The Best Books for Editors
Every superhero needs their trusty tools—and book editors are no exception.
So this article offers a list of the best books on editing, according to yours truly, an experienced nonfiction editor and publishing coach (self-help and personal development, health & wellness, US history/biography/politics/pop culture, among other genres).
The Best Books on Editing
Below are my top 10 recommendations—with book details, star ratings, and book descriptions below— sorted by type of editing.
Each book on editing listed below is on Amazon; most are available in multiple formats, new and used.
Whether you’re a freelancer looking to build your arsenal or an author who wants to write better, these books will arm you for success.
P.S.: Taking a cue from these books, I’m curving all the apostrophes. Keepin’ it classy.
🏆Best books on copy editing / best books for copy editors
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition by University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff
(University of Chicago Press, 2024, 1,150 pages, 4.8⭐)
The definitive style guide for editors, covering everything from grammar to citation formats. More than 1.75 million copies sold.
“Every chapter has been reexamined with diversity and accessibility in mind, and major changes include updated and expanded coverage of pronoun use and inclusive language, revised guidelines on capitalization, a broader range of examples, new coverage of Indigenous languages, and expanded advice on making publications accessible to people with disabilities. The Manual’s traditional focus on nonfiction has been expanded to include fiction and other creative genres in coverage of topics such as punctuation and dialogue, and the needs of self-published authors receive wider attention.
“As with every new edition, devotees of the Manual will find much to discover and ponder.”
The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, 4th edition by Amy Einsohn and Marilyn Schwartz
(University of California Press, 2019, 580 pages, 4.7⭐)
A comprehensive guide for copyeditors, covering grammar, style, and the nuances of editing for publishing and corporate communications.
“Unstuffy, hip, and often funny, The Copyeditor’s Handbook has become an indispensable resource both for new editors and for experienced hands who want to refresh their skills and broaden their understanding of the craft of copyediting. This fourth edition incorporates the latest advice from language authorities, usage guides, and new editions of major style manuals, including The Chicago Manual of Style. It registers the tectonic shifts in twenty-first-century copyediting: preparing text for digital formats, using new technologies, addressing global audiences, complying with plain language mandates, ensuring accessibility, and serving self-publishing authors and authors writing in English as a second language. The new edition also adds an extensive annotated list of editorial tools and references and includes a bit of light entertainment for language lovers, such as a brief history of punctuation marks that didn’t make the grade, the strange case of razbliuto, and a few Easter eggs awaiting discovery by keen-eyed readers.”
There is a companion handbook, The Copyeditor’s Workbook, featuring exercises to hone editorial skills. Buy The Copyeditor’s Handbook and The Copyeditor’s Handbook together as a bundle and save.
The Subversive Copy Editor, Second Edition by Carol Fisher Saller
(University of Chicago Press, 2016, 200 pages, 4.7⭐)
Practical advice for copyeditors on balancing professionalism with flexibility and maintaining good relationships with authors.
“In this second edition, Saller adds new chapters, on the dangers of allegiance to outdated grammar and style rules and on ways to stay current in language and technology. She expands her advice for writers on formatting manuscripts for publication, on self-editing, and on how not to be ‘difficult.’ Saller’s own gaffes provide firsthand (and sometimes humorous) examples of exactly what not to do. The revised content reflects today’s publishing practices while retaining the self-deprecating tone and sharp humor that helped make the first edition so popular.
“The Subversive Copy Editor brings a refreshingly levelheaded approach to the classic battle between writers and editors. This sage advice will prove useful and entertaining to anyone charged with the sometimes perilous task of improving the writing of others.”
Garner’s Modern English Usage, Fifth Edition by Bryan A. Garner
(Oxford University Press, 2022, 1,312 pages, 4.6⭐)
A detailed reference for writers, editors, and speakers on modern English usage and style.
“One of the most influential style guides ever written for the English language. After four previous editions and over twenty years, our language has evolved in many ways, and the powerful tool of big data has revolutionized lexicography. This extensively revised new edition fully captures these changes, featuring a thousand new entries and over two hundred replacement entries, thoroughly updated usage data and ratios on word frequency based on the Google Ngram Viewer, a more balanced coverage of World Englishes, not just American and British, and the inclusion of gender-neutral language.
“A masterpiece of lexicography written with wit and personality by one of the preeminent authorities on the English language.
“Garner explains the nuances of grammar and vocabulary and the linguistic blunders to which modern writers and speakers are prone, whether in word choice, syntax, phrasing, punctuation, or pronunciation.”
🏆Best books on developmental editing
Developmental Editing, Second Edition: A Handbook for Freelancers, Authors, and Publishers by Scott Norton
(University of Chicago Press, 2023, 320 pages, 4.4⭐)
A resource for editors working on substantive edits, with strategies for shaping content and structure. For nonfiction and fiction.
”Developmental editing—transforming a manuscript into a book that edifies, inspires, and sells—is a special skill, and Scott Norton is one of the best at it. With more than three decades of experience in the field, Norton offers his expert advice on how to approach the task of diagnosing and fixing structural problems with book manuscripts in consultation with authors and publishers. He illustrates these principles through a series of detailed case studies featuring before-and-after tables of contents, samples of edited text, and other materials to make an otherwise invisible process tangible.
“This revised edition for the first time includes exercises that allow readers to edit sample materials and compare their work with that of an experienced professional as well as a new chapter on the unique challenges of editing fiction. In addition, it features expanded coverage of freelance business arrangements, self-published authors, e-books, content marketing, and more.
“Whether you are an aspiring or experienced developmental editor or an author who works alongside one, you will benefit from Norton’s accessible, collaborative, and realistic approach and guidance. This handbook offers the concrete and essential tools it takes to help books to find their voice and their audience.”
The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne
(Black Irish Entertainment, 2015, 346 pages, 4.6⭐)
A detailed framework for analyzing and improving story structure, ideal for developmental editors working on fiction.
“The Story Grid is a tool developed by editor Shawn Coyne to analyze stories and provide helpful editorial comments. It’s like a CT Scan that takes a photo of the global story and tells the editor or writer what is working, what is not, and what must be done to make what works better and fix what’s not.
“The Story Grid breaks down the component parts of stories to identify the problems. And finding the problems in a story is almost as difficult as the writing of the story itself (maybe even more difficult).”
🏆Best books on proofreading
McGraw-Hill’s Proofreading Handbook, Second Edition by Laura Anderson
(McGraw-Hill, 2006, 164 pages, 4.6⭐)
A practical guide for proofreaders and editors, offering strategies for successful proofreading, grammar corrections, and punctuation practices. One of the best books for learning proofreading.
“McGraw-Hill’s Proofreading Handbook helps ensure that your documents are letter-perfect, every time. Veteran editor and proofreader Laura Anderson arms you with all the tools of the proofreader’s trade and walks you step-by-step through the entire proofreading process.”
🏆Best books on self-editing fiction
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King
(William Morrow, 2004, 288 pages, 4.6⭐)
A hands-on guide for writers and editors to refine fiction manuscripts, focusing on dialogue, pacing, and narrative techniques.
“Hundreds of books have been written on the art of writing. Here at last is a book by two professional editors to teach writers the techniques of the editing trade that turn promising manuscripts into published novels and short stories.
“In this completely revised and updated second edition, Renni Browne and Dave King teach you, the writer, how to apply the editing techniques they have developed to your own work. Chapters on dialogue, exposition, point of view, interior monologue, and other techniques take you through the same processes an expert editor would go through to perfect your manuscript. Each point is illustrated with examples, many drawn from the hundreds of books Browne and King have edited.”
The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself by Susan Bell
(W. W. Norton, 2008, 240 pages, 4.6⭐)
Focuses on self-editing and developmental editing, with insights into the creative process and strategies for improving narrative structure.
“The Artful Edit explores the many-faceted and often misunderstood―or simply overlooked―art of editing. The book brims with examples, quotes, and case studies, including an illuminating discussion of Max Perkins’s editorial collaboration with F. Scott Fitzgerald on The Great Gatsby. Susan Bell, a veteran book editor, also offers strategic tips and exercises for self-editing and a series of remarkable interviews, taking us into the studios of successful authors such as Michael Ondaatje and Ann Patchett to learn from their various approaches to revision. Much more than a manual, The Artful Edit inspires readers to think about both the discipline and the creativity of editing and how it can enhance their work. In the computer age of lightning-quick composition, this book reminds readers that editing is not simply a spell-check. A vigorous investigation into the history and meaning of the edit, this book, like The Elements of Style, is a must-have companion for every writer.”
🏆Best books for authors on self-editing nonfiction
🏆Best books on working with an editor
Cover to Cover: What First-Time Authors Need to Know About Editing by Sandra Wendel
(Write On Ink Publishing, 2021, 230 pages, 4.6⭐)
A practical guide for first-time authors, offering essential advice on editing and publishing success. It has been called “irreverent,” “funny,” and “essential.”
“This is the one book you need to read and follow if you’re writing a book for the first time. Why? Because you’ve never written a book before. This is new territory.
“To write a successful book, you need to find and work with an editor who shares your passion for your work and your message and who will help you make your book sing. And sing a smash hit. A blockbuster of a message, clearly and carefully constructed so readers love you and your work and leave you five-star Amazon reviews only because they don’t have more stars to give.”
Ready to work with an experienced nonfiction editor?
Whether you need help with the big-picture structure and organization of your book or your manuscript needs a polish of its grammar, capitalization, and punctuation—and all things in between, I got you!
Over 75+ books and millions of words edited since 2017. Working with US authors in select genres.
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For freelance editors (copy editors, developmental editors, proofreaders), writers and authors of fiction and nonfiction, and all those in search of the best books on book editing,
the titles above will help you learn how to edit and revise better.
You can find them all for purchase online and in many libraries. Get your copy (or copies) today!
Best to you!