Beginning Copyediting for Fiction (On Demand)

Description

$400 (Members: $360) | How to become a developmental editor | 4 lessons | With Instructor Feedback | Beginner

On-demand course schedule must be arranged with the instructor as soon as possible after enrollment.

In this class, we’ll discuss the basics of copyediting fiction, including:

• understanding the primary goal of ensuring consistency throughout a ms
• how copyediting is different for fiction versus nonfiction
• using The Chicago Manual of Style to make editorial decisions
• the various levels of copyediting you may be asked to perform
• how to write editorial queries (very different from developmental editing queries!)
• how to write (and use) a style sheet
• how to style and code a ms
• special considerations in working with indie authors versus publisher clients
• how to read a CE memo
• how to track details to ensure consistency
• conscious language concerns when editing fiction
• tech tools that can help you succeed (including the threat and promise of AI)
• and more!

You will need a copy of:

• The Chicago Manual of Style, Eighteenth Edition or access to the online version
• Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition or access to the online version
• And you may also wish to purchase Amy J. Schneider’s The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction, but you will not need to have it to do the work required in this class

This class covers American English copyediting standards. Punctuation, usage, and spelling can be very different in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and other areas where English is widely used.

The class is entirely online and asynchronous (you don’t have to be in any particular place at any particular time to participate) but your final materials will be due on a deadline agreed to with the instructor.