Grammar Winterfest!

When: Saturday, January 18, 2025, 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm PST

Where: Online via Zoom

You are invited to a grammar party with Ellen Jovin, originator of the Grammar Table and star of Rebel with a Clause, a new documentary film by her husband and business partner, Brandt Johnson. The film documents their travels to all 50 US states so Ellen could answer the grammar questions of total strangers on the street. 

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Crafting a Meaningful Land Acknowledgement: The Why and the How

When: Saturday, January 27, 2024, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm PST
Where: Online via Zoom

Since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report was released in 2015, land acknowledgements have become an integral part of many events, websites, and email signatures in Canada. But some people question their value. Are these acknowledgements simply “woke” culture getting out of hand? Are they performative exercises? Or can they be meaningful statements about the lands we call home and the roles Indigenous Peoples have played in stewarding these lands for millennia? This three-hour interactive seminar will give participants the information they need to ensure that their land acknowledgements are sincere.

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Karin Cather smiling at the camera.
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Aligning Expectations: Contracts Between Editors and Indie Authors with Karin Horwatt Cather

When: Saturday, March 11, 2023, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm PST

Where: Online via Zoom

“Aligning Expectations” will discuss the need for a contract between an editor and an author. This webinar is for freelance editors who are interested in protecting the rights and responsibilities of both editor and author with a written service agreement. A clearly worded service agreement aligns the expectations of both authors and editors, which prevents disagreements and hard feelings on both sides. Aligned expectations between the parties prevent editors from feeling exploited and authors from feeling ripped off.

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A picture of Letitia Henville smiling.

Antihustle: A One-Day Planning Retreat for Your Freelance Business with Letitia Henville

When: Friday, February 10, 2023, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm

Where: Online via Zoom

Running a solo editing business can be challenging, especially when the day-to-day overwhelms or when you’re stuck in a feast-or-famine cycle. But with a little bit of time and focus, you can find your footing, articulate your vision for your business, and determine the steps you need to take to bring it into being.

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Running Editing Businesses with Data: An Interview with Maya Berger

To wrap up the year, the West Coast Editor chatted with Maya Berger about TEA, a data analysis tool she developed for tracking business progress. Maya shares the story behind this tool and how editors can use it. Maya is January’s seminar facilitator. 

WC: Thank you for taking the time to chat with us today. Can you share a little about yourself and what inspires the work you do?

I’m Maya Berger, an editor, a proofreader, a business admin educator, and an unapologetic Excel fan. I worked as an editor and editorial manager in the higher education publishing sector for over 10 years before deciding to start my own editorial business, What I Mean to Say, in 2016. I love helping authors get their meanings across and working with them to remove any barriers to clear communication.

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Excel Tips for Self-Employed Editors with Maya Berger

When: January 28, 2023, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Where: Online via Zoom

When a client approaches you about a new editing job, wouldn’t it be great if you had a tool to help you:

  • quote a fair rate and accurate time frame for the project;
  • track whether you get paid on time;
  • compare your estimated hourly rate and editing speed with your actual rate and speed; and
  • analyze how valuable this client is to your business?
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Diving into Development: Introduction to the Developmental Editing of Fiction with Jennifer Lawler

When: Saturday, November 5 and Sunday, November 6, 2022, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm PT
Where: Online via Zoom

“Diving into Development” will discuss the basics of developmental editing and how it is performed by freelance editors. We’ll look at how to spot common developmental problems in fiction, using the fundamentals of storytelling (from a Western perspective) as the lens through which we evaluate fiction manuscripts.

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