Friday, March 16, 2001
Proofreading plain & simple
Book Review
Proofreading plain & simple, by Debra Hart May. Published by The Career Press, 1997. $11.99, 192 pp., paperback.
Proofreading plain & simple is an ideal book for someone who is suddenly saddled with a proofreading task and is unsure exactly how to go about it. There are sections that might benefit veteran proofreaders as well, but the book is written primarily for an audience with little or no experience in proofreading.
As the title suggests, Proofreading plain & simple is a breeze to read, and its instructions are easy to put into practice. Upon reading the book and assimilating its contents, the reader will have acquired a basic understanding of what proofreading entails. By following the author’s examples and doing the practice exercises, the reader will begin to develop a framework for approaching proofreading tasks with confidence.
The first few chapters help the reader prepare to proofread, an essential first step that makes what follows all the more manageable. According to May’s formula for effective writing, an author should spend 30 percent of his or her time prewriting, 15 percent on drafting, 50 percent on editing, and five percent on proofreading. The preponderant emphasis on editing underscores her belief that this important step leads naturally into the act of proofreading itself, which the author covers in step-by-step detail in the middle of the book.
The last few chapters have value for both novice and veteran proofreaders. It is here, at the end of the book, that the author drops her choicest pearls. Her advice about creating working partnerships with (and showing sensitivity for) the writer might be worth the cost of the book for trenchant veterans. Her tips about on-screen proofing (when it cannot be avoided) are also increasingly useful in a field that is gradually moving with the gravitational pull toward doing nearly everything online.
The book is not without flaws, however. Hurried readers can safely skip the first chapter, “Can better proofreading skills help you?” as that question was very likely answered before the person picked up the book. Another rather astonishing thing is the author’s sheepish admission, in one of the book’s earlier chapters, that she does not often use one of the techniques she repeatedly suggests. There are also times when one feels as if this book were merely a dressed-up sales brochure for other works in the Plain & Simple series or The Gregg reference manual (the author’s personal favorite).
Readers will find Proofreading plain & simple unadorned with the kind of tongue-in-cheek writing one might expect of the ”. . . For Dummies” series, nor does it pretend to offer an exhaustive treatment of the subject. This book is serious and concise, plain and simple, which is all it sets out to be. As an introduction or a refresher, Proofreading plain & simple will serve its reader well. As a foundation for professional practice, May’s book would probably be too plain and too simple.