Geoff-Hart.com: Editing, Writing, and Translation

Home Services Books Articles Resources Fiction Contact me Français

You are here: Books --> Effective onscreen editing

Vous êtes ici : Livres --> Effective onscreen editing

Effective Onscreen Editing: new tools for an old profession (4th ed.)

The 4th edition is now available! If you're still using a version of Microsoft Word older than the 2016 version, older versions of the book are still available. Please contact me to learn how to obtain a copy.

If you purchased the eBook version of the 3rd edition in September 2018 or later: Please contact me directly (with the date of purchase) and I'll send you a copy of the 4th edition. If you purchased the printed version, I can't offer a free upgrade, but I can send you a copy of the eBook of the 4th edition at no cost or offer a large discount on the new printed edition. Contact me (include your receipt) to request details.

Cover of Effective Onscreen Editing

This page contains the following information:

What's new in the 4th edition?

Bibliographic information: Hart, G. 2019. Effective onscreen editing: new tools for an old profession. 4th ed. Diaskeuasis Publishing, Pointe-Claire, Quebec.

Why do I need this book?

Most editors must now edit manuscripts on the screen ("onscreen editing") using a word processor. Though the editing skills remain the same, transferring them into a word processor can be challenging. Effective Onscreen Editing eases the transition from on-paper editing by teaching how to apply general editing strategies suitable for all word processors, supplemented by proven tips and tricks that will maximize your productivity and effectiveness. For editors who are already editing on the screen, the book will teach you the skills you need to greatly increase your editing speed and accuarcy based on my more than 30 years of experience as an editor and as a mentor for other editors, improved by incorporating feedback from students who have taken my courses on onscreen editing.

To make the editing strategies concrete, I use Microsoft Word 2016 for both Windows and the Macintosh to show how to implement these principles in the real world. (Because these examples illustrate the principles, you'll benefit from the book even if you don't use Word. However, you'll have to learn how your word processor implements the techniques.) The information is provided in small chunks, designed for easy reading and browsing. You can dip into the book to solve a specific problem, or read it a chapter at a time to increase your mastery of the art of onscreen editing.

How to use this book

Given the book’s length, you won’t want to read it cover to cover unless you have a serious insomnia problem. The most practical (and least intimidating) option is to use the book as a problem-solving resource. First, identify a specific onscreen editing task that is slowing you down or causing you trouble. Next, dip into the book and learn how to solve that problem.

As you solve each new problem, you’ll find that it frees up time you can use to learn more efficient ways to perform other editorial tasks. Use the time you save to solve another problem. Over time, you’ll be amazed at how much time you’re saving. Use that time to increase your effective hourly rate if you charge a fixed price per page, or to give yourself more time to work on difficult edits under tight deadlines.

Tips on using ebooks that are provided in PDF format

Read the reviews

Here's what readers have been saying about the 3rd edition of Effective Onscreen Editing:

Here's what readers said about the 2nd edition of Effective Onscreen Editing:

Here's what readers said about the 1st edition of Effective Onscreen Editing:

Buy the PDF and print versions of the book!

If you're using Word 2013 or earlier, the 3rd edition of the book is still available; contact me for details.

To purchase the 4th (2019) edition:

Teachers Want to add the book to your course reading list? Please contact me to obtain a free evaluation copy of the eBook, or a reduced price on the printed edition.
Students and members of professional societies

I offer discounts of US$7 for both versions (25% for the eBook, 21% for the print version) to students and members of professional societies.

Students should contact me from their .edu e-mail address to obtain a link to the reduced price. (If you don't have a university e-mail address, please ask your teacher to contact me on your behalf.) If you're a member of a professional society, please ask your membership coordinator to contact me for details.

Everyone else:

PDF version (eBook)

Purchase and download a copy using your PayPal account or most major credit cards.

Although you can print the PDF file, it's not optimized for printing.

 

Printed version

Buy in bulk

Interested in buying many copies for your group or your professional association? Please contact me so we can negotiate a bulk discount.

Detailed table of contents for the book (and a sample chapter)

To avoid cluttering this page, I've provided a link to a detailed version of the book's table of contents. Here, you can also download a free copy of Chapter 2 to confirm whether you like the style and content. I've provided a PDF file containing tips on how to use this eBook to help you get the most out of using this book. The tips will also work for many other eBooks and PDF files.


©2004–2024 Geoffrey Hart. All rights reserved.