Some people are born with a natural gift for turning a phrase. Others of us have an eye for spotting the weaknesses and imperfections in that prose and can’t help but make corrections. We’re not trying to be mean, we just want things to be…right.
In today’s entry in our Books to Make You a Better Human guide series, we’d like to point out a few books to help you sharpen that eagle eye of yours and turn it into something more productive than merely being a grammar Nazi online.
The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White.
The Elements of Style »
Writers who want to be taken seriously need to have a grasp on the basics of usage and style. Editors even more so. Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style is the classic reference guide on the most often violated principles of composition and style. It’s a bit on the dry side, fair warning, but the fact that it’s been around for nearly a century in some form or another should tell you something.
Get the book in these formats:
- Kindle ($3)
- iBooks ($3)
- Hardcover ($15)
- Paperback ($9)
- Audible audiobook ($2)
The Chicago Manual of Style by the University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition »
There are many editing style guides in the world, and it’s up to you which one will become your bible, or if you will eschew such things and define your own style. However, I daresay that The Chicago Manual of Style is about as scholarly and reliable of a companion as they come. Whenever you’re wavering on the proper usage of font versus typeface, or you can’t remember exactly how a headline should be titled, the ever-helpful CMoS becomes a security blanket of sorts.
This Goodreads review for the 17th Edition backs me up on that:
This is–by far–a better edition than the last. In addition to making some much needed revisions, gender identity pronouns and updated practices have been added. Overall, the style is smoother and more user friendly than the last edition, which was overly dry most of the time and made for a difficult once through read. As this is my primary textbook and resource for the copyediting program I’m currently enrolled in (not to mention the field once I graduate) I find reading the whole textbook through before class begins is a valuable tool–one made easier thanks to the writing in this edition.
Mad love to whoever included the many Monty Python references. I spotted at least four. And each one made me giggle. Thank you.
Get the book in these formats:
- Hardcover ($50)
The AP Stylebook 2018 by the Associated Press.
The Associated Press Stylebook 2018 »
If you will be writing or editing things of a more journalistic bent than literary, you want the 2018 Associated Press Stylebook. You may find yourself disagreeing with it at times — for instance, I’m a strong believer in the Oxford comma, whereas they aren’t — but most news organizations do adhere to its guidelines, so swallow your medicine, chum.
Get the book in these formats:
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blake Atwood.
Don’t Fear the Reaper: Why Every Author Needs an Editor »
Blake Atwood’s Don’t Fear the Reaper is really aimed more at authors than anyone. The reason I’m including it here is because it offers insights into the kinds of things writers worry about when they’re thinking about hiring an editor.
If you want to be good at your job, you need to get into the heads of the writers you’ll be working with. This book will help you see yourself through their eyes, from their general fears and concerns to the questions they’re undoubtedly asking themselves about needing an editor at all. You need to be able to answer those questions in a way that connects with them.
Get the book in these formats:
What Editors Do: The Art, Craft, and Business of Book Editing by Peter Ginna.
What Editors Do »
Want an even more on-the-nose guide to the actual business of editing? Peter Ginna’s What Editors Do lets you look under the hood at…well, what editors do and why it’s so important to the publishing industry. You will come away with a newfound appreciation for editing as a profession, even if you’re an author (aspiring or otherwise) with zero interest in working on that side of things.
From the description:
Ironically for an industry built on words, there has been a scarcity of written guidance on how to actually approach the work of editing. This book will serve as a compendium of professional advice and will be a resource both for those entering the profession (or already in it) and for those outside publishing who seek an understanding of it. It sheds light on how editors acquire books, what constitutes a strong author-editor relationship, and the editor’s vital role at each stage of the publishing process—a role that extends far beyond marking up the author’s text.
Get the book in these formats:
- Kindle ($11)
- iBooks ($18)
- Paperback ($19)
- Audible audiobook ($19)