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!
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.
Editors BC held elections in May to fill positions becoming vacant on the executive.
Please join us in thanking outgoing executives Marianne Grier (moving from branch chair to past chair), Ritu Guglani (professional development), Roma Ilnyckyj (past chair), and Heather Ross (member services) for the volunteer hours they have dedicated to serving all Editors BC members.
We are also extending a warm welcome to our new executive members Lucy Kenward (member services) and Amber Riaz (professional development). These new executive members will take over from their outgoing counterparts on July 1.
We are still in need of volunteers to fill the positions of branch chair and programs co-chair. If you are interested in either of these positions, or know of someone who might be a good candidate, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Barbara Johnston, at bcvolunteers@editors.ca.
Written by Nancy Tinari; copy edited by Katie Beaton
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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What: Editors BC monthly meeting
When: Wednesday, November 21, 2018, 7:00–9:00 pm
Where: New location | Alma VanDusen Room, Central Library, 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: Free for Editors BC members, non-members, and students.
If it can be written, it can also be improved on with editing and proofreading. The abundance of written material that surrounds us—signs, labels, notices, directions, instructions, blurbs, forms—provides often-overlooked opportunities for editors. On Wednesday, November 21, join us as four editors each describe a specialized editing niche they have developed. Learn about the issues particular to niche editing, the general and specific skills required, liaising with writers, keeping the audience in mind, and how to create your own niche opportunities by uncovering demand for the work. This moderated panel aims to open your mind to previously hidden editing possibilities!
Our November seminar has been cancelled due to low registration. Please check back in January. In the meantime, you can learn about our cancellation policy for seminars.
What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, November 24, 2018, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 381, 3rd floor, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: $165 for Editors Canada members ($135 early bird), $230 for non-members ($200 early bird), and $100 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes November 20; early-bird rates are in effect through November 13.
In the November workshop, Frances Peck will cover tricky instances of agreement, pronoun case (including everyone’s favourite, who and whom), and modifier form and placement. She’ll discuss the most widespread errors, including comma splices and dangling modifiers. And she’ll investigate some tenacious grammar myths and review the rules that have changed over time. The seminar will include exercises, self-tests, and time for individual questions.
What: Editors BC monthly meeting
When: Wednesday, October 17, 2018, 7:00–9:00 pm
Where: New location | Alma VanDusen Room, Central Library, 350 West Georgia Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: Free for Editors BC members, non-members, and students.
What exactly is metadata, and why should editors care? Why can’t an e-book just be a fixed-format copy of the print book? How can you leverage metadata to improve book sales? Learn about these topics in digital publishing and tips on how best to present your titles for online retailers. Covering topics such as what metadata and e-book files actually are, what to keep in mind when formatting a print book to e-book, metadata fields that drive discovery and sales, and common pitfalls of metadata, this session aims to demystify e-book production and metadata for editors from a production and retail perspective.
What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, October 27, 2018, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 464, 4th floor, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: $165 for Editors Canada members ($135 early bird), $230 for non-members ($200 early bird), and $100 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes October 23; early-bird rates are in effect through October 9.
Many editors are intimidated when they are asked to do a structural edit. Unlike other stages of editing, structural editing has fewer “rules,” and there is never just one way to solve structural problems. Structural editors are called upon to clarify, reorganize, and even rewrite. Negotiation with the author is also often part of the job.
This one-day workshop will deepen your existing skills by examining a sure-fire approach and process. You will learn how to break down structural editing into manageable tasks and resolve imbalance in content and ensure the manuscript is appropriate for the intended audience. At the end of the workshop, participants will know
