Do we still need red pens?

Book Brunch

Tuesday, 29 November 2011 02:28

The digital age has given us many benefits, but the change in processes it has brought about has had a deleterious effect on standards of copy editing as publishers cut budgets and corners. Wendy Toole, Chair of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), puts the case Mistakes seem to be everywhere these days. Hardly a week goes by without the appearance of a news story highlighting the problem of errors in written English. We learn that poor spelling and grammar on websites costs UK businesses millions of pounds every year in lost sales. A-level students are left befuddled by errors in exam papers. And when it comes to publishing - where the red pens were once considered a vital part of the process - ebooks are sometimes found to be so riddled with typos that readers demand their money back. So where are editors and proofreaders in all this? Shouldn’t they be upholding standards in the face of the changes taking place in the publishing and communication industries? Well, when given half a chance, they’re doing just that. But the fact is that the role of editorial professionals has changed dramatically over the past few years, and is likely to keep on doing so for the foreseeable future. Link here for full piece.