Technical Editing: The Practical Guide for Editors and Writers

by Judith A. Tarutz

Book Overview

At last, direct from the trenches, here's the book technical editors have been waiting for. Unlike other guides which review grammar and spelling--but don't address the special challenges of technical editing--this lively, practical book deals with the real-world problems, issues, and decisions that face technical editors and writers.In this book you'll get tips for preparing a style guide technical writers will want to use. You'll find checklists...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201563568
• ISBN13: 9780201563566
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 2.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 7.4" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Editing as it really is

I recommend this book to my Masters students as the best guide to the real world of editing. It is not just about 'technical editing', but a first rate primer for editing generally. A perfect example of the author's 'can do'approach is The Half Hour edit on page 172. What can you do if you only have a script for 30 minutes before the courier arrives ? Most editors would throuw up their hands and say 'nothing'. Tarutz tells you ten useful (perhaps vital) steps you can accomplish in this time.We have used a number of texts, but this one is without doubt the best

How to justify a Technical Editor on your staff

This book is particularly useful in defining the role of your Technical Editor, but what I found useful was the way the author addressed the need for a technical editor. In many technical writing and documentation groups, a technical editor is not in place because they use peer edits instead. Peer edits are not as effective as a technical editor! This book addresses quantitative results of having or not having a technical editor and how to "sell" your management on adding a technical editor to your team. I would recommend this book to writers, so that they may better understand the role of their editor. I would recommend this book to editors, so that they may better understand how to work with writers effectively. And I would recommend this book to any documentation manager or communications manager who is considering hiring a technical editor or trying to gain management approval for hiring a technical editor.

Highest praise for this book

As a newbie tech writer, I picked up this book with interest. This book was much more practical than other industry books on theory. All of the information is applicable to everyday situations as both a writer and editor. I am wholeheartedly recommending this book to my colleagues, and to anyone who would appreciate an insider's view of the technical documentation process. This is probably the most helpful book I have read on the process, textbooks and style guides included. After the author's challenge to readers to find and report any errors, I turned a skeptical (and trained) eye to each sentence...and found no errors. I hope that there are similar books on the market. A must have for every tech writer's book collection (and we know we all hoard great TW books!). The author lends real-world experience on almost every page and shows that she knows her field well. Personally, I found this book a great relief from the theoretical texts on TW that I have been reading for the past year.

Judith Tarutz becomes your mentor on this one.

You get an excellent view of tech editing and a ton of practical advice and tips. That Tarutz knows the business comes through, page after page.

A survival guide for the real world of technical editing.

The subtitle says it all. This book gives practical advice and guidelines for both editors and writers who must edit or deal with editors. Tarutz provides a heavy dose of "real world" information, including working with impossible schedules, difficult writers, and projects from hell. This book is NOT a guide to marking up manuscripts, nor is it a style and usage manual. It IS an excellent guide to the profession of technical editing.