Developmental Editing by Scott NortonISBN: 9780226595160
Publication Date: 2009-08-01
Editing is a tricky business. It requires analytical flair and creative panache, the patience of a saint and the vision of a writer. Transforming a manuscript into a book that edifies, inspires, and sells? ThatOCOs the job of the developmental editor, whose desk is the first stop for many manuscripts on the road to bookdomOCoa route ably mapped out in the pages of "Developmental Editing." Author Scott Norton has worked with a variety of authors, editors, and publishers, and his handbook provides an approach to developmental editing that is logical, collaborative, humorous, and realistic. He starts with the core tasks of shaping the proposal, finding the hook, and building the narrative or argument, and then turns to the hard work of executing the plan and establishing a style. "Developmental Editing" includes detailed case studies featuring a variety of nonfiction booksOCoelection-year polemic, popular science, memoir, travel guideOCoand authors ranging from first-timer to veteran, journalist to scholar. Handy sidebars offer advice on how to become a developmental editor, create effective illustration programs, and adapt sophisticated fiction techniques (such as point of view, suspense, plotting, character, and setting) to nonfiction writing. a NortonOCOs book also provides freelance copyeditors with a way to earn higher fees while introducing more creativity into their work lives. It gives acquisitions, marketing, and production staff a vocabulary for diagnosing a manuscriptOCOs flaws and techniques for transforming it into a bestseller. And perhaps most importantly, "Developmental Editing "equips authors with the concrete tools they need to reach their audiences.