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The Ones That Got Away: The misadventures
of an outdoor writer
By Steve Grooms
Edited by Greg Linder
Designed by Russell S. Kuepper
Illustrations by Bruce Cochran
Copyright ©1992 Steve Grooms
Originally published by Willow Creek Press
An imprint of NorthWord Press, Inc.
P.O. Box 1360
Minocqua, WI 54548
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS:
| Contract: | Yes (02/21/92) |
| Publisher: | Willow Creek Press (An imprint of NorthWord) |
| Editor-in-Chief: | Greg Linder |
| Assignment: | Light edit/copy edit (limited substantive editing) |
| Length: | 43,000 words |
| Deadline: | 30 days |
| Notes: | Yes |
| Proofread: | No |
| Style: | Chicago Manual |
| Format: | WordPerfect 4.2 |
BACKGROUND:
In Spring 1991, I was approached by Publisher, Tom Klein, to fill the position of
Editor-in-Chief for NorthWord Press, a position I regretfully had to turn down due to my
recent move to northeastern Minnesota. (I would have had to immediately relocate to
his House's location in Minocqua, Wisconsin.) Instead, I offered to handle some of
NorthWord's overflow editing work which resulted in the "Grooms humor book"
manuscript editing assignment.
New Editor-in-Chief, Greg Linder, requested a light edit/copy edit, cautioning that the author's "voice" should remain intact and that "none of the humor [be] edited out." I was nevertheless given the freedom "to query any and all matters that seem excessive, misleading, or inaccurate." NorthWord had no specific house style, so I was directed to follow the widely accepted standard, The Chicago Manual of Style (13th Edition), which is what I already used for most editing work.
I had thirty days to copy edit a manuscript of 43,000 words.
At Linder's request, I performed all editing procedures in WordPerfect 4.2, including notes. I maintained a conservative edit—preserving humor and voice as a primary objective—and I was able to avoid substantive editing except in one or two instances (thanks mostly to Grooms).
In a mid-project update to Linder, I wrote:
In general I have mostly found discrepancies in punctuation, spelling, and narrative consistency (e.g., Thing vs Thing, school vs School, LifeSaver vs Lifesaver). In a few instances, where I thought it clarified meaning, I have added, deleted, transposed, and/or replaced a word or phrase (e.g., "To this day, I can't hear [the name] 'Omaha' without …"). I have also set a few expressions in italics or quotes (e.g., "on stand") the first time they appear, in order to facilitate narrative flow. And I've smoothed out some overuse of italicized words for EMPHASIS! (Not many.)
I finished the assignment two weeks ahead of deadline.
Three weeks later, Linder expressed his written satisfaction in "what looks to be a fine, thorough job on the Steve Grooms book." The edit stood.
~CMS
You may click here to order a copy of The Ones That Got Away (or other titles by Steve Grooms) from Barnes & Noble on the web.
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