The New Yorker remains a golden example of fine copy editing. It is an art to maintain both the authorial voice and a high set of editorial standards. In an interview with their Mary Norris, you'll find out how it works. 'The main thing here is to respect the writer. The writers don’t have to do everything we want them to—we make suggestions. The ideal would be to give an editor a proof and have all your suggestions meet with approval. Sometimes you notice that your suggestions have not been taken, so if something bothers you, you try again. Sometimes you wear them down, sometimes you cave.' More...
(Note to copy editor: I use the single quote to save time if there's ever quotes inside the excerpt. Please don't yell at me. And yes, the itals plus the quotes are overkill, but, well, that's my authorial voice.)
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