Testy Copy Editors

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 Post subject: Editing Template
PostPosted: Tue Aug 02, 2005 5:17 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:29 am
Posts: 3
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Hi there

I am a publishing editor in New Zealand.

I have started making an 'editing template': as I edit book after book, I add words, layout, and style notes to a 'style sheet'-type template, to be used for all books.

For example, in alphabetical categories it has notes like, 'Catholic (caps), make sure only one paragraph mark between paragraphs, one's not ones, it's/its distinction etc.

Already, it is starting to be quite useful to me. Eventually, I would like to make several templates divided into 'spiritual', 'novel', 'children's, and other categories. When I edit a new book from one of those categories, I will simple load the 'style sheet template', and while I edit the book, add additional words to it.

When I finish editing, I will go through the new style sheet and make sure I've done eveything on it. I may add some of the new words/notes to the current template for future books.

What do you guys think of this approach -- do you know of any such things on the web or that you use?

Regards,

Lawrence


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 Post subject: Re: Editing Template
PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 2:14 am 
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Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:03 am
Posts: 1224
Location: Japan
serf wrote:
Hi there

I am a publishing editor in New Zealand.

I have started making an 'editing template': as I edit book after book, I add words, layout, and style notes to a 'style sheet'-type template, to be used for all books.

For example, in alphabetical categories it has notes like, 'Catholic (caps), make sure only one paragraph mark between paragraphs, one's not ones, it's/its distinction etc.

Already, it is starting to be quite useful to me. Eventually, I would like to make several templates divided into 'spiritual', 'novel', 'children's, and other categories. When I edit a new book from one of those categories, I will simple load the 'style sheet template', and while I edit the book, add additional words to it.

When I finish editing, I will go through the new style sheet and make sure I've done eveything on it. I may add some of the new words/notes to the current template for future books.

What do you guys think of this approach -- do you know of any such things on the web or that you use?

Regards,

Lawrence


It tends to miss subtleties, like the difference between Catholic clergy and catholic tastes.[/i]


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 Post subject: Re: Editing Template
PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 5:07 pm 
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Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2005 12:29 am
Posts: 3
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Nessie3 wrote:
serf wrote:
Hi there

"... What do you guys think of this approach -- do you know of any such things on the web or that you use?"

Regards,

Lawrence


It tends to miss subtleties, like the difference between Catholic clergy and catholic tastes.[/i]


That's the whole point! Of course I'm aware of the difference between catholic and Catholic -- so I don't need to write that down to myself on my style sheet ... However, it is extremely easy to miss a lower case 'c' and end up with "catholic" instead of "Catholic", which is why I do a search for all instances of which after an edit. Our writers then do their own proofreads of the 'review copy'.

I believe we all need such a check list -- without one, little errors WILL remain like: "river bed" instead of "riverbed", and "Mr." instead of "Mr", and "red head" instead of "redhead" -- so easy to miss. The only things such a check list can't help with are words like "it's" and "it is" because they come up too much and doing a search for all instances would take too long.


Lawrence


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Wed Aug 03, 2005 6:30 pm 
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Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 12:01 am
Posts: 3137
Location: Homebush NSW Australia
In the days before it was privatised, the Government Printing Office's stylebook used to be useful for setting style for non-newspaper contributers. Is that still the case?


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 Post subject: Re: Editing Template
PostPosted: Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:31 am 
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Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 3:03 am
Posts: 1224
Location: Japan
serf wrote:
Nessie3 wrote:
serf wrote:
Hi there

"... What do you guys think of this approach -- do you know of any such things on the web or that you use?"

Regards,

Lawrence


It tends to miss subtleties, like the difference between Catholic clergy and catholic tastes.[/i]


That's the whole point! Of course I'm aware of the difference between catholic and Catholic -- so I don't need to write that down to myself on my style sheet ... However, it is extremely easy to miss a lower case 'c' and end up with "catholic" instead of "Catholic", which is why I do a search for all instances of which after an edit. Our writers then do their own proofreads of the 'review copy'.

I believe we all need such a check list -- without one, little errors WILL remain like: "river bed" instead of "riverbed", and "Mr." instead of "Mr", and "red head" instead of "redhead" -- so easy to miss. The only things such a check list can't help with are words like "it's" and "it is" because they come up too much and doing a search for all instances would take too long.


Lawrence


My point is that such a checklist, while useful, can never be exhaustive. An example is river bed. It would be riverbed alone, but river bed in some combinations, like river bed material.


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