Part 1 of a series first written in 2003 and updated for 2011. Although I make my living by copyediting (and designing books and websites), often a writer will approach me for services they just don’t need yet. The manuscript has to be ready for copyediting before I can take it on. Why spend money . . .
“They” has been used as a singular pronoun for centuries, since 1400 or so according to the Oxford English Dictionary. When I edit, I take into account the intended audience. If I think my client will get dinged because readers will insist singular they is wrong, I’ll suggest rewording. From Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary: Writers . . .
(Presented at the 2009 NCPA Conference) Editing: The Invisible Art that Takes Your Book from “Self-Published” to “Professionally Published” Good afternoon! My name is Sandra Williams, and I’ve provided writing, editing, and design services since 1996. Before that I ran a marketing and publicity office, and before that I edited a weekly newspaper. My first . . .