What attracted me to this book was the phrase "The Chicago Guide To." I wondered if it was any relation to The Chicago Manual of Style, which I have had as a resource for more years than I can count. It turns out that, yes, it is related. Where the Chicago Manual of Style is used primarily for non-fiction work, The Chicago Guide To Copyediting Fiction is geared towards copyediting fiction work. My primary work is in the genre of cozy mysteries, so this book is ideal for me. Yes, I copyedit my own work, and I self-publish through Kindle Vella, Kindle Direct, and Create Space. The publisher for both books is the same - The University of Chicago Press.
Part I of this book is an overview of a fiction copyeditor's approach to a manuscript. Part II covers building a fiction style sheet, Part III covers grammar and usage, working with dialogue, and blending fact and fiction. (As fiction writers, we know that our stories are based on the real world, on fact, but whatever happens in that real world is fiction.) Appendix A covers style sheet templates, Appendix B covers file management, and Appendix C covers the use of multiple monitors. There is also a glossary of terms, a list of recommended resources, and an index.
This book is pure joy to use! I loved the use of sidebars to address specific information. There is an interesting note on Publisher House Styles - IOW, publishing houses that may have their own internal style format. There are also references given for Australian English, British English, and Canadian English. Then we come to organizing character lists (I cannot tell you how many times I have had to search back through a manuscript to find out something simple, like a character's last name or occupation!)
There are so many things to keep track of that as authors we don't really think about. I am going to have to go back through my WIP and list the people involved, who knows who, significant events, and settings. I will do this not only to make sure everything tracks okay in this book, but I plan to do five more books in this series, and I don't want my readers to spot discrepancies and think they are looking at shoddy writing, that I have not done my due diligence.
As writers, we do need to take care when referencing real people and real events. And we need to make a visible line between fact and fiction in our books. We also have to be careful with things like trademarks, permissions, and quotes. So much to think about!
A lot of the material in this book will not apply to someone like me who is self-publishing, but what did apply to me was gold. This book will sit on the shelf to the left of my desk, right next to The Chicago Manual of Style.
(c) April 2023 Bonnie Cehovet
Reproduction not allowed without written consent from the author.
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