57046 Professional Editing

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences: Writing and Contemporary Cultures
Credit points: 8 cp
Result Type: Grade, no marks

Handbook description

This course focuses on the editing of literary and popular fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. The emphasis is on editing book-length manuscripts but the skills can be applied to editing any written texts.

Postgraduate students gain a practical understanding of the process of editing written texts so that students may edit their own works or so that students have an understanding of the process when their own work is edited.

In the course of this subject, students will:

become familiar with the editing process, including structural and copyediting
understand the need for careful editing for all written material
acquire the skills needed to carry out this editing
become familiar with the principles of proofreading
gain an overview of the editorial/production process from manuscript to book

Subject objectives/outcomes

At the completion of this subject, students are expected to be able to:

recognise the importance of the editing process for all written texts;
recognise the author's 'voice' in a text and maintain it as appropriate throughout the editing process;
assess the appropriateness of the writer's style for their readers;
write constructive editorial reports;
understand the process of structural editing and have the fundamental skills needed to undertake it;
undertake accurate copyediting of written texts;
gain a general understanding of the editorial/production process;
gain a general knowledge of the skills of proofreading and an understanding of their importance.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject will enable students to:

Develop an understanding of the complex interplay of literary and editorial skills in professional editing
Develop a critical knowledge of cultural and aesthetic debates in relation to editorial practice
Engage in a critical study of texts and case studies
Develop an analytical and conceptual approach to a particular cultural industry.

Teaching and learning strategies

Throughout the course students will work individually and in groups on a range of texts from small pieces to complete book-length manuscripts. You will be expected to participate in class discussions, as being able to talk critically and intelligently about an editing project is an essential editing skill. The class in week 1 will be an introduction to the editing process: what it is and why it is necessary. In weeks 2 to 9 you will become familiar with the skills of copyediting, through in-class exercises and discussions.

The first assignment, to be completed during this time, asks you to write a critical evaluation of a book on the Australian bestseller lists. This process will give you an understanding of the skills required by an editor to write a reader's report on a manuscript submitted to a publisher or to carry out manuscript assessment for an author prior to submission of their work to a publisher. The second assignment involves copyediting part of a manuscript. You will be able to practise copyediting skills and become aware of the role of the author in the copyediting process. During this time there will also be an introduction to proofreading. In weeks 10 to 14 classes will focus on structural editing, which is the 'big picture' editing. Students will work in groups and individually on full-length manuscripts. This will culminate in each student writing an editorial report as their final assignment.

There will also be an introduction to book production, discussion of the author/editor relationship and an overview of manuscript assessment.

All learning activities will be based on practical exercises and authentic texts will be used. It is important you gain practical experiences similar to those you would encounter in the editorial department of a publishing house.

After the completion of the subject, students are expected to be able to:

understand the editorial and production processes for producing written texts
copyedit and proofread written texts
identify the market and readership of a text
carry out a constructive and appropriate structural edit of written texts

Content

The subject will be divided into four modules:

Introduction:
students will be given an overview of the editing process, and be introduced to what editing is and its importance. How publishing companies acquire manuscripts and the role of a literary agent will also be touched upon.
Copy editing:
students will be taught the principles of copy editing. They will work on short exercises to develop their skills and will copy edit a section of a manuscript.
Proofreading and the production process:
students will learn the essential skills of proofreading. Also, in summary, they will go through the production process of a text from manuscript to printed copies. This will help them to put the editorial process into the context of the complete production process.
Structural editing:
students will discuss the 'appropriateness' of a writer's style for the readership and they will identify the writer's 'voice' in the writing. You will then write a structural report of a fiction or non-fiction manuscript that will articulate the problem areas in the writing accurately and sympathetically so that the report will be a constructive aid for the writer. Following this you will carry out a structural edit of the manuscript and prepare accompanying notes for the author. In reality, an editor would carry out a structural edit on a manuscript then proceed to the copyedit. However, usually professional editors learn copyediting and proofreading first, then move onto structural editing when they are more experienced and have the fundamental editing skills. This order will be most helpful for students.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Writing a critical evaluation of a bestselling book

Objectives	The aims of this assignment are to make students aware of the importance of analytical and writing skills to the editorial process and to give them the experience of carrying out a critical evaluation on a book from the Australian bestseller lists. Through the critical evaluation process they will gain an understanding of the skills required by an editor to write a reader's report on manuscripts submitted to a publisher or to carry out manuscript assessment for an author prior to submission to a publisher. By evaluating a book from the Australian bestseller lists, students will become aware of the kinds of books that Australians are buying and reading, which is key information in gaining a broader understanding of the Australian publishing industry.
Value	20%
Due	Week 4
Task	Select one book from the current bestseller lists in the weekend Sydney Morning Herald (Spectrum section). It can be a fiction or non-fiction title. Write a critical evaluation of the book as if you were writing a reader's report for a publisher on a manuscript submitted for consideration for publication. In this evaluation you should provide a summary of the book's content and themes, structure, style, strengths and weaknesses.
Further Information	The critical evaluation should not be more than 500 words long. The goal is quality and concise expression, not length. Type the piece double-spaced with a wide margin on one side of the page. The quality of the writing and your ability to stick to the commissioned word count will be assessed along with your analytical skills.
Assessment criteria	Demonstrated ability to: carry out a critical analysis of a fiction or non-fiction book, considering its content and themes, structure, style, strengths and weaknesses write a clear and concise evaluation in the style of a reader's report for a publisher become familiar with the bestseller lists and the Australian general books market

Assessment item 2: Copyediting

Objectives	To practise copyediting skills and to become aware of the role of the author in the copyediting process.
Value	40%
Due	Week 9
Task	To copy edit an extract from a manuscript.
Further Information	You will receive an extract from a manuscript to be copyedited. This is a real manuscript with a real author, though changes have been made to the original. Please keep this in mind as you work on it and when writing queries to the author. Edit on the manuscript in pencil (not too light). Write author queries (in pencil) on the ms pages or typed as a list, as appropriate. Compile a style sheet. Write a covering letter to the author or the in-house editor that outlines the approach you have taken in the editing and tells them about any major changes you have suggested. Feel free to raise any queries about the copyediting in class during the weeks you are working on this assignment. There will be no extensions given on this assignment. You will benefit if you start the assignment while the various aspects of copyediting are being discussed in class. That way, you can bring your queries to class.
Assessment criteria	Demonstrated ability to: undertake accurate, sensitive and appropriate copyediting create and use a style sheet write appropriate and useful author queries edit a manuscript neatly, using editing symbols correctly, so the editing can be understood by the author, the designer, the typesetter and the proofreader write a coherent, lucid and persuasive covering letter that explains your rationale for editing decisions you have made

Assessment item 3: Structural report

Objectives	To carry out a structural edit of a book-length manuscript.It is important to take full advantage of this assignment because very little training is offered in-house in publishing companies or in industry courses in structural editing. It is, however, an essential skill for an editor and one that is in high demand.
Value	40%
Due	Week 14 (final week)
Task	To write a structural report on a complete book-length manuscript.
Further Information	The class will be divided into small groups with each group working on a fiction or non-fiction manuscript. The groups will be encouraged to discuss the editing in class and to give verbal reports to the other groups. Each student will write their own individual report of the final assessment, but you can draw on the discussions and work done in class. This is a major project and will be introduced fully in class five weeks before it is due. You should be able to complete this assignment in 20 hours, including the class time spent on it. This is the only way to gauge the amount of work you need to put in as the manuscripts are different lengths and a report cannot be written to a specific word length. If you put in more time than this, please write the approximate number of hours it took you on the cover sheet. If in some cases you identify a problem but cannot make a suggestion for improvement, you should still bring the problem to the author's attention. Please leave wide margins on the report for the tutor's comments. Due to time constraints with marking, no extensions will be allowed. You will be asked to return the manuscript along with your structural report. Please attach a stamped self-addressed envelope so the assignment can be returned to you. When you hand in this assignment, please keep a copy of your report.
Assessment criteria	You will be graded on: your identification of the major structural weaknesses and strengths of the manuscript your suggestions to the author: are they constructive? will they improve the manuscript and overcome the identified problems? will they make the manuscript publishable or move it closer to being publishable? the tone of your report: will the author react favourably to your suggestions because of the way you have expressed them? is the writing in the report clear and unambiguous? are the suggestions easy to follow?

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g., illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.

Indicative references

Browne, Rennie & King, Dave, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself into Print, Quill, HarperResource, New York, 2001
Flann, Elizabeth & Hill, Beryl,The Australian Editing Handbook, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons, 2003
Mackenzie, Janet, The Editor's Companion, Cambridge University Press, 2004
Macquarie Dictionary, 3rd edition, Macquarie Library, Sydney, 1997
Style Manual: for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th edition, revised by Snooks & Co., John Wiley & Sons, 2002

Other references and related reading
Athill, Diana, Stet: A Memoir, Granta Books, London, 2000
Biographical encyclopedias, for example, Cambridge
The Chicago Manual of Style, 13th edition (later editions may be available), University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1982
Collins Pocket Ready Reference, HarperCollins, Glasgow, 1994
Dictionaries, for example: Collins, Chambers, Oxford
Einsohn, Amy, The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, University of California Press, 2000
Kent, Jacqueline, A Certain Style: Beatrice Davis – a Literary Life, Viking, Melbourne, 2001
McPhee, Hilary, Other People's Words, Picador, Sydney, 2001
Strunk Jr, William & White, EB, The Elements of Style, 3rd edition, Allyn and Bacon, Needhan Heights MA, 1979
Style Manual: for Authors, Editors and Printers, 5th edition, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1994
Truss, Lynne, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, Profile Books, London, 2003.