Benjamin Dreyer

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Benjamin Dreyer
File:Benjamin Dreyer.jpg
Dreyer in September 2018
Born (1958-05-11) May 11, 1958 (age 68)
Alma materNorthwestern University
OccupationsWriter, copy editor
EmployerRandom House
Known forDreyer's English
TitleVice-president, executive managing editor and copy chief
Parents
  • Stanley B. Dreyer (father)
  • Diana C. Seligman (mother)
Websitebenjamindreyer.com

Benjamin Dreyer (born May 11, 1958) is an American writer and copy editor. He was copy chief at Random House until he retired in 2023.[1] He is the author of Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style (2019).

Early life

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Dreyer was born May 11, 1958[2] in a Jewish family.[3] He grew up in Queens, New York and Albertson, Long Island.[4] He attended Northwestern University.[5]

Career

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Early in his career, Dreyer pursued writing[6] and acting.[4] He worked in bars and restaurants before turning to freelance proofreading, and then copy editing.[4] In 1993, he joined Random House full time as a production editor.[5] He was promoted from group manager to senior managing editor and copy chief in 2008[7] and served as vice-president, executive managing editor and copy chief, at the Random House division of Penguin Random House.[5] until 2023. Supervising the publication of hundreds of titles a year—The New York Times describes Dreyer's role as "style-arbiter-of-last-resort"—he works with novelist Elizabeth Strout as the sole author he continues to copy-edit himself.[4]

Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style was published in the US on January 29, 2019, followed by the UK edition on May 30, 2019.[8] Dreyer's book began as a revision of an internal memo to advise copy editors and proofreaders at Random House.[9] The memo expanded to about 20 pages, and eventually Dreyer became interested in developing it as a book, published with Random House. Dreyer's English debuted at number nine on The New York Times bestseller list for "Advice, How-To & Miscellaneous"[10] and received enthusiastic reviews.[11][12] In The New Yorker, Katy Waldman writes that "Dreyer beckons readers by showing that his rules make prose pleasurable...The author’s delight in his tool kit is palpable."[13] In Paste, Frannie Jackson recommends the book as "invaluable to everyone who wants to shore up their writing skills and an utter treat for anyone who simply revels in language."[14] In The Wall Street Journal, Ben Yagoda finds "wisdom and good sense on nearly every page of 'Dreyer’s English.'"[15] Yagoda also notes a trend of "copy editors’ memoirs-cum-style guides", comparing Dreyer's English to "the splendid Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen" from New Yorker copy editor Mary Norris.[15]

The Washington Post calls Dreyer "the unofficial language guru on Twitter".[16]

In 2021, Dreyer released Dreyer’s English: A Game of Verbal Correctness, a card game based on his style guide. Dreyer maintains an active presence on social media, where he frequently comments on grammar, usage, and literary culture.[17]

Personal life

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Dreyer lives in Santa Monica, California.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 'Words in Progress: Notes From a Retired Copy Chief,' Kirkus Reviews, December 13,2023
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  • Lua error in Module:Official_website at line 94: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
  • Benjamin Dreyer on BlueskyLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
  • Excerpt from Dreyer's English published by The Paris Review
  • Recording of Dreyer reading his essay Writers, be wary of Throat-Clearers and Wan Intensifiers. Very, very wary.

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