The Subversive Copy Editor

Carol Fisher Saller, now retired, was a senior manuscript editor at the University of Chicago Press, the principal reviser of The Chicago Manual of Style's sixteenth edition, and the longstanding editor of the CMOS Online Q&A.

Carol Fisher Saller, a longtime manuscript editor and Chicago Manual of Style expert, has mediated many a standoff between a writer and editor who refuses to compromise on the "rights" and "wrongs" of prose styling. Saller observed that when these two sides clashed, it was often the reader who suffered.

Saller expands on the pitfalls of adhering to antiquated grammar and style norms, as well as ways to keep contemporary in language and technology, in this second edition of The Subversive Copy Editor. She focuses on her advice for writers on manuscript structuring for publishing, self-editing, and how not to be "difficult." Saller's own gaffes serve as personal (and sometimes amusing) instances of what not to do. The updated text reflects current publishing techniques while preserving the self-deprecating tone and cutting wit that made the first version so popular. Saller believes that by exercising caution, honesty, and flexibility, editors may foster confidence and cooperation with writers.

The Subversive Copy Editor gives a refreshingly calm perspective to the age-old conflict between writers and editors. This wise counsel will be useful and enjoyable to anyone tasked with the often dangerous responsibility of improving the writing of others.

Author: Carol Fisher Saller

Link to buy: https://www.amazon.com/Subversive-Copy-Editor-Second-Relationships/dp/022624007X/

Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars (from 193 reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #78,746 in Books

#36 in Editing Writing Reference (Books)

#90 in Journalism Writing Reference (Books)

#172 in Words, Language & Grammar Reference