I used to think I knew everything about grammar until I read “The Frugal Editor”. If I had read Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s new book (the previous one was the invaluable “The Frugal Book Promoter”) before editing my novel manuscripts, it would have saved me a lot of time and heartache.
If I had read this tome before trying to edit my last manuscript before submission, I would have avoided making several blatant script mistakes, which Carolyn writes about in depth. ‘Quick test to split double adjectives’, she headlines herself. Like many of the topics in her book, her helpful text is supported by a relevant link for more in-depth details.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson emphasizes that “The Frugal Editor” does not focus on the craft of writing or proofreading. She assumes that all authors have done a review before publishing their books.
“A good editor will help a writer find their voice, stay true to it, and still take the manuscript from rock hard to polished gemstone,” he says.
He even gives practical advice on how to find a good editor, such as asking the professors in the writing department at your local university to recommend a good one. And always ask for references to avoid charlatans.
I thought it was particularly interesting that Carolyn edits each document as if it were a manuscript. She stresses that it’s imperative to carefully edit query letters, cover letters, and book proposals. It makes sense since these documents are sent to agents and publishers.
For writers who are confident they know everything about grammar, the book also acts as a useful grammar refresher course. Howard-Johnson is practical, advising authors not to lose sleep if a writer misses a typo or grammatical error. Even seasoned writers make flagrant grammatical errors, so Carolyn provides practical and humorous advice on how to look for ‘gremlins,’ especially adverbs in your manuscript.
‘You may have wondered why in the world of writing I would want to look up adverbs, which we all know are perfectly good parts of speech frequently used by the most learned among us.
They are ugly, that’s why. They are often redundant. They hide weak verbs. In fact, they’re probably first cousins to the gremlin you normally want out of there. The good news: you can use its search function to eradicate them.
Carolyn explains each grammatical point in explicit detail. She’s also a humorous writer, which makes her advice seem entertaining. For example, she talks about ‘gremlins’ as ‘very smart guys bent on destroying a writer’. Her nonfiction prose is full of gems like, ‘editing your adverbs is like mining metaphor for gold. Death to gerunds, participles and other ugly things, gerunds can keep you from laughing on the way to the bank and participles are not twins of a gerund.
‘I want you to learn from this book,’ he says, ‘but I would also like you to enjoy the challenge of editing.’
He gives helpful tips on proofreading, editing, line editing, and proofreading and insists that your editing will go smoother if you’ve thoroughly proofread your manuscript first. His invaluable book covers how to make the editing process easier and provides innovative advice on how to use manual and electronic techniques (such as the search function) to eliminate errors.
He also advises the reader to obtain useful reference books such as “The Chicago Manual of Style” and “Garner’s Modern American Usage” (hardcover).
“The Frugal Publisher: Submit Your Best Book to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success” alone is worth buying for the many links, especially those from literary agents who ‘care enough’ to comment on the submission process.
This is an invaluable book for writers, aided by a comprehensive Appendix to help the reader focus on vital information like fighting those dreaded gremlins.
Authors will do themselves a disservice if they don’t have Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s bible within easy reach of their desks. At the very least, it will (re)educate them about the English language.