Book Reviews

Submitted by Andrea Altenburg on Fri, 04/05/2013 - 8:45am

Amazon acquires book-based social network Goodreads

Goodreads is a social website to allow reads to submit book recommendations and share in books they love. Goodreads has been around since 2007 and is a community setting to discuss books as well as track books you have read in a type of virtual library.

Amazon announced in a press release last week they obtained the Goodreads social network site. Russ Grandinetti, vice president for Amazon states:

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Tue, 01/15/2013 - 9:20am

The Key to Slang

Copyeditors are taught to delete slang. It’s too informal, ignorant, or ungrammatical, we’re told, for the formalness of writing. It should be relegated to informal conversation with close friends and family.

As a result, we tend to dismiss slang altogether. We miss out on what it might add to a manuscript and how it can sometimes become acceptable Standard English, storming the language tower.

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Mon, 01/14/2013 - 6:20am

01/14/13 News Roundup

How many rounds of anthimeria can a word go through and still be valuable? Also in today’s News Roundup: a new booklet on copyright, phablet, using LinkedIn to find work, and youth.

Top pick

“Repurposing Anthimeria”: From verb to noun to verb: how much can we recycle our words before they lose all meaning? (Lingua Franca)

More great articles

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Wed, 12/19/2012 - 6:20am

12/19/12 News Roundup

Seven tips to help you finish your work before the holidays. Also in today’s News Roundup: breaking Orwell’s rules; words we hate; starting a new business; and troublesome uses of for.

Top pick

“The Writer's Desk: Tips to Stay Productive When Distractions Strike”: Seven tips to help you finish your work before the holidays. (The Freelance Strategist)

More great articles

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 9:20am

Rhetoric, Thy Use Is Effective and Persuasive

Rhetoric gets a bad rap.

We accuse speakers and writers of engaging in rhetoric. It’s not a compliment. We mean such speeches and writing are devoid of meaning, that they’re just hot air.

But that’s not rhetoric’s fault. It’s the fault of speakers and writers who don’t put any meaning behind their words. They’re all style but no substance.

In contrast, rhetoric can give substance a splash of style, ensuring that readers hear the message and remember it.

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Tue, 11/06/2012 - 9:20am

Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch

How much can copyeditors improve a manuscript when they dig verbs out from under a pile of modifiers, spit-shine them, and give them room to breathe?

Quite a bit, it turns out.

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Thu, 09/20/2012 - 5:20am

09/20/12 News Roundup

Copyeditors have the power to break the rules. Also in today’s News Roundup: the use of vulgarity, a pinch of kindness, and a closer look at a time-saving tool.

Top pick

“You’ve Got the Power: For Good or Evil”: You have the power to break the rules for the right reasons. (The Subversive Copy Editor Blog)

More great articles

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Wed, 08/22/2012 - 5:20am

08/22/12 News Roundup

Does peeving mean you’re part of an educated elite? Also in today’s News Roundup: a review of the A-word, clew, possessive rules, and irregular verbs.

Top pick

“The Curious Pleasure of Peeving”: Does peeving mean you’re part of an educated elite? Not likely. (Cognoscenti)

More great articles

Submitted by Daniel Sosnoski on Mon, 06/11/2012 - 11:39am

STET Again: Wisdom from The Editorial Eye

In a discussion on LinkedIn about useful texts for editors, a number of well-known titles came up, including The Chicago Manual of Style, Words into Type, The Elements of Typographic Style, and others. In this discussion, a book titled STET Again: More Tricks of the Trade for Publications People was also mentioned.

Submitted by Erin Brenner on Tue, 05/01/2012 - 8:20am

Songs of grammar and punctuation

Usually I review serious resources here and in the newsletter—books and other media that will help copyeditors do their jobs better, find work, or otherwise advance their careers.

But even copyeditors need some fun once in a while. In honor of May Day and in the spirit of spring festivals, today I review two lighter looks at our beloved language: Songs of Love and Grammar and Punctuation..?

Songs of Love and Grammar