The Grumpy Grammarian's Guide To Copy Editing For Copywriters: Active Voice, Awkward Encounters, And The Oxford Comma

by Autumn Tompkins

I’m Autumn Tompkins — The Grumpy Grammarian. I teach copy editing to copywriters and that’s who I wrote this book for. I did NOT write this book is NOT for… Other copy editors Pedants Prescriptivists Or any other grammar police Because creating a connection with readers and getting them to take action is what copywriters are trained to do. They need to make an impact with as few words as possible. And while many believe that copywriting is just the science of arranging words to make products or services sell, it’s more complicated than that. Copywriting isn’t like writing a college essay. Sometimes, being grammatically incorrect is more persuasive. Sometimes, splitting a paragraph into separate lines is better for readability. Sometimes, what’s wrong is actually right. There’s a difference between intentional and unintentional deviations from the rules. Part of learning to be a fantastic copywriter is learning how to copy edit, so you know when and how to make these deviations from the rules. With this in mind, I wrote this book to show you how to spot certain words and phrases in your copy and tweak them, so your copywriting makes sense and connects with your readers on a deeper, more memorable level. Learn how to be a better copywriter by mastering the copy editing tips in this book — learn to love active voice, laugh at my awkward encounters, and use The Oxford Comma. And — once you’ve finished, implement these tips — they’ll help you write faster, better, stronger copy in less time.

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 31, 2018

Reviews

[Rebecca Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the author of "Ground Truth: A Pittsburgh Murder Mystery," book one in the series. Book Two, "Broken Glass," will be published by Torchflame Books, once again, and will be out in early February, 2023.

Even though I write constantly, I still have blind spots when it comes to certain rules of grammar. The Grumpy Grammarian has been a quick and easy reference for me when I think I'm about to commit another of my grammar gaffes. For those of you who are perfect at grammar rules, don't buy it, but for the rest of us, I recommend keeping a copy by your laptop. RM