Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Preface to the fourth edition
- Preface to the third edition
- Preface to the second edition
- Preface to the first edition
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Preliminary copy-editing, design and specimen pages
- 3 Preparing the text for the typesetter
- 4 Illustrations
- 5 Proofs
- 6 House style
- 7 Preliminary pages
- 8 Indexes
- 9 Other parts of a book
- 10 Bibliographical references
- 11 Literary material
- 12 Multi-author and multi-volume works
- 13 Science and mathematics books
- 14 Other special subjects
- 15 Reprints and new editions
- 16 On-screen editing
- Appendixes
- Glossary
- Select bibliography and other resources
- Index
1 - Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of illustrations
- Preface to the fourth edition
- Preface to the third edition
- Preface to the second edition
- Preface to the first edition
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Preliminary copy-editing, design and specimen pages
- 3 Preparing the text for the typesetter
- 4 Illustrations
- 5 Proofs
- 6 House style
- 7 Preliminary pages
- 8 Indexes
- 9 Other parts of a book
- 10 Bibliographical references
- 11 Literary material
- 12 Multi-author and multi-volume works
- 13 Science and mathematics books
- 14 Other special subjects
- 15 Reprints and new editions
- 16 On-screen editing
- Appendixes
- Glossary
- Select bibliography and other resources
- Index
Summary
WHAT IS COPY-EDITING?
The main aims of copy-editing are to remove any obstacles between the reader and what the author wants to convey and to find and solve any problems before the book goes to the typesetter, so that production can go ahead without interruption or unnecessary expense. You might think that there is less need for copy-editing now that authors can use computer software to check spelling and even grammar: why can't the author simply provide the typesetter with a formatted, spell-checked file to turn into a book? Although a computer is a useful tool for the copy-editor, it cannot read for sense, repetition or ambiguity. It will not pick up libel, errors of fact or misleading or potentially dangerous information. The copy-editor is the reader's advocate and the author's ambassador, and in this electronic age has a more pivotal role than ever before in guiding the book through the complexities of the production process.
The majority of copy-editors these days are freelances, working for a variety of different clients, and often to a fixed budget and schedule. Publishers increasingly expect copy-editors to have the good judgement to be able to strike a balance between quality, cost and time. Different publishers work in different ways, according to the kinds of material they publish.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Butcher's Copy-editingThe Cambridge Handbook for Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders, pp. 1 - 16Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006