The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction by Amy J. Schneider
Writing (Editing). 229 Pages. 4 Stars
Synopsis:
A book-world veteran offers the first copyediting guide focused exclusively on fiction.
Although The Chicago Manual of Style is widely used by writers and editors of all stripes, it is primarily concerned with nonfiction, a fact long lamented by the fiction community. In this long-awaited book from the publisher of the Manual , Amy J. Schneider, a veteran copyeditor who’s worked on bestsellers across a wide swath of genres, delivers a companionable editing guide geared specifically toward fiction copyeditors—the first book of its type.
In a series of approachable thematic chapters, Schneider offers cogent advice on how to deal with dialogue, voice, grammar, conscious language, and other significant issues in fiction. She focuses on the copyediting tasks specific to fiction—such as tracking the details of fictional characters, places, and events to ensure continuity across the work—and provides a slew of sharp, practicable solutions drawn from her twenty-five years of experience working for publishers both large and small. The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction is sure to prove an indispensable companion to The Chicago Manual of Style and a versatile tool for copyeditors working in the multifaceted landscape of contemporary fiction.
My Review:
This is such a helpful resource! A pretty quick read from cover to cover, but now that I’m familiar with the material, I’ve been using it as a reference manual. If it doesn’t have the answers, it can at least provide a place to start when I encounter specific questions or need a refresher on examples. It’s a super helpful companion to the Chicago Guide, focusing on the necessary divergences for fiction.
Any fiction copyeditor should have this on her shelf. The book is well-organized, easy to follow, and full of helpful examples and figures. It also has a index for quick reference and plenty of additional resources for further study. It walks step-by-step through the process of copyediting a fiction manuscript, defines terms, and details helpful sections for your style sheets–again, with plenty of examples and figures.
I also really appreciated her emphasis on the way editors can clearly communicate with their clients, whether authors or publishers. She gives us context of the editorial process, the copyeditor’s part in that process, examines the necessary elements to copyedit fiction well, and goes the extra step of preparing editors to establish clear expectations and work well with others involved in the process. She comments on the differences between working with indie authors and publishers, shares scenarios to expect in those situations, and even how to know when your clients aren’t actually ready for copyedits. But most of all, I love how she focuses the editor on serving the story and communicating suggestions and edits with compassion and clarity. Her comments from a philosophical perspective frame editors with a healthy mindset that’s just as necessary as the technical parts of the book.
One thing to note is that there is some adult content discussed. She’s very professional about it, but does briefly discuss editing manuscripts with profanity and erotica. She doesn’t give examples of explicit romance, and it’s only a short part of the chapter. She does give specific examples of swearing, but it’s for the specific purpose of demonstrating how to best copyedit those manuscripts. And she does comment on the importance of each individual editor understanding what they are and are not comfortable editing. Her point is that even mature manuscripts need editors and those editors still need to do their job well.