Wednesday 17 April 2013

Proofing & Editing (The Manual Way)

I was at a workshop a while back and they handed out some - err - handouts, which I thought I'd share. They neglected to reference the original source, but I think it may have been the Mills & Boon lot. Their 'Official Guide to House Style'-type-thing. If you recognise it, please let me know.

The way that I'm used to working with editors is by using the Review Function electronically, which I posted about recently. I'd hazard that most people have switched to this method now. 

Editing printed paper still requires someone to go through and make the changes on the electronic copy. However, printing out your work and reading through it can often help you to spot mistakes you may otherwise have missed, so it is useful for your own notes, and for working with editors who still send a paper proof.

If nothing else, it's a record of a secret code that harks back to the golden age of publishing. And, should the epocalyptic threats of 2012 ever prove to be fashionably late, and an apocalyptic era of destruction reign, in the absence of electricity and telecommunications we can still get our books print-ready.

Without further ado - here's a crudely scanned list of The most common correction marks (based on British Standards 1958):


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Missing any? Let me know.


There was also the following useful advice:


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