Quote:
Originally Posted by Catlady
Yes, I've copy-edited and proofread books. Yes, little mistakes can be easy to miss, which is why publishers hire people to be copy editors and proofreaders. Yes, spell-check misses wrong words that are spelled correctly, which is why publishers hire people to be copy editors and proofreaders.
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(Bolding supplied by me.)
The above quote is a good illustration of my previous comment regarding typo vs. consistency. If "copy-edited" is correct, then shouldn't it be "copy-editor"? Or, if "copy editor" is correct, shouldn't it be "copy edited"? Or should they be "copyedited" and copyeditor"? Or if both "copy-edited" and "copy editor" are correct, is there an inconsistency? If there is no inconsistency, how can use of the two different forms be reconciled?
Regardless of the decision that the editor makes in answering the above questions, the professional editor will be able to justify his/her decision and the justification will be understandable to editorial colleagues.