Follow the author

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Follow

Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy Paperback – February 17, 2010

by Carolyn Howard-Johnson (Author)

4.0 14 ratings

See all formats and editions

There is a newer edition of this item:

Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Reference Guide for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy, 2nd Edition
$14.80
(15)
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.

Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers is a handy little (but magic!) booklet that will help you avoid the gremlins lurking in your writing--the ones determined to embarrass you. You'll feel more secure when you send out your blog posts, your business and query letters, or your manuscripts to those who can help build your career.

Print length

80 pages
Language

English
Publication date

February 17, 2010
Dimensions

5.25 x 0.19 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

1450507654
ISBN-13

978-1450507653
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Review

...[This booklet] offer[s] real help. Writers polishing their manuscripts and query letters will find this guide more useful than Strunk and White.
--June Casagrande, author of "Grammar Snobs Are Great Big Meanies" (Penguin)

"Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips For Writers" is highly recommended reading for anyone preparing to write pretty much anything -- and a fascinating read in its own right ..." --James A. Cox, Editor in Chief, Midwest Book Review

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 17, 2010)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 80 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1450507654
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1450507653
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.19 x 8 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.0 14 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

I brought my life's experience to a writing career when most people would have been considering retirement. You have heard Sinatra's song, "I've been a poet, a pauper..." well, so have I. And I have put every bit of it to good use with my poetry, fiction, and multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers, now almost nearly fully republished by Modern History Press.

I love to travel for inspiration and for career building and have studied writing at Cambridge University in the UK, Herzen University in St. Petersburg, RU, and Charles University in Prague. Come play with me and learn with me. I'm reviving my newsletter with the release of the 3rd edition of "The Frugal Editor." Subscribe at https://howtodoitfrugally.com and join me on Facebook and Twitter. It's not hard to find me with my hyphenated name!

Here's to writers and readers everywhere!

Best,

Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

14 global ratings

3 star

0%

2 star

28%

1 star

0%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Carolyn Wilhelm

Reference tool for writers and English teachers with practical examples

Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is a wonderful book that could be used as a reference book in secondary classrooms and writing groups. The author explains the zero tolerance policy of writing contest judges for word use errors. Be informed and advised with this book when proofing for yourself and others.

Secondary teachers, one entry in this book per day would make a nice class warm up activity. Below is an example from the book. Students could discuss the information. The book would also be handy during teacher-student writing conferences as a neutral way to discuss word use errors especially.

i.e. / e.g.: When you want to use e.g., check to see if you mean for example. “The book tour took us to many cities, e.g., Phoenix, Pasadena, and Seattle. Using i.e. helps you clarify a point. “He is an existentialist, i.e., he believes that . . . .” If you can substitute the words that is for the i.e., you probably have it right. Also, notice that generally these initials are set off by commas on either side.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Billie A. Williams

Editing Demystified

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2010

Verified Purchase

Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers:
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Reviewed by Billie A Williams
Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy

As Always Carolyn Howard-Johnson delivers a succinct, easy to follow guide that really does take you by the hand and help you over the editing hurdles. You will buy pass the "Gatekeepers" if you follow her directions.

Whether you plan to self-publish or seek a traditional publisher, you will need to make sure your prose is as good as it can be and this little guide will certainly put you ahead of the pack.

I highly recommend any of Carolyn Howard-Johnson's book and this is no exception.
Go get it now! You won't be sorry.
Billie A Williams

One person found this helpful

Helpful

M. Payne

Valuable reference

Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2010

Verified Purchase

This is a valuable reference although as "Queen" states in her review hardly comprehensive. I too wish the author had included effect vs affect, and several others I run into often.

However, that said, it is well done and now sits right next to my very worn copy of "20,000 words", "The American Heritage Dictionary of The English Language" and "Strunk and White The Elements of Style."

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Helen Dunn Frame

... offers tips to writers to help make their work better.

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2015

Verified Purchase

It offers tips to writers to help make their work better.

Helpful

K.M. Weiland, Author of Historical and Speculative Fiction

Lots of good tips here!

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2012

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is well known among writers for her helpful book The Frugal Book Promoter, and she continues to encourage and guide writers through her many other projects, including this fast read (56 pages), which she advertises as a supplement to her book The Frugal Book Editor. After opening with an intro, reminding authors of the importance of crossing our T's and dotting our I's in both our queries and our published works, she launches into the meat of the book: page after page of handy references for spotting and fixing tricky word pairs.

Organized alphabetically with word pairs separated by slashes (e.g., "bereft / bereaved"), the book makes it easy to look up definitions and identify which word should be used in specific circumstances. Although the book's diminutive length prevents it from anywhere close to exhaustive, it's a good starting place and can easily be backed up with the more complete list in The Frugal Book Editor.

Priced reasonably (especially the Kindle version) and packed with lots of writerly wit and humor, the book makes for both an enjoyable read and a worthwhile reference manual.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Choosing the right word has never been so entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2010

I'm firmly of the opinion that one of the main difference between a good book and a great book is the quality of the edit. Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows that and has provided a series of books designed specifically to help authors edit their books without having to spend a fortune. The latest one in the the Frugal series is a handy list of tricky, "trip-you-up" words that every writer would do well to master. Some, like "advice / advise" are common problems that dog the writer from primary school onwards, and it's probably time to get these sorted out. Others, like "although / though" are more subtle, and Howard-Johnson doesn't shirk from pointing out why the use of one word is preferable over another. The explanations are always clear, with well written and original examples, and once you've read Howard-Johnson's words of wisdom, you won't make the mistake again. The book is just 50 pages, and is easy to carry around for reference, or check through quickly when you're unsure. You could also use it as a kind of course book, taking on a pair of words a day with the aim of improving your overall English skills. Even if your English is masterful already, you might be surprised at how often you misuse some of the more common sets, such as "bring / take" or "childlike / childish." Howard-Johnson even provides ill-used phrases like "It is what it is." or the difference between i.e. and e.g. (I'm afraid I've misused this one myself). The book ends with a list of other recommended editing books.

A few small errors in a manuscript or piece of writing may seem like a minor problem, but they mark the writer as an amateur and can be just what an overworked editor is looking for in order to move your unread manuscript over to the slush pile. At best, they make the writer look sloppy and uneducated. At worst, you may be conveying something quite different to what you had in mind. Not all of writing is this clear and straightforward, so ensuring that you understand and are able to easily use and distinguish commonly confused words correctly is more than just a good thing. It's essential. That so much helpful advice is couched in such light-hearted, easy to read and entertaining prose is due to Howard-Johnson's capability. This little book has a simplicity that belies the importance of what it's conveying. Do yourself, and your readers, a favour and make sure that you choose the right word every time you write.

Magdalena Ball is the author of Repulsion Thrust

One person found this helpful

Helpful