“This is the book Oprah would write if her vocation were saving writers from embarrassment, rather than saving the whole world. To which I say, finally. I’ve got dozens of books concerned with the nuts and bolts of copy-editing, but this is the only one that teaches the fine art of chilling out. ‘The Subversive Copy Editor’ will remain on my shelf. . . . I think Mr. Bernstein and Messrs. Strunk and White will find Saller to be good company.”
—Jennifer Balderama, The New York Times, Paper Cuts blog
“What may be the best copy editor’s companion since the CMS. . . . Longtime editor of the Chicago Manual of Style Online’s Q&A page, Saller writes with wisdom and a great generosity of spirit in this singular survival guide to the copy editor’s trade. . . . Improbably fun text. . . . An ideal complement to any style guide: practical, relentlessly supportive and full of ed-head laughs.”
—Publishers Weekly Web Exclusive Reviews, Pick of the Week, starred review
“An insider’s book to cure writers . . . while shoring up editors. . . . Good advice.”
—William Safire, On Language, The New York Times
“One of the great virtues of this book . . . is the many helpful examples of exchanges and situations Saller uses to illustrate her points. Many are real—and some, incidentally, very funny.”
“Carol Fisher Saller . . . has hit this one out of the ballpark. Ms. Saller is knowledgeable and funny, her advice is practical and relevant, and the book she has written is above all readable. . . . It was exhilarating, as if I’d been to a revival meeting where Ms. Saller was the preacher and I was the amen corner.”
—Wendalyn Nichols, Copyediting
“I wish I had had this book 30 years ago; it could have saved me from any number of rash actions and missteps.”
—John E. McIntyre, You Don't Say, baltimoresun.com
“An entertaining trip even for those who never plan to lift a red pen or use the editing feature of a word-processing program.”
—Thomas Frisbie, Chicago Sun-Times
“It’s no surprise that the droll and (seemingly) all-knowing wizard behind the Chicago Manual’s Internet Q&A puts it all together—entertainingly—for manuscript editors in this real-world guide to job success and survival. The surprise is how urgent it is for every author, client, and boss who works with editors to embrace Carol Fisher Saller’s ‘subversiveness’—or suffer the next outcome from hell.”
—Arthur Plotnik, author, The Elements of Editing, Spunk & Bite: A Writer’s Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style, and other works.
“The Subversive Copy Editor . . . should be required reading in all creative writing programs. It’s also got lots of good advice about life itself. I read it in one fell swoop.”
—ZYZZYVASpeaks blog, by editor of ZYZZYVA, a journal of West Coast writers & artists
“While copy editors are Saller’s target audience, the book includes wisdom that applies to just about anyone.”
—Robert Loerzel, Time Out Chicago
“The editor of the The Chicago Manual of Style’s monthly Q&A offers a wonderfully concise yet nuanced guide for the working (or would-be working) copy editor.”
—Alan Moores, Booklist
“Carol Fisher Saller is the mentor that every copyeditor dreams of: wise, smart, shrewd, gracious, generous, and self-deprecating. Her advice on how to manage your deadlines, your computer files and e-mail, your relations with authors and colleagues, and your editorial compulsions, fears, and superstitions will add years (long, happy, productive years) to your life.”
—Amy Einsohn, author of The Copyeditor’s Handbook
“The Subversive Copy Editor . . . is a delightful book. I haven’t had this much fun reading about things editorial since devouring Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird.”
—Stephanie Deming, Science Editor
“Q. I’m just starting out as a copy editor. I’ve read the style manuals, but can you suggest a book that will give me a sense of what’s important and put my job in perspective?
A. Happily, yes. In The Subversive Copy Editor you will find chatty, sensible advice from the guru behind the Chicago style Q&A. Carol Fisher Saller’s well-reasoned plea for carefulness, transparency, and flexibility will keep both on-staff and freelance editors on the right path.”
—Jenya Weinreb, Managing Editor, Yale University Press
“Saller’s straightforward, sometimes witty approach will benefit anyone who spends time writing or editing.”
—Andy Bechtel, News & Observer
“I’ve never read anything like The Subversive Copy Editor. Its pages illuminate the humanity and the love of language and form that transmute a manuscript into a book. A joy for anyone who cherishes the art and craft of writing and reading.”
—Richard Lederer, author of Anguished English and The Write Way
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