Editing Made Easy: Simple Rules for Effective Writing - Paperback

by Bruce Kaplan (Author)

As the title states, this book is designed to be easy to use for all writers. It offers straightforward, practical guidelines for editing, without getting into the weeds of advanced English grammar. You will find no loftier technical grammatical terms here, such as present perfect progressive, correlative conjunctions, imperative mood or interrogative adjective. However, much of the advice in this book is not to be written in stone. English is a flexible language, and writing a creative calling. As you will see, there are many acceptable ways for writers to express themselves. What you will find in this book is:

--How to avoid the most common errors of grammar and spelling.

--How to spot typographical and factual errors.

--Understanding the styles of print and online media.

--How to make your writing more exciting and dynamic.

--And improving your odds of having your work published.

The goal of this book is simple--to put the odds on the writers' side; to increase your chances of being published or finding success as a reporter, feature writer, novelist, freelance writer, blogger, Web developer, Web editor, communications consultant, advertising copywriter, speechwriter or public relations consultant--in fact, anything involving the written word.

Front Jacket

An earlier version of Editing Made Easy, published in Bruce Kaplan's native Australia, has become a best-selling resource for writers in much or the English-speaking world. Because of the different spellings and conventions of American English, it has been unavailable here--until now.

The new book is thoroughly revised, updated, expanded, and Americanized. It maintains the attractions of the original--friendly, easy-to-understand rules for improved writing. It's a quick read, and an easy reference for anybody who wants to communicate clearly with American English.

The book is non-technical in its approach. It doesn't cover grammatical terms such as present perfect progressive or correlative conjunctions. It boils grammar and style into a few simple rules that will serve you well whether you are a journalist, a student, a novelist, a business executive, a blogger, or anybody else who would like to make effective use of written language.

Author Biography

Bruce Kaplan is a newspaper editor and editorial trainer with more than 40 years' international experience. He has held senior positions with major publications in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. An Australian edition of his book Editing Made Easy has become a standard reference and learning guide in Australia and elsewhere: his new book expands on that work and, for the first time, adapts it to the spellings and conventions of U.S. English.