Arthur Plotnik is a versatile author with a distinguished background in editing and publishing. Two of his works have been featured selections of the Book of the Month Club: The Elements of Editing (Macmillan/Longman), a standard reference through more than twenty printings, and The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts into Words (Henry Holt / Barnes & Noble). Reviewers have consistently praised Plotnik's writing for its accuracy, style, and wit, often ranking it with Strunk & White in practicality.

His latest book, Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Punchier, More Engaging Language & Style  (Random House) is among the best-selling recent titles on language and writing. Billy Collins, former U.S. Poet Laureate, called it "A must for every writer's desk." Lauded by Booklist, Library Journal, and many others, it  was expanded in a trade paperback edition (May 2007) with the subtitle, A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style. E-book editions, including Amazon Kindle and Sony, are now available.

A passionate observer of trees, Plotnik is author of The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town (Crown/Random House, 2000), illustrated by his wife, the artist Mary Phelan.

Plotnik's next book, to be published in spring 2011 by Viva Editions of Berkeley, CA, is titled Better than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives.  (See "News and Notes")    

As a publisher, Plotnik brought five national awards (1993-1997) to the American Library Association’s book imprint. He won numerous honors also as editor of ALA’s flagship magazine, American Libraries.

Plotnik has written scores of magazine articles and columns, seven nonfiction books, and numerous (pseudonymous) paperback novels. He has appeared in publications ranging from La Prensa (Bolivia) to The New York Times. Long a columnist for The Writer magazine, he serves on its Editorial Board. He previously contributed to Britannica Book of English Usage and the "American English" column of American Way in-flight magazine.
 
For more information and features on this site, go to Biography, Published Works, Selections and Samples, or News, Notes, Surprises.