable team of business partners for their daily inspiration: Christine and Jo Abraham, Barbie Andrews, Corey Anker, Alicia Armistead, Lisa Boggs, Tracey Bonner, Tony Colombo, Bobby Creighton, Ash Curtis, Matt Daugherty, Dionne Dilks, James Donegan, Donna Drake, Kelly Drury, Sean Dugan, Jay Falzone, Niceto Festin, Kenneth Gartman, Meta Goforth, Lisa Gold, Myles Goldin, Eric Briarley Grundy, Christopher Hadlock, Matt Hagmeier, Chris Hall, Marnee Hollis, Jessica Horstman, Kristin Huffman, Matty LaBanca, Geri and Zoe Lance, Renee Lawless, Mike Lesser, Shana Levy, Kevin Loreque, Josh Marmer, Sherry Mills, Heather Morgan, Cynthia Murray, Tony Nation, Tootsie and Jesse Olan, Gregg and Jeff Pasternack, Dara Praisler, Shira Price, Andy Reimann, Larry Rogowsky, Joe Rojas, Max Ryan, Mark Sanders, Amy Silverman, Karen Slavick, Rebecca Soler, James Stirling, Joy Styles, Jen Swiderski, Eric Thomann, Yanick Thomassaint, Veronica Vera, Heather Wahl, Jason Weston, Amanda Whitford, Elaine Williams, Tashana Williams-Moye, Lizette Yeakley, Kenneth Yim, and Stephanie Zinn. A special thank you to Anthony Tedesco for his brilliant contributions and for keeping me on track. Jeff Riebe, who was in my thoughts during every moment of writing. Riebe, you are a tru champion. Judy Cohen and Colette Russen, thanks to both of you for guiding me through the freelance path and for believing in me when I truly stunk at this. To the amazing Andrew Gitzy, who spearheaded it all as my co-writer for Paid To Proofread. Dad, you re the best for whisking the girls away to the playground every time I had a deadline to meet.

7 Tami Gaines is a wonderful gift. Thank you for your wisdom and guidance over the past two years. You have changed my life. Words cannot express my gratitude to Christopher Braund Simpson and Kelly Suzan Waggoner, without whom this book could not have been completed but if there were such words, Chris and Kelly would have written them. Most of all, I am grateful to Boaz for being an extraordinary force in my life best friend cheerleader, husband. With Boaz, all things are possible. In all the romance novels I ve edited, I have never found a hero who comes close to mine. Thank you, readers, students, and colleagues, for reading, absorbing, and utilizing the principles in this book. May your wallet and intellect grow!

8 Dedication For Mom, who taught me to love literature and the magic of words. And for my greatest muses, Noa and Ella the next generation of wordsmiths.

9 Publisher s Acknowledgments We re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Project Editor: Joan Friedman Acquisitions Editor: Michael Lewis Technical Editor: Wendalyn Nichols Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Supervisor: Carmen Krikorian Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan Mooney, Joe Niesen, Leeann Harney Cover Photos: Daniela Richardson/ Wiley Publishing Cartoons: Rich Tennant ( Composition Services Project Coordinator: Jennifer Theriot Layout and Graphics: Shawn Frazier, Brooke Graczyk, Denny Hager, Joyce Haughey, Barbara Moore Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Proofreaders: Aptara, Dwight Ramsey Indexer: Aptara Special Help Renata Butera Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies

10 Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

11 Contents Title Introduction About This Book Conventions Used in This Book What You re Not to Read Foolish Assumptions How This Book Is Organized Icons Used in This Book Where to Go from Here Part I : Welcome to the Word World Chapter 1: Reading as a Job? Oh, Yes Debunking Some Myths Getting a True Picture of the Professions So... Are You a Copyeditor or Proofreader? Preparing to Invest Yourself Chapter 2: Jobs for Bookworms Becoming a Professional Bookworm Making a Book Talking the Talk Chapter 3: Other Publishing Opportunities Majoring in Magazines Trying on the Corporate Style Searching for Even More Opportunities Part II : Conquering Copyediting Chapter 4: So, What Does a Copyeditor Do? A Day in the Life of a Copyeditor The Marriage of Proofreading and Copyediting: Identifying the Overlap A Copyeditor Apart: Editing Content

12 Chapter 5: What Makes a Good Copyeditor Great Checking (and Checking and Checking) Facts Spying Potential Offenses: Three Ways to Save an Author s Backside Becoming a Sourcing Expert: Footnotes, Endnotes, and Bibliographies Chapter 6: A Handful of Copyediting Specialties Editing Fiction Translating British Materials for a U.S. Audience Heading into the Kitchen Chapter 7: The Copyediting Process in Action Example One: Dabbling in Fiction Example Two: Touching on Technical Writing Part III : Picking Up a Proofreading Career Chapter 8: So, What Does a Proofreader Do? Separating the Proofreader from the Copyeditor What Does a Proofreader Look For? Testing Various Ways to Read Honing Your Skills Chapter 9: Mastering the Proofreading Symbols Covering Some Basics The Core Symbols Punctuation Symbols Formatting Symbols Layout Symbols Chapter 10: Dipping Your Pencil in the Proofreading Waters The Core Symbols in Action Practical Punctuation Fun Times with Formatting Looking Out for Layout My Hidden Agenda: Proofreading as Art and Science Chapter 11: Watching a Proofreader in Action Example One: Playing with Fiction Example Two: A Recipe for Disaster

13 Example Three: Wonder of the Word How d You Do? Part IV : Adding to Your Repertoire Chapter 12: Boning Up on Punctuation and Usage A Punctuation Primer Your Hit Parade: Spelling and Word Usage Errors A Grab Bag of Other Common Errors Chapter 13: Dissecting Books and Magazines Unwrapping a Book s Front Matter Baring a Book s Back Story Examining Everything in Between Piecing Together a Magazine Chapter 14: Balancing Between Style and Rules Arming Yourself with Resources The Unbreakable Rule: Rules Can Be Broken Realizing When House Style Reigns Supreme Committing a Few Rules to Memory Chapter 15: Creating and Using the All-Important Style Sheet What s the Big Deal about the Style Sheet? Copyeditors, Know Your Audience Deciding What to Put on Your Style Sheet Proofreading Your Baby Sampling Style Sheets Putting the Style Sheet into Action Chapter 16: Formatting a Manuscript Knowing Just Enough about Design and Composition Meeting the Basic Codes Placing Codes or Tags Taking Special Care with Extracts Highlighting Text in Boxes, Sidebars, and Other Cheaters Creating Lists Hard-Copy Typecoding Sample

14 Electronic Tagging Sample Chapter 17: Editing and Proofreading Electronically Choosing Your Computer Wisely Keeping Your Body Happy Reading the Electronic Page Mastering the Electronic Process Electronic Pros(e) and Cons Part V : Turning Your Skills into Paychecks Chapter 18: Hunting for Work Getting Some Practice Generating Documents That Get You Noticed Breaking into Books or Magazines Selling Your Services to Web Sites Organizing Your Efforts Chapter 19: Preparing for a Freelance Career Succeeding As You Go: Reasons to Consider Freelancing Considering the Cash: How Much to Charge Beating a Path to Clients Chapter 20: Keeping the Freelance Jobs Coming Handling Your First Project Caring for Your Connections Taking Your Business to the Next Level Benevolent Dictatorship: How to Be Your Own Boss Part VI : The Part of Tens Chapter 21: Ten Keys to Success as a Copyeditor Figure Out Your Employer or Client Meet the Deadline Every Time Review the Manuscript Before You Start Editing Respect the Author (Even When You Don t) Look It Up Google It Write It Down, Write It All Down

15 Proofread Your Own Work Read (and Then Read Some More) Stay on Top of Changes in Your Profession Chapter 22: Ten Keys to Success as a Proofreader Know That Once Is Not Enough Give the ToC Some TLC Don t Forget the Headings Don t Forget the Running Heads and Feet, Either Look Out for Graphics Keep It Neat Mind Your PEs (and AAs) Never Reedit Read (And Then, Read Some More) Dig the Deadline Part VII : Appendixes Appendix A: Commonly Misspelled Words Appendix B: Glossary Appendix C: Online Resources Reference Fact-Checking Usage and Style Other Stuff : Further Reading

16 Introduction You read, right? Magazines, books, the back of your toothpaste tube. (Hey, we all get desperate.) How did that stuff get written? Well, people tend to think of writers, but few think about the unsung heroes who make those words look good: copyeditors and proofreaders. Most words go through an entire process before they get printed on your toothpaste tube. Or in your magazine. Or in the juicy thriller in your backpack. In this book, I demystify the smoke and mirrors behind making writing good writing. Let me be clear from the start: The grammar check function on your word-processing software does not create the kind of good writing I m talking about. Don t get me wrong: Technology is good. But all the electronic organizers, GPS devices, and robot vacuum cleaners in the world can t do what people have been doing for thousands of years: communicate clearly and effectively through writing. That task is left to the writers, who are very much still in vogue. It can only follow that we copyeditors and proofreaders who clean up after writers are very much in our heyday as well. I wrote this book for word lovers: people with an interest in becoming copyeditors or proofreaders, improving their language skills, and increasing their knowledge of the world of editing. I m not talking about snobby word freaks here. (You know who you are Edmund, from Freshman Composition.) I m talking about people who love language, hav a pretty solid understanding of how a sentence and a paragraph are put together, and truly enjoy the hunt for errors. If I just described you, welcome to your book! You and I are going to have a good time promise. About This Book This book is meant to be used as a resource. Pick the parts that interest you most, and get what you need from them. If you want to delve in further at a later date, more will be waiting for you. You don t need to read everything in order; this is no murder mystery where each section leads to the next. I wrote this book knowing that you may be just starting out in the career world or you may be looking to change careers. Either way, I show you how to prepare yourself to be good copyeditor or proofreader (or both), build your résumé, hunt for paying work, and

17 excel on the job. Conventions Used in This Book Because almost no book can be the only resource you need on a particular topic, I include references to lots of other helpful books and Web sites. When you come across Web address (which appears in monofont), be aware that the page layout may have required it to break across two lines of text. If that happened, trust me that I didn t inser any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So just type the link into your browser like the break doesn t exist. Then cross your fingers and hope that your Internet connection is better than mine. What You re Not to Read I wrote every word of this book with the hope that you d read it. But if you re strapped for time, here s a hint: Text that appears in sidebars is not critical to your understanding of copyediting and proofreading. I include that material for people who want a little mor information or require a deeper explanation. If you re in a hurry, just ignore that stuff. I l never know. Foolish Assumptions I m guessing you re reading this book for one of two reasons: You want to become a copyeditor or proofreader. Perfect. This book contains lots of information you need to know to become a skilled copyeditor or proofreader or both. Each section is designed to give you the tools and information necessar to get hired in an increasingly competitive field. I confess that I can t cover every topic in-depth. Most of my work experience is with book and magazine publishing, so those fields naturally get a lot of attention in the text. And much of the information applies no matter what type of publication you want to work with. However, working on a newspaper staff is very different from working with a book or magazine publisher. Most people interested in newspaper work spend at least four years and lots of dough to get a journalism degree. I simply can t give newspapers the coverage they deserve, but I can (and do) suggest resources to supplement this book if newspapers are your destination.

18 You want to brush up your editing skills. Perfect. This book offers lots of juicy info that can help you improve your editing skills (and your writing skills as well). This isn t a grammar guide, but you get solid tips about how punctuation should be used, and I point out the most commonly misspelled and misused words. I discuss various methods of reading documents so you can train your eyes and your brain t catch errors and question inconsistencies. I also list lots of other references so you know where to look if you re craving more details about grammar or usage.

19 How This Book Is Organized This book is divided into seven parts:

20 Part I: Welcome to the Word World Want to explore the world of publishing without having to break the door down? Here s where you get to know the major, minor, and little leagues in the prettily packaged plane of publishing. You also get the lowdown on the processes of bookmaking the editing, production, and manufacturing steps that bump the book from conception to completion. But what if books aren t your professional destination? No problem. I also discuss other ways to turn your passion for words into a full-time or freelance salary, from working on magazines to creating corporate documents to cleaning up the information superhighway.

21 Part II: Conquering Copyediting In this part, I escort you through the gates of copyediting. I explain what copyeditors do all day and how they get it done, and I discuss the nuances of perfecting copy. You also find valuable sample sections to review so you can see copyediting techniques in action

22 Part III: Picking Up a Proofreading Career This part offers the on proofreading. I know you re already a great reader, but here ask you to reconsider your approach so you can pick out all the things a proofreader looks for. You get a crash course in the hieroglyphics better known as proofreaders marks and two chapters worth of opportunities to see proofreading in action.

23 Part IV: Adding to Your Repertoire Whether you want to copyedit or proofread, you need to be able to quickly identify punctuation and usage errors. I begin this part by reviewing punctuation use and highlighting some of the most commonly misspelled and misused words. Next, I offer a chapter on the anatomy of a book and magazine so you speak with authority about front matter, back matter, and all the matters in between. I also show you how to balance rules against style and make informed judgment calls, and I explain what a style sheet is and how to use it. One of the most important chapters in the book appears here as well: one that explains how to copyedit and proofread electronic documents. (Even if your computer skills won t earn you bragging rights, you want to add this knowledge to your repository so you don t miss out on valuable job opportunities.)

24 Part V: Turning Your Skills into Paychecks Here s where you get the scoop on how to hunt for full-time or freelance work. If freelancing is your goal, you can read success stories from the people who are at the top of this profession, find out how to land your first paying gig, and discover how to make that first opportunity translate into a steady stream of work.

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