professional development

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September 30, 2017: SEO for Editors

What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, September 30, 2017, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 820, 8th 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 September 26; early-bird rates are in effect through September 8.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, encompasses a wide variety of tactics designed to improve a site’s ranking in search results. Ensuring web content ranks high in a Google search is one of the best ways for website owners to drive traffic and potential customers to their site. Web editors can play an instrumental role in optimizing content for better search rankings, both on their own site and for web-based client projects.

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Event Review: The Secrets of Syntax by Frances Peck

Written by Eva van Emden; copy edited by Rebecca A. Coates

On April 22, a roomful of editors got together to talk about syntax—the order of words in a sentence. This may seem like an obscure topic to spend a day thinking about, but consider how many memorable sayings stick in your mind because of a magic combination of word order, rhythm, and repetition. Would we be able to quote the sentence “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” if it didn’t use rhythm and repetition—syntactic elements—so effectively?

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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May 27, 2017: Literary Architecture: Structurally Editing Fiction

What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, May 27, 2017, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 810, 8th 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 May 19; early-bird rates are in effect through May 5.

Sometimes we imagine fiction as arriving at the publisher in a near-perfect form, ready for publishing. In fact, fiction undergoes as rigorous an edit as non-fiction, and often is signed more for its potential than its readiness. Respecting the originality of the author’s voice and work, while still serving all parties with a sensitive critique, is a delicate balance.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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April 22, 2017: The Secrets of Syntax

What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, April 22, 2017, 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Where: Room 810, 8th 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 April 14; early-bird rates are in effect through March 31.

We’ve all flipped a sentence around, or dismantled it and then recombined it, only to discover better clarity, emphasis, rhythm, or flow. Why does that happen, and how can we become more adept at manipulating word order—or syntax—to improve prose? This seminar looks at syntax from various angles, including how to shape it for different documents, styles, and readers.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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March 25, 2017: How to Be the Laziest Editor Possible: Maximizing the Tools in Microsoft Word

What: Editors BC professional development seminar
When: Saturday, March 25, 2017, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm (PC) and 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm (Mac)
Where: Room 830, 8th floor, BCIT Downtown Campus, 555 Seymour Street, Vancouver | map
Cost: $105 for Editors Canada members ($85 early bird), $170 for non-members ($150 early bird), and $70 for student affiliates. Advance registration required. Registration closes March 17; early-bird rates are in effect through March 8.

On Saturday, March 25, Editors British Columbia presents two offerings of the half-day seminar “How to Be the Laziest Editor Possible: Maximizing the Tools in Microsoft Word.” The morning session (10 am to 1 pm) is for PC users and the afternoon session (2 pm to 5 pm) is for Mac users.

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Meet the Instructor: Trena White

Written by Carl Rosenberg; copy edited by Meagan Kus

Trena White

On Saturday, February 25, Editors BC will present Trena White, who will give a three-hour seminar on editing non-fiction book proposals. In this session, participants will learn how to help authors assemble book proposals that will open doors with agents and publishers.

Trena is co-founder of Page Two, a Vancouver-based publishing agency specializing in non-fiction books, and an associate agent of Transatlantic Agency. Before launching Page Two, Trena was publisher of Douglas & McIntyre and Greystone Books, and a non-fiction editor at McClelland & Stewart. She is an adjunct professor in publishing at SFU.

Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Trena about her advice on book proposals.

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Meet the Instructor: Heidi Turner

by Carl Rosenberg

On Saturday, January 28, Editors BC will present Heidi Turner, who will give two related half-day seminars for editors and writers. The two seminars, Business Planning Your Way to Success and Finding and Managing Good Clients, will offer practical advice and tools for freelancing from two different angles: using a business plan, and building and maintaining a client base.

Heidi is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years’ experience. She has given courses as part of SFU’s editing program and regularly presents workshops and one-day courses for people in the writing industry. She has served as the BC regional director for the Professional Writers Association of Canada and founded its Fraser Valley chapter.

Carl Rosenberg, a volunteer on Editors BC’s communications and social media committee, spoke to Heidi about her advice for editors and writers on business planning and finding and managing good clients.

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Rows of desks face a projection screen in a classroom-like environment.
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New Seminar Rates for Student Affiliates

Student affiliates of Editors BC now have even more to look forward to! The BC branch is proud to announce new student-affiliate rates for its professional development seminars.

During a review of the registration fees for 2017, the branch created a new category for student affiliates, who can now access full-day workshops for $100 and half-day workshops for $70. It’s one of many benefits available to you at Editors BC.

Join our great community through Editors Canada’s student affiliate program.

Meet the Instructor: Jessica Somers

by Erin Parker

On Saturday, November 26, Editors BC will present local accountant Jessica Somers and her full-day workshop “Tax and Finance for Freelancers.” Jessica’s workshop will help to demystify the basic tax and finance issues facing freelancers, including GST/HST registration, bookkeeping and record retention, and building financial stability without a salary.

Erin Parker, co-chair of Editors BC’s professional development committee, recently spoke to Jessica about her advice for editors who are just embarking upon the freelancing life and her unique perspective on a topic that many of us find intimidating.

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Meet the Instructor: Ruth Wilson

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Interview by Erin Parker; copy edited by Meagan Kus

 

RWilson_2016-06On Saturday, September 17, Editors BC will present Ruth Wilson and her full-day workshop, “Advanced Proofreading,” which teaches participants how to take their proofreading skills to the next level, navigating the “process, policies, and even politics” of a manuscript with ease.

Erin Parker, co-chair of Editors BC’s professional development committee, recently picked Ruth’s brain about the wonderful world of proofreading, the work she’s done on Editors Canada’s certification committee, and the books she took on vacation this summer.

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