“I
think that a good rate of acceptance between copy editor and author may be 85
percent of the copy editor’s suggestions would get approved.
“There are certain
times where the author simply says, ‘Funny thing, I actually like it the way I
wrote it myself.’ And you are, of course, deferential because you know who’s
the dog and who’s the tail.”
—Benjamin Dreyer,
copy chief, Random House, and author, Dreyer's
English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, in Terry Gross, “Random
House Copy Chief: Stand Tall Wordsmiths! (But Choose Your Battles),” Fresh
Air, NPR, Feb. 5, 2019. (Thanks to alert WORDster Mark Larson)
• Editorial Comment: Tsk. What do dogs know?
PeezPix
Dawgwalk #4,288
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