Overview

The only guide dedicated solely to developmental editing, now revised and updated with new exercises and a chapter on fiction. Developmental editing—transforming a manuscript into a book that edifies, inspires, and sells—is a special skill, and Scott Norton is one of the best at it. With more than three decades of experience in the field, Norton offers his expert advice on how to approach the task of diagnosing and fixing structural problems with book manuscripts in consultation with authors and publishers. He illustrates these principles through a series of detailed case studies featuring before-and-after tables of contents, samples of edited text, and other materials to make an otherwise invisible process tangible.   This revised edition for the first time includes exercises that allow readers to edit sample materials and compare their work with that of an experienced professional as well as a new chapter on the unique challenges of editing fiction. In addition, it features expanded coverage of freelance business arrangements, self-published authors, e-books, content marketing, and more.   Whether you are an aspiring or experienced developmental editor or an author who works alongside one, you will benefit from Norton’s accessible, collaborative, and realistic approach and guidance. This handbook offers the concrete and essential tools it takes to help books to find their voice and their audience.   

Full Product Details

9780226793634

Table of Contents

Reviews

""When I say this eleven-chapter book is an entire semester-long (or longer!) course in everything developmental editing (DE), I do not exaggerate. The material is engaging, relevant, immediately applicable—and just plain amusing. Norton excels in presenting concepts with clarity and coming up with examples aplenty. He is that professor that can lighten the dense, rein in the unwieldy, and still prompt a chuckle or two. . . . This book is one that every publishing professional should dissect and then place on the shelf for future reference."" * Publishing Research Quarterly *

Author Information

Scott Norton was formerly a developmental editor at the University of California Press, where he eventually served as the director of editing, design, and production before retiring in 2020.

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