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.
Review of Turn Every Page
We recommend this insightful documentary about what editing can be.
A welcome new resource: Demystifying Disability
Every once in a while, a new resource, or a new edition of an old resource, comes along that gets those of us who work with words very excited (think Chicago Manual of Style, Publication Manual of the American Psychological…
Everything in its place
As an indexer, I tend to be obsessive about organizing things alphabetically—the books on my shelves, the spices in my cupboards, the DVDs and CDs in the basement . . . Of course Joan Aiken should come before Kate Atkinson,…
“You are not a To Do list”
I recently finished reading The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, by one of my favourite authors, New Yorker staff writer Atul Gawande. I’ve been interested in using checklists since the book was first published, in 2009—and increasingly find…
A trio of bestsellers for summer reading
As editors, we always get a little thrill when we spy familiar projects on bestseller lists. If you’re looking for a good read this summer, here are three titles with recent bestseller buzz: At the Bridge: James Teit and an…
WCEA’s 2019 holiday season book club
As editors, most of us probably consider books among the very best of gifts we ever received—or gave. A recommendation for a good read can be just as valuable. Here’s a sampling of what we dipped into this year that…
Serendipities
As I get older (and I’m feeling rather “senior” these days), I’m increasingly fascinated by serendipity—the way a chance encounter can lead to happy discoveries both small and large, from a great book to a great life adventure. For us…
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…
Summer viewing: Update
I’m still coming to grips with the sudden turn of events on Alone: The Arctic last Thursday. The woman I was pulling for, Nikki van Schyndel, appeared to be doing well after early injuries and misadventures. She had sewed herself…
