Event review

Self-Publishing and the Role of Editors

For some writers, self-publishing feels like online dating—a lesser version of the “real thing.” It can be stigmatized: considered a fallback for those who couldn’t fulfill the popular image of “being published.”  But Megan Williams, CEO and managing editor of The Self-Publishing Agency (TSPA), views self-publishing as a powerful alternative that offers many advantages writers might overlook. 

At the Editors BC meeting on November 20, 2024, Megan talked about how she founded and sustained TSPA, described the evolving publishing landscape, and suggested how editors can help writers interested in self-publishing.

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“Writing for Tomorrow Today”: The Editors BC Virtual Panel at SiWC

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Written by Amanda Goldrick-Jones | Edited by Rainer Zhang

On October 27, 2024, the Surrey International Writers’ Conference (SiWC) offered four local editors—Amanda Goldrick-Jones, Amber Riaz, Lisa Hislop, and Molly Cernik—the opportunity to share their ideas and strategies for future-proofing writing. Panellists focused on writer awareness of audience diversity, inclusion, racial and cultural identity, understanding marginalization and acting on that understanding, and how large language models like ChatGPT can perpetuate biases in writing without human oversight. 

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The 2024 Editors Canada Conference: Reflections from the Co-chairs

Taking on the role of local organizer for an Editors Canada conference is a big commitment—but it can also be a lot of fun. Tara Avery and Kyle Hawke of Editors BC talk about some of the highlights and challenges of co-chairing “Present Progressive: Passion, Precision and Purpose” in Vancouver this past June. 

Find out what happened…and whether Tara and Kyle would do this again!

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Standing on a wooden ledge near a chess board, a black chess pawn and a white chess pawn are next to each other surrounded by a cobblestone pathway and some greenery.
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Event Review: Lana Okerlund’s “Do the Work You Want: A Guided Strategic Retreat for Editors”

Written by Janice Love; copy edited by Emma Caplan

Does your editing career need an edit? Are you doing the kind(s) of editing you want to do? Are you gaining the value, whether monetary or otherwise, you want from the editing work you do?

These are all questions I had, and so Lana Okerlund’s offer to help via her guided strategic retreat for editors was worth the winter trip to Vancouver from Vernon!

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The Westin Nova Scotian is in the background with trees, greenery, and parking at the forefront.
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Event Review: Attending the Editors Canada Conference 2019

Written by Karen Smith; copy edited by Katie Beaton

This past June, I flew from British Columbia to Nova Scotia and joined Editors Canada in celebrating the organization’s 40th anniversary conference. It was both my first Editors Canada conference and my first time in Halifax. As a novice conference attendee, I wanted to learn as much as I could at the training sessions. I also hoped to make some new connections in the publishing world. However, as I prepared to fly east, I wasn’t sure what to expect at the conference and whether it would be worth the time and cost to attend. Ultimately, it was an overwhelmingly positive experience, and I was glad to have been part of it. In return, I hope that sharing my experience may give other editors insight into whether attending the conference will be of value to them.

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A wooden chair with a cushion on it sits next to a wooden table that has a cup of coffee, marked up papers, and a red pen on its surface.
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Event Review: Ruth Wilson’s Seminar, “Advanced Proofreading”

Written by Nancy Tinari; copy edited by Katie Beaton

Ruth Wilson’s “Advanced Proofreading” seminar provided us with a wealth of information, tips, and exercises derived from Wilson’s decades of experience. The hours flew by as we learned, worked, and occasionally became sidetracked by those minute issues that editors love to debate.

Though the other participants and I had wildly divergent proofreading experiences, I’m confident that all of us found Wilson’s seminar to be valuable. Her material was extensive and broad enough to help near-beginners as well as those more experienced in hard copy markup, online markup, or both.

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A leather notebook with a navigation symbol rests against the edge of a laptop on a brown, shiny surface near two mechanical pencils.
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Event Review: Editors BC’s Seminar, “Getting the Message Across: Clear Writing Tips”

Written by Joanna Vandervlugt; copy edited by Maggie Clark

On Saturday, February 23, 2019, I attended Frances Peck’s seminar for Editors BC, “Getting the Message Across: Clear Writing Tips.”

Despite coming over from Vancouver Island, I found this seminar’s location convenient. The seminar was set up in Vancouver at the BCIT Downtown Campus. This place was an easily accessible one for those who were familiar with the SkyTrain routes like myself.

After reaching my destination from the SkyTrain and settling in, I got to know a bit more about the other class participants. We introduced ourselves, and it seemed that the seminar participants ranged from proofreaders, editors, writers, and academics. Many commented that they were a fan of Frances, and I soon learned why.

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Three rows of six posters with differently shaped heads face toward a window that is reflecting tree branches and fall leaves.
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Event Review: Vancouver Writers Fest 2018: Recap of “Three-Degrees-from-Normal”

Written by Nancy Tinari; copy edited by Katie Beaton

A yellow board has several posters advertising different Vancouver Writers Fest 2018 events.

The “Three-Degrees-from-Normal” panel event occurred on October 19, 2018, and it featured authors Kevin Chong (The Plague), Claudia Dey (Heartbreaker), Waubgeshig Rice (Moon of the Crusted Snow), and Rabindranath Maharaj (Adjacentland), with Claudia Casper moderating the conversation. In their new books, all of these authors wrote about crisis situations.

These writers also have in common tremendously vivid imaginations; however, the discussions about where the ideas for their books came from made these three-degrees-from-normal scenarios seem eerily plausible. Even though their settings and situations may seem extreme, they are all intimately related to what is happening in the world right now.

We got a taste of each writer’s imaginative world from Casper’s introductions and brief readings by the authors. Casper then asked the panellists to explain how the scenarios and ideas expressed in their novels could be related to current events.

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A blue banner with the words "Vancouver Writers Fest Bookstore" is surrounded by brilliant light and trees near a quay-like environment.
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Event Review: Vancouver Writers Fest 2018: “Lives Off-Road” with Three Fearless Women

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Written by Nancy Tinari; copy edited by Adrienne Munro

On Friday, October 19, I had the pleasure of attending the Vancouver Writers Festival on Granville Island. I’ve attended sessions there for many years now, and I invariably find the panels of writers inspiring and thought-provoking.

This year was no exception. In this article, I’m writing about an event entitled “Lives Off-Road,” featuring writers Kate Harris, Jan Redford, and Joanna Streetly, with moderator Amanda Lewis. (Lewis is the editorial director of Page Two Strategies, a company that helps writers with all aspects of producing self-published non-fiction books.)

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