Style manual for authors, editors and printers

Oh wow—I could not be more impressed!!! This book contains so much valuable and useful information in a narrow 2.8cm depth, I'm not surprised the page count runs to 550, and that the paperback weighs in at a relatively heavy 1.3kg. This is the same weight asyet occupies half the shelf space ofmore conventional reference books of more than 800 pages.

It's cram-packed full of everything an author should know about effective written communication. It should be mandatory reading for all technical writers, and prescribed reading for all technical communication courses. A bargain at less than $45AU (full retail including GST) in paperback, it is really worth its weight in gold.

To quote from the introduction:

Arranged in five parts plus appendixes, this edition of the book varies in structure and presentation style from previous editions, and now more closely reflects the procedural steps of publishing.

Part one 'Planning the communication' covers project planning, strategy and management; introduces publication plans; identifies audiences, their needs and expectations; budgets, timetables and success evaluation criteria concepts.

Writers who work in small teams or on their own will benefit from considering and adopting the principles outlined in part one as much as will writers working for larger concerns.

Part two 'Writing and editing' occupies the greater bulk of the manual at 250 pages. It details the nitty-gritty of writing with a focus on: the use of plain English; the conventions of spelling and grammar; and tailoring the structure of the information to suit the intended audience.

Clear communication is the result of many elements working together to achieve clarity:

The 'Style manual' practices what it preaches, with a visually appealing page layout design structure including all the elements of good design:

• clear title naming and section numbering,
• consistent page element positioning and appearance,
• logical structuring,
• chapter openings,
• prolific sub-headings,
• information signposting,
• boxed highlights,
• crosslinks and pointers,
• teasers and bridging, and
• separate informational 'about' pages

Part three 'Designing and illustrating'

Benefits of part 3 explained here

Part four 'Legal and compliance aspects of publishing'

Benefits of part 4 explained here

Part five 'Producing and evaluating the product'

Benefits of part 5 explained here

Conclusion goes here

Summary and recommendation goes here