Seminars

Meet the Instructor: Barb Adamski

Written by Lynn Slobogian; copy edited by Erin Parker

Barb AdamskiBarb Adamski, a freelance writer and editor for over a decade, will be teaching Editors BC’s November seminar, Freelance Editing 101. The seminar will cover what to consider before setting up shop; how to find and keep good clients; and the benefits, pitfalls, and not-so-fun (yet necessary!) aspects of freelancing.

Lynn Slobogian, Editors BC’s professional development chair, recently chatted with Barb about her path into freelance editing, how the profession might evolve over the next 10 years, and overcoming some of the challenges new freelance editors face. Continue reading →

Meet the Instructor: Nancy Flight

by Lynn Slobogian

Nancy Flight is associate publisher of Greystone Books. She has been editing books for more than 40 years, both as an in-house editor and as a freelancer, in Canada and the United States. She has worked with such authors as David Suzuki, Evelyn Lau, and Wade Davis, among many others. She received the 1988 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence for her work on Genethics: The Art of Engineering Life, by David Suzuki and Peter Knudtson.

In addition, she has taught in the SFU Master of Publishing program, the Banff Book Editing Workshop, the SFU Book Editing Workshop, and the SFU Book Publishing Workshop, and has taught writing at SFU.

Nancy is also a past president of Editors Canada and of the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia, and has served on the executive council of the Association of Canadian Book Publishers. She was responsible for revising the standards for stylistic editing during Editors Canada’s review of professional standards in 2009. She currently sits on the Langara College Publishing Advisory Committee.

Nancy will be teaching Editors BC’s October seminar, Stylistic Editing: Beyond the Basics, on October 31. Lynn Slobogian, professional development chair, chatted with Nancy about her extensive editing career, her predictions for the future of publishing, and choosing one’s battles while editing. Read on.

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Meet the Instructor: Lisa Manfield

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by Lynn Slobogian

Lisa-7Lisa Manfield is a writer, editor, and content strategist. She has developed print and online content, marketing collateral, and courseware for small businesses, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and educational institutions. Currently a digital writer at tech start-up Chimp, she has also been the editor of bcliving.ca, managing editor at orato.com, and marketing manager at thetyee.ca. She also teaches Writing and Editing for the Web at SFU.

Lisa will be leading Editors BC’s September seminar, Creating Compelling Web Content, on September 26. Here, she talks with professional development chair Lynn Slobogian about her career path and the evolving world of online content.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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September 26, 2015: Creating Compelling Web Content with Lisa Manfield

What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, September 26, 2015, 9:00 am–4:00 pm
Where: Segal Building, SFU, 500 Granville Street, Vancouver | map

As Web readers become more and more difficult to attract — and keep — on your website, how can today’s Web editors ensure that their digital content engages online audiences? Effective Web editing comes down to three key strategies — understanding Web readers, knowing enough about search optimization to ensure copy is found, and making the most of social media sharing.

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PubPro 2015: Session Summaries (Part 2)

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On April 25, EAC-BC co-hosted PubPro 2015, an unconference for managing editors and publication production specialists. We previously featured a recap of the event and part 1 of the session summaries. Part 2 of the session summaries follows.

Written by Amy Haagsma; copy edited by Meagan Kus

Change management: A guided discussion led by Chantal Moore

Chantal Moore is communications manager at the BC Council for International Education, a Crown corporation that facilitates international student exchanges. She was interested in discussing best practices for managing change.

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PubPro 2015: Event Recap and Session Summaries (Part 1)

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On April 25, EAC-BC co-hosted PubPro 2015, the third annual unconference for managing editors and publication production specialists. A recap of the event and part 1 of the session summaries are below; part 2 is available here.

Event recap

by Iva Cheung

For the third year in a row, EAC-BC teamed up with Publishing@SFU to host PubPro, an unconference for managing editors, production professionals, and anyone who manages publication projects.

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March 19, 2015: Getting the Message Across: Clear Writing Tips with Frances Peck

What: EAC-BC professional development seminar
When: Thursday, March 19, 2015, 8:30 am – 11:30 am
Where: Library Square Conference Centre, 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver | map

Workplace documents have one goal: to deliver a message quickly and clearly to a particular audience. But too often that message gets buried by weak organization, wordiness, abstract language, jargon, unhelpful design, and other barriers to readability.

This half-day introduction to clear writing shows you how to remove those barriers and build a document that says what it means. We’ll talk about the all-important reader, including the different types of readers and their varying needs. We’ll cover seven practical techniques for making written documents clearer. We’ll finish with a look at how page layout affects readability. (Detailed agenda below.)

The workshop includes short exercises to help you apply what you learn. You’ll also receive a list of recommended resources.

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February 21, 2015: Eight-Step Editing with Jim Taylor

What: EAC-BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, February 21, 2015, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel, 1133 W Hastings Street | map

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned editor, a would-be writer or a supervisor of others’ writing, this course will help you make your words work better.

Using a step-by-step process, the program identifies the most common factors that become obstacles for readers. It not only helps recognize the problems, it shows quick and simple techniques for fixing them. Professional editors tend to make these corrections intuitively. Eight-Step Editing helps them ensure they haven’t overlooked some crucial readability factor in their zeal to track down spelling or punctuation inconsistencies. Novice editors often suffer from paralysis. Eight-Step Editing gives them a starting point that doesn’t depend on subjective assessments of a manuscript’s worth. Freelance writers can use the Eight-Step process to improve their own materials before submission, enhancing their chances of acceptance. Business writers, trapped in traditional formulas from the filing cabinet, will benefit from a fresh vision for writing prose that can persuade and motivate. At the same time, supervisors and administrators who approve letters and reports will understand better what to look for.

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January 24, 2015: Building a Successful Editing Business with Peter Moskos

What: EAC-BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, January 24, 2015, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Where: Renaissance Vancouver Harbourside Hotel, 1133 W Hastings Street | map

For many editors, working as an individual freelancer or in-house editor is just the ticket. For others, the idea of growing an editing business holds strong appeal. Using a series of discussion scenarios, we’ll start the workshop by looking at how you run and handle work overload in a single-person business. We’ll then explore possible expansions from a simple partnership to an incorporated company with employees. As part of our journey, we’ll stop to learn how to estimate costs for an editing project and how to prepare a proposal for editing work. These are abilities every freelance editor needs. We’ll also consider what’s wrong when you are doing more work but taking home less money. Whatever your business goal, you’ll find strategies for making your editing business succeed and molding it to a lifestyle that suits you.

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From Proofreading to Plain Language: A Review of SFU’s Editing Program

by Amy Haagsma

In September 2012, I attended an information session at SFU on the Continuing Studies Writing and Communications program. When the presenters spoke about career options in editing, I realized that I had been an “undercover editor” for quite some time. Although my title did not include the word “editor,” this described a large part of what I did at work. I decided to take a few courses in the Editing Certificate program to learn more about the field and improve my skills.

Whether you’re new to editing or a seasoned pro, the program has something for everyone. SFU offers a variety of editing courses and the only editing certificate program in Western Canada. The courses can help you learn the craft, formalize your qualifications, brush up in certain areas, or expand your service offering. The material also forms a good basis for EAC certification.

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