Four Types of Book Editing

Four Types of Book Editing

1. Developmental Editing

Any or all of the following:

• Working with the client and, usually, the author of a book or other document to develop a manuscript from initial concept, outline, or draft (or some combination of the three) through any number of subsequent drafts
• making suggestions about content, organization, and presentation, based on analysis of competing works, comments of expert reviewers, the client’s market analysis, and other appropriate references
• rewriting, writing, and researching, as needed, and sometimes suggesting topics or providing information about topics for consideration of authors and client.

2. Substantive Editing

Improving a manuscript in any or all of the following ways:

• identifying and solving problems of overall clarity or accuracy
• reorganizing paragraphs, sections, or chapters to improve the order in which the text is presented
• writing or rewriting segments of text to improve readability and flow of information
• revising any or all aspects of the text to improve its presentation
• consulting with others about issues of concern
• incorporating responses to queries and suggestions creating a new draft of the document

3. Copy Editing (sometimes called line editing).

Any or all of the following:

• correcting spelling, grammar, punctuation, syntax, and word usage while preserving the meaning and voice of the original text
• checking for or imposing a consistent style and format
• preparing a style sheet that documents style and format
• reading for overall clarity and sense on behalf of the prospective audience
• querying the appropriate party about apparent errors or inconsistencies
• noting permissions needed to publish copyrighted material
• preparing a manuscript for the next stage of the publication process
• cross-checking references, art, figures, tables, equations, and other features for consistency with their mentions in the text

4. Proofreading. Comparing the latest stage of text with the preceding stage, marking discrepancies in text, and, when appropriate, checking for problems in page makeup, layout, color separation, or type.

Proofreading may also include one or more of the following:

• checking proof against typesetting specifications
• querying or correcting errors or inconsistencies that may have escaped an editor or writer
• reading for typographical errors or for sense without reading against copy

Definitions from Freelance Editorial Association

From Writers Write

It’s Time to End Grammar Snobbery

“Actually, it’s fewer.”

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I wanted to take them back. An acquaintance had just made the dreaded less-fewer slipup in casual conversation, and I had begun to correct him before I realized two things: I didn’t know this person well enough to correct his grammar in an email, let alone in a quip uttered on a Friday night. My correction could easily come off as patronizing advice, or worse, a jab at his intelligence.

I thought about this incident while watching The Guardian’s latest video on the reasons why grammar snobs are the worst, knowing that I wasn’t alone in my pedantry. A whole culture of correction and condescension to those who don’t know grammar rules has taken root on social media, and I have occasionally taken part in it.

I agree wholeheartedly with the video’s first point, that grammar snobs often use outdated rules and guidelines to fuel their trolling. I also would concede that many of these rules are not only impractical but also exclusionary—as in the case of the singular “they.” Language is as much a living, breathing organism as the populations that speak it, so we shouldn’t be mired in tradition when cultural shifts call for new usages, terms, and rules. It’s time to let grammar live.

Also, I’ve realized that public grammar callouts are rarely productive, especially when they target individuals who may not have learned standard English grammar rules in the first place. According to a recent Grammarly poll, only 59 percent of respondents learned grammar in school. The other 41 percent relied on friends, family, or other sources to absorb grammar rules. We don’t generally point out other knowledge gaps in our peers unless they cause real-world problems. For example, imagine an American publicly correcting a friend every time she said she was going to “vote for the president.” That person could (rightly) say, “Well, technically, we’re not a direct democracy, so you don’t vote for the president. Your vote counts toward an electoral college vote, which you hope will go toward the candidate you support.” Although this is correct, most people wouldn’t engage in this level of correction in casual conversation, since it doesn’t fix a problem or further the discussion.

But what are grammar snobs and pedants left with when we can’t harp on the “whoms” and scoff at the “furthers”?

Occasionally, I think it’s still appropriate to correct the grammar of a larger group or body. For instance, organizations that are in positions of authority probably should promote standard English usage and clear language, so they don’t confuse their constituents. And, as we’ve seen time and time again, typos in official documents can cost millions to governments and corporations.

On an individual level, though, I agree with The Guardian, even if I am myself a recovering pedant and an occasional snob. Grammar snobbery is “just plain wrong.”

Watch the whole video here:

5 Ways to Stop Having a Bad Day

Your alarm fails to go off and you wake up twenty minutes late. You take a hasty shower, and for some reason the water temperature will only fluctuate between tepid and truly frigid. Despite those setbacks, you manage to grab a cup of coffee for the ride in, which you promptly spill down the front of your shirt. Then, when you arrive at the office you learn that your partner on a critical project has called in sick. Your deadline? Today. At noon.

You’re having an epically bad day. You could choose to wallow in it and be grumpy and miserable, but you (not to mention everyone around you) will be much happier if you can find a way to snap out of it. Science has answers!

What to Do (According to Science) When You’re Having a Bad Day

1 Just breathe.

Negative emotions and stress have physical effects. Our muscles tense. Our heart rate increases. Our breathing gets heavier or too shallow. You might not even notice these stress symptoms in the moment, but if you’ve ever gone home after a difficult day feeling achy and worn out, stress is likely the culprit.

Stop. Take a breath. In fact, take some measured breaths using the 4-7-8 technique, a practice often used in yoga and meditation. (The 4-7-8 technique is essentially a rebranding of pranayamic breathing.)

Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can be alone for a few minutes. Pay attention to your natural breathing for a while and allow yourself to get quiet. Let any distractions in your surroundings fall away. Then, breathe in for a steady count of four, hold the breath for a count of seven, and exhale slowly to a count of eight. Repeat this several times until you’re feeling relaxed.

2 Acknowledge the bad day, and then have a laugh.

When reality doesn’t match our expectations, we pour a lot of our energy into worrying that things should be different. But think about it—have you ever changed an outcome by simply wishing things were better?

via GIPHY

Acceptance is the key to happiness. When things go wrong, instead of resisting them, lean into them. Grab lunch with a colleague or friend and regale them with your tale of woe, all while having a good laugh at yourself. When you accept that annoying things happen to everyone, you can shrug them off and move on.

3 Talk yourself out of it.

Do you mentally kick yourself when you’re having a bad day? Many of us do, and it can sound like this:

Ugh! I’m such an idiot.

This stuff always happens to me! What did I do to deserve this?

Why am I so lazy?

You wouldn’t call a friend who was having a rough day a lazy idiot, so why do it to yourself? Instead, practice positive self-talk. When you’re being overly self-critical, stop and reframe things. Be kind! You might refute the negative track playing in your head with positive statements like this:

I’m facing some challenges today, but I’m smart and resilient.

Bad days happen to everyone. I’ll bounce back.

I’m not feeling very motivated lately. I’ll brainstorm some ideas to get myself on track.

4 Write away the stress.

Keeping a journal is a fantastic way to destress. When things go wrong, we tend to ruminate on them. Mulling over unpleasant events can become a destructive cycle that’s hard to break. Our minds run a sort of instant replay on an endless loop without coming to any sort of resolution.

Journaling can help break the cycle of rumination, particularly if you focus on addressing topics that are causing you distress. Instead of hunting for a solution, ask yourself some questions designed to help you understand the issue. If there is a solution, the writing process may help you uncover it. If there isn’t, let journaling guide you toward acceptance.

5 Use your words. Literally.

Your emotional response to bad situations, like running late and spilling your coffee, triggers a reaction in the fight-or-flight part of your brain that causes stress. According to a UCLA study, putting a label on those emotions shifts your thought processing away from the amygdala to the area right behind your forehead and eyes (the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, if you want to get technical). This area of the brain is associated with putting emotional experiences into words.

When you put feelings into words, you’re activating this prefrontal region and seeing a reduced response in the amygdala. In the same way you hit the brake when you’re driving when you see a yellow light, when you put feelings into words, you seem to be hitting the brakes on your emotional responses.

—Matthew D. Lieberman, UCLA associate professor of psychology

So, the next time you spill your coffee down the front of your favorite shirt, just put a label on what you’re feeling.

Wow, I’m really angry about this. I’m ashamed to have people see me at work in a stained shirt.

Remember to use labels that represent real emotions. Words like “stressed” label an emotional response, not the emotion itself. Get to the root of the emotion causing the stress.

There’s no such thing as a bad day

What is a day? It’s a twenty-four-hour cycle of daylight and darkness created by the earth turning on its axis. In reality, the only way to have a bad day would be if, say, the earth stopped spinning. That would be a cataclysmically bad day.

But the earth is still rotating, amigos! So, that bad day you’re having? It doesn’t exist in reality, only in your interpretation of it. And you can shape your own reality, so when you think about it, you have phenomenal cosmic power.

Phenomenal Cosmic Power – Aladdin GIF from Power GIFs

See? You’re pretty much crushing it. Now, go get ‘em!

2 Pairs of Words People Confuse All Too Often

Antidote vs. Anecdote Antidote: A remedy to counteract the effects of poison; something that counteracts or prevents something harmful. For example: We must find the antidote to the poison before its effects spread throughout the body. Her sense of humor is the perfect antidote to this stressful situation.

Anecdote: A short account of a real incident or person, often humorous or interesting; an account which supports an argument, but which is not supported by scientific or statistical analysis. For example: After explaining the philosophical concept, our professor shared an anecdote that explained its practical purpose. There are many anecdotes that support the use of tablets in schools.

Adverse vs. Averse Adverse: Unfavorable; antagonistic in purpose or effect; contrary to one’s welfare; acting against; opposed; contrary. It was difficult to accomplish anything in such adverse circumstances. Although the weekly meetings improved communication between team members, they had an adverse effect on productivity.

Averse: Having a repugnance or opposition of mind; having a strong dislike. She was completely averse to the idea of taking a family road trip. I typically don’t eat meat, but I’m not always averse to eating fish.

“Make Yourself At Home” with Good Grammar

Believe it or not, the quality of your writing significantly influences some of the most important milestones in your life.

In school, good grammar helps students to achieve higher grades. On the job, professionals with fewer grammar errors tend to achieve higher positions; their writing is demonstrative of the credibility, professionalism, and accuracy observable in their work. And in your personal life, better spelling and grammar can even earn you a date!

In honor of National Grammar Day, the Grammarly team partnered with Redfin, the technology-powered real estate brokerage, to see if good grammar has an impact on other important life milestones – like buying a home. We surveyed nearly 1,300 people on our combined social media platforms, and here’s what we learned:

When researching a home for purchase, buyers prefer a “medium-sized” listing description. Somewhere around 50 words is the sweet spot. Beyond public opinion, Redfin looked deeper into listings across its platform and found that homes with descriptions of around 50 words are, indeed, more likely to sell within 90 days. What’s more, they also tend to sell for higher than list price.

The majority of survey respondents report that misspellings or improper grammar in a home listing matter “a lot.” As a matter of fact, 43.4 percent of survey respondents would be much less inclined to tour a home that features spelling or grammar errors prominently in the listing.

Redfin pointed out some examples of the spelling errors that have been known to haunt home listings in its blog post today, including:

• Low grime area
• This is a real germ!
• Fresh pain and carpet
• Curve appeal

Correctly spelled words used in the wrong context cause embarrassing mistakes. Luckily, Grammarly spots erroneous use of grime/crime, gem/germ, and many more commonly confused words (eg. lose/loose, affect/effect, lie/lay, there/their/they’re).

National Grammar Day is a great time each year to reflect on the ways that grammar truly touches your life and impacts your confidence, credibility, and success. At school, at home, or on the job, make sure that your grammar is something to write home about.

Happy National Grammar Day, friends!

Monday Motivation Hack: Tame Your To-Do List

Whether it’s a to-do list that never seems to get done, a less-than-inspired morning routine, or a tendency to get distracted (damn you, social media!), we’ve all got a hole in our productivity armor somewhere. Every Monday, we’re going to be analyzing common bad habits that could be holding you back, and we’ll offer a hack or two to help you get more quality output from your time. Our Monday Motivation Hacks will help get you into fighting shape and give you some new tactics to try out on the battlefield.

To kick off the series, let’s deal with to-do lists.

To-do lists are some of the most common, powerful, and versatile lists in the pantheon of lists. These simple lists usually focus on short-term tasks or goals, and as such they do quite a bit of heavy lifting day-to-day. However, without structure and prioritization, to-do lists easily mutate into rather useless behemoths.

How to Get Your To-Do List Working For You

While it is possible to organize a massive backlog after the fact, it is usually much more helpful to set up the framework of your to-do lists as you create them. Here are some helpful guidelines.

Good To-Do Lists Are Like Matryoshka Dolls

Often, a good to-do list comes from other to-do lists and similarly spawns more to-do lists. Before you get overwhelmed thinking about the seemingly infinite loop of list-making, keep in mind that what we’re really talking about here is the structure of your list organization—unless it’s super-short-term, they’re all nested.

For example, your weekly to-do list should inform your daily lists, and each daily list should inform the succeeding day’s list, which all informs future weeks’ lists. There can be as many “levels” to your system as necessary, but be sure it’s all prioritized.

Here’s a tip: Write your to-do list at the end of the day so you can tackle it fresh each morning.

To-Do Lists + Priorities = Killer Productivity

Taking your to-do lists from useful to essential is more than just keeping them simple and having some kind of organization. Making to-do lists integral to your process depends on your ability to prioritize and break out tasks on the list. There are a few different ways you can mix and match to impose prioritized structure onto your lists.

• Limit the number of items in your shortest-term list.
• Highlight or put your most important tasks first.
• Avoid confusing priorities on the smallest tasks by using sub-tasks.
• Set a time limit for your list (pick which items are most important during the entire day, before lunch, or within the next hour).

Schedule Your To-Do List

The icing on the cake of to-do productivity is actually translating your super-prioritized and well-structured list into slots in your calendar. Literally, all you do it schedule time in your calendar to work on the items on your to-do list. This helps you to focus when you start working on a task and prevents others from scheduling meetings during your work time.

What to-do tips would you add?

If you want to up your list game beyond the simple to-do, learn which lists are best to use for achieving goals and take our quiz to see which list you need for your project.

Continuously vs. Continually—What’s the Difference?

The adverbs continuously and continually (and their corresponding adjectives, continuous and continual) are words that are confused easily and often. Continuously describes an action that happens without ceasing. Continually, on the other hand, describes an action that recurs frequently or regularly.

The confusion about whether to use continually or continuously is understandable, because both words share the same Latin root, continuare, meaning “to join together or connect.” Only the endings of the words are different, and over time, the two words have evolved with subtly distinct meanings.

Define Continuously: Things That Recur Nonstop

The most common mistake people make when using these words is to ascribe an action with unintended frequency by using continuously where continually is more appropriate. This results in an exaggeration that will not escape the notice of an editor.

My grandmother corrects my grammar continuously.

Does she? We all have relatives who can be exasperating at times, but is it possible for your grandmother to correct you continuously? Unless your grandmother is capable of delivering rapid-fire corrections at you with incessant, Terminator-like determination, continual is the word you need here.

My grandmother corrects my grammar continually.

Let’s try another example.

It is hard to get a word in edgewise with her because she talks continuously.

Talking is an action that is accomplished by human beings, and perhaps parrots. For both, it is almost impossible to do it continuously. I had an aunt who came close; she drew in big gasps between anecdotes so she could continue talking without getting light-headed. But unless a speaker’s “gift of the gab” can match my Aunt Kay’s, chances are they will occasionally pause for breath and await your responses.

It is hard to get a word in edgewise with her because she talks continually.

If your aim is to underscore the fact that a speaker talked for a period of time in the broader sense before a large-scale interruption occurred, that can merit the word continuously.

Professor Smith lectured continuously for twenty minutes, then had a question-and-answer period.

Define Continually:Things That Recur Frequently

It is quite easy to decide whether to use continuously or continually if you remember to ask yourself, “Did the action ever stop?” Some things do happen continuously and others simply don’t. A clock can tick continuously, and a heart can beat continuously. These actions are automatic. But can lightning strike continuously, for example?

I was too frightened to sleep because lightning struck continuously during the night.

Not only would that be frightening, it would be apocalyptic. You would awaken to a charred landscape that would be quite sobering to behold. Luckily, Mother Nature doesn’t assault us with continuous lightning. On a stormy night, however, it could be continual; that is, it could be happening often and regularly.

I was too frightened to sleep because lightning struck continually during the night.

Continuous or Continual in Historical Contexts

Continuously may work best when you are writing about a phenomenon that persists over a long period of time in an anthropological, historical, or geological sense. Take this sentence, for example:

Because it has been used continually for almost two thousand years, Rome’s Pantheon is well preserved.

The concept here is that buildings that never lapse into disuse are repaired and generally given the attention due to them. While it is not incorrect to say that the Pantheon was used continually (i.e., frequently, in the sense of “it’s amazing how Rome never sleeps”) over the last two thousand or so years, the fact that its use was never interrupted by a period of disuse needs to be highlighted.

Because it has been used continuously for almost two thousand years, Rome’s Pantheon is well preserved.

Now that you have untangled continuously and continually, you might want to read about other commonly confused English words.