At last, direct from the trenches, here's the book technical editors have been waiting for. Unlike other guides which review grammar and spelling---but don't address the special challenges of technical editing---this lively, practical book deals with the real-world problems, issues, and decisions that face technical editors and writers.

You'll find practical guidane to help you handle the realities of technical editing, such as:

• How to apply editing principles under absurdly tight deadlines and constantly changing product specs---including the top ten things to check if you have only an hour to "edit" a book.
  
• Tips and tricks for editing common constructs in technical writing, such as bulleted lists, reference pages, and examples of computer programs.
  
• When to bend the rules to avoid technical ambiguity.

In this book you'll get tips for preparing a style guide technical writers will want to use. You'll find checklists of what to look for during different types of editorial reviews, learn how to make the transition from traditional to desktop publishing, and see how you can build true usability into printed and online documentation. Enhanced by real examples, case studies, and practical techniques, these flexible and pragmatic solutions go far beyond the mechanics of marking up manuscripts. You get guidance that will help you decide how heavily to edit, how to manage and track large projects, and even how to position yourself for the future when software will handle the copy editing.

Whether you edit technical documentation for a living, write technical material, or review the work of others, this book helps you improve your skills and your understanding of the technical editing function.

Blockquote