Tips on getting started as a freelance editor
When I was starting out as an editor in the mid-1990s, I clearly remember attending a session with the late Claudette Upton, a founder of West Coast Editorial Associates and a very generous mentor.
On mountains, spreadsheets, and becoming an editor
In the proofreading classes I teach at Simon Fraser University, and in conversations I have with people new to the editing profession, I often hear questions like “How do you get started as an editor?” “How do you get clients?”…
Making time for mental health
Over the past few months, I have had a great opportunity to work with a client to develop a mental health training program for post-secondary faculty, staff, and students in British Columbia. It has been exciting to be a part…
Work-life balance: Five resolutions
Even though I don’t have kids, September always arrives with that sparkly back-to-school feeling. As my relaxed summer schedule of less teaching and fewer contracts winds down, I wonder about the new work year ahead. What will I learn? What…
New Year’s resolutions
’Tis the season of New Year’s resolutions—with a constant stream of articles, TV and radio news stories, and online clickbait telling us what we need to do to have better health, better productivity, and a better life in 2019. I’ve…
The stories that bind us
As West Coast Editorial Associates celebrates our 25th anniversary this year, we’ve been talking a lot about the partnership’s history. Past and current partners have shared stories and photos that have made us laugh (a lot), sometimes groan, and occasionally…
Still going strong
In May 1992, seven editors (Nancy Flight, Anne Norman, Claudette Reed Upton, Lois Richardson, John Ricker, Barbara Tomlin, and Yvonne Van Ruskenveld) drafted a letter of agreement and West Coast Editorial Associates (WCEA) was born. So this month we are…
Celebration of Yvonne
To celebrate or to lament? That is the question for West Coast Editorial Associates. On the one hand, we mark our 25th anniversary this year. On the other, we bid farewell to Yvonne Van Ruskenveld, who retired on March 31,…
West Coast Editorial Associates turns 25
Little did we know, back in 1992, that in the blink of an eye West Coast Editorial Associates would turn 25. Well, here we are, and we’re ready to celebrate! Stay tuned for new blog posts, a new website, and…
Putting a price on your work
There’s been a lot of fresh chatter recently among editors about rates. Maybe it’s because at this time of year we’re all looking over our accounts, reviewing how much we did—or didn’t—earn, paying bills, planning for the next 12 months,…