Course Details

Do you want to make the jump to copy chief? Have you been away from the field and feel rusty? Are you so busy meeting deadlines that you don't have a chance to think about improving your work? For anyone who's ready to advance to the next level, this six-week class focuses on sharpening essential skills and developing a more sophisticated copyediting sensibility. Learn to confidently and accurately spot and fix the most common errors copy editors encounter, including incorrect punctuation and grammar. Master the stylebook-but know when to break the rules-and delve into new reference materials that can help make the job much easier. We'll use in-class handouts and exercises and discuss practical examples every week. Students will also be responsible for out-of-class assignments (up to several hours a week).

• Improve your editorial judgment and read copy more keenly
• Spot-and repair-the most common punctuation, grammatical and stylistic mistakes
• Determine when to query factual information
• Handle special material, such as graphs, charts and recipes

• Greater overall effectiveness as a proofreader and copy editor
• The ability to find the answers to your grammar and style questions easily once you leave the classroom
• Experience copyediting bona fide text and layouts

Instructor Bio

Abby Tannenbaum's Courses

Abby Tannenbaum has worked as an editor and writer in the New York publishing world for more than 15 years. She is Food & Wine's regular freelance copy editor and also works in the copy departments at Travel + Leisure, Crain's New York Business, and Time Inc. Custom Publishing. Over the years, she has wielded her red pencil at Fitness, Redbook, This Old House, Elle, Glamour, Mademoiselle, McCall's, and Rosie. Abby has also provided editorial services for a variety of New York-based book publishers and for such nonprofit organizations as the Hastings Center and the Children's Health Fund. Prior to going freelance full-time, Abby was a staff editor at Diversion and Musical America magazines and a writer and editor for the nonprofit Center for Reproductive Law & Policy. Her writing has appeared in New York, Time Out New York, and Publishers Weekly. For the past several years, she has conducted copyediting seminars for corporations, organizations, and individuals. A native New Yorker and second-generation copy editor, Abby received a B.A. in English (what else?) from Vassar. She tries to restrain herself from fixating on the errors that pervade the city's restaurant menus.

Testimonials

Abby is an entertaining, clear-headed instructor, who keeps her classes light and pleasant and yet delivers a good deal of information in each session. I looked forward to her classes every week and really felt fulfilled beyond my expectations. -- Sophie Miodownik, freelance copy editor

"Abby's class provided me with more than I might have hoped for or expected. I feel now that many of the gaps in my copyediting skill set have been narrowed. Her teaching style was lively, infectious even; it was easy to share in her enthusiasm for the material." -- Steve Clair, freelance copy editor

"Having just moved to New York from the UK, I was worried about the differences between US English and what I am used to. Abby's class was an ideal place to start. She was clear, concise, and straight to the point, and the feedback she gave on our homework was detailed and invaluable. My only complaint? The fact that knowledgeable, super-smart Abby is out there, in the same job market!" -- Jane Grant

"Class with Abby was excellent. Abby's a fantastic teacher - informative, willing to help, open to discussion, and knows her stuff inside out. I am a copy editor for a local freebie magazine, and after taking Abby's class, the copy reads much more smoothly. I have Abby to thank in part for that." -- Steven Gartland, copy editor and music critic, The L Magazin