I recently wrote about my nine best books for editors in “Editorial Style Guides, Manuals, and Dictionaries for Beginner Editors.”

Editing Classics

Although this particular article was specifically aimed at beginner editors, these remain my “go-tos” years later. While admittedly, a great deal of notable editing-related books exist, my personal favourites include 

• The Elements of Style: Classic Edition by William Strunk Jr.,
• Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dryer,
• The Copy Editor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications by Amy Einsohn,
• The Subversive Copy Editor by Carol Fisher Saller,  
• Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing by and about Indigenous Peoples by Gregory Younging, and
• Plain Language in Plain English by Cheryl Stephens.

Additionally, I recommend

• The Chicago Manual of Style,
• The Associated Press Stylebook,
• The Oxford Canadian Dictionary, and
• The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

You can also read about some of my recommendations and have a look at a part of my personal library in “What’s on Your Editing Bookshelf?.” (BoldFace, the official blog of Editors Toronto, is a great way to learn about editing, and to get to know editors!).

Latest Editing Reads

This month, I have continued trying to further my editorial knowledge. In particular, I have read

• The Chicago Guide to Copyediting Fiction by Amy J. Schneider and
• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King.

Unquestioningly, I would recommend both books for newer and experienced copy editors, as well as for writers hoping to better understand how to self-edit their work, prior to hiring a professional copy editor.  (I discuss the importance of hiring a professional editor, in my previous blog, “Tips for Improving Your Writing.”)

Inclusive Language Resources

Furthermore, I have also recently pre-ordered The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language that Includes, Respects, and Empowers by Karen Yin.  For those interested in Inclusive and/or Conscious Language, I highly recommend Yin’s Conscious Style Guide.

Additional resources in in Inclusive and/or Conscious Language that I recommend include

• Alex Kapitan’s Radical Copyeditor, and
• Crystal Shelley’s Rabbit with a Red Pen.

Editing Professional Development

Finally, over the past several months, I have also completed some editing-related professional development courses.  To fellow editors, as well as writers hoping to improve their craft, I personally would recommend

• Fiction Editing Certificate – Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP),
• Copy Editing Fiction Certificate – Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA),
• Editing for Conscious and Inclusive Language Certificate – Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), and
• Romance for Editors: Working with Archetypes, Tropes, and Genre Conventions Webinar – Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA).

Developing your knowledge in a particular niche or genre is something that I, as a lifelong learner, support.

What are your favorite editing resources? I’d love to hear your suggestions! Questions? Comments? For copy editing projects, please visit my copy editing page, which lists my experience and rates. Contact me for more information about your project needs.