Book Review: Unearthing Canada’s Hidden Past…

by Eric Damer

Review of Unearthing Canada’s Hidden Past: A Short History of Adult Education by Michael Welton (Thompson Publishing, 2013).

Ours is a learning society that goes well beyond schooling for youth. Historian Michael Welton adds that all societies are learning societies and always have been. Adults have always learned new job skills, cultivated leisure interests and even tried to change their society to make it a bit more fair, inclusive and democratic. This last activity—learning for progressive social change—interests Welton the most in this accessible account of adult education in Canada over several hundred years. Unearthing Canada’s Hidden Past: A Short History of Adult Education invites the reader to consider not only how adults have learned to adjust to their world but also how they have learned to change it. Welton has a special plea for adult educators to “keep faith with our emancipatory traditions” (p. 229) to tackle some of the pressing problems of our current age.

Continue reading →

Some perils of self-publishing: Part 2

1 Comment

by Ben Nuttall-Smith

Here is the second part of Ben’s perilous journey through the labyrinth of self-publishing, from design to promotion and everything in between. Your insight?

Blurbs

I asked some of the published authors I’d befriended over the years to read my manuscript. I’ve had fellow authors blurb (endorse) all my books and I will forever be indebted to every one of them. I have since endorsed other new writers. It’s all in the family and good promotion. My name appears on other book jackets and people might look for my books. Continue reading →

April 16, 2014: Branch meeting & talk

What: EAC BC-branch meeting & presentation on international editing (see below)
When: 19:00-21:00, Wednesday April 16, 2014
Where: 535 Hornby Street (4th floor), YWCA, Vancouver
Cost: Free for EAC members; $10 for non-members

Not only in Canada, eh? International editing 

There’s a whole world out there in need of editors. Curious? Three panelists, moderated by Anne Brennan, will share their experiences of working for international clients, hiring international team members, grappling with editorial styles, marketing their services and—of course—getting paid.

Theresa Best has over 15 years of publishing experience. She spent several years as an editor at the UK’s statutory body for education. Also, she worked as a commissioning editor at Routledge Education and an editor at Guardian News & Media, publisher of the Guardian newspaper. She teaches editing at SFU.

Anne Brennan, CPE, worked in-house for 25 years, mostly as a managing editor for magazines, websites and distance learning materials, before going freelance in 2008. Now she edits educational, technical and corporate material, develops websites and manages projects.

Eva van Emden is a freelance editor with a background in biology and computer science. She has worked for clients in the United States, Europe and Asia, editing magazines, academic papers, grant proposals and self-published books, as well as doing the occasional translation.

Carol Zhong edits journal articles for academics in Hong Kong and Europe and manuscripts for a university press in Hong Kong. Before becoming an editor, she taught ESL and English in Canada and China, was a lexicographer for Longman in the UK and edited in-house at the Open University of Hong Kong.

Some perils of self-publishing: Part 1

1 Comment

intro by Anastasia Koutalianos; piece by Ben Nuttall-Smith.

I met Ben at a writing fair last month and asked if he would be so kind to share his self-published trials and tribulations with WCE. He kindly agreed. So here is part 1 of 2, a cautionary but adventurous tale on the realities set before the indie author. The title says it all…

***

You’ve written a book and you’d like to get it published. You’ve heard so many discouraging stories about finding a publisher that you’re ready to give up before the rejection letters pile up. You’ve heard exciting stories about doing it yourself so you decide to self-publish. Continue reading →

Event Review: Social Media for Writers

4 Comments

by Frances Peck

Review of Social Media for Writers, a professional development day hosted by the Professional Writers of Association Vancouver Chapter (PWAC) on March 22, 2014.

Does the term social media make you giddy with anticipation or sick with anxiety? I’ll own up to being in the second camp. The idea of devoting an entire day to that zany online world was, for me, like contemplating a colonic irrigation: people say it’s good for you, but you’ve got to wonder if all the mess and exposure are really worth it.

Continue reading →

Image

Event Review: The Evolving Landscape of Our Libraries

by Nancy Tinari; review of presentation by Christine Middlemass, Manager of Collections & Technical Services at Vancouver Public Library (VPL) on the evolving landscape of our libraries, held at the March 19, 2014 EAC-BC branch meeting

Christine Middlemass, a librarian since 1978, provided a lively, fast-paced and thorough overview of how libraries have changed over the past two decades. Accelerating times have caused many challenges for libraries. Yet if librarians have half the competence and humour of Middlemass, book lovers can be confident that these establishments will remain the cornerstone of communities. As Vancouverites, we can feel smug: the Vancouver Public Library is the third largest in Canada and recently was rated number one in the world, tied with Montréal’s library network.

Continue reading →

The ins & outs of hybrid publishing: An insider’s perspective

intro by Anastasia Koutalianos; piece by Bennett Coles, CEO/publisher of Influence Hybrid Publishing Group (IHPG)

Continuing on with our self-publishing series, Bennett Coles speaks to a new approach for authors and publishers alike: hybrid publishing. Unlike the traditional model, authors must pay around $8000 to get signed on; however, with shared risk comes great rewards including more cash in writers’ pockets. Tit for tat in the world of books, or the new way forward? Share your thoughts.

Continue reading →

Ode to the beta reader: An author’s approach to the editing process

2 Comments

Intro by Anastasia Koutalianos; article by Martin Crosbie

On March 1st, I attended the Federation of BC Writers’ self-publishing fair. Editors, writers, publishers and aspiring authors filled the room, sharing their tales of woe and joy, and the dreaded review process. This is when editors are needed most, however, with changing times come new approaches. Here is writer and self-published author Martin Crosbie’s take on eBooks and how he goes about his edits. What do you think?

***

Once I complete (what I believe to be) my final draft, the same thought always goes through my head. I think to myself, “It isn’t going to need much.” I’m always wrong.

Continue reading →