Client: John Wiley & Sons
Project: The Savage War: The Untold Battles of Afghanistan
Author: Murray Brewster
Services Provided: Proofreading
In The Savage War, Canadian journalist Murray Brewster draws on his extensive time spent as a war correspondent for the Canadian Press, attempting to answer the question of what went wrong in the Afghan war. The picture he paints of Canada’s complicated role in Afghanistan is provocative and fascinating. TEC’s editors proofread the typeset pages of this book, checking for consistency among the many foreign names of places and people, military bases and battalions, types of military technology, and so on. We also proofread the captions for the book’s stunning photo inserts.
Client: John Wiley & Sons
Project: The Weasel: A Double Life in the Mob
Author: Adrian Humphreys
Services Provided: Indexing
The Weasel is the thrilling true story of Marvin Elkind and his eventful life in Toronto’s crime scene. After a tough childhood, a short-lived boxing career, and a long history of involvement in the mob, Elkind turned police informant and began risking his life in an astonishing number of undercover investigations fit for the movies. TEC’s indexer was charged with a careful review of this book, pulling out all the key facts and themes and assembling a back-of-the-book index to help interested readers locate what they need.
Client: Penguin Group (Canada)
Project: Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Author: David Clayton-Thomas
Services Provided: Photo Research and Permissions
The former frontman of the Canadian band Blood, Sweat, and Tears had just finished writing his memoirs and it was our job to acquire permissions to use the photographs he planned to include in the book. Several came directly from Clayton-Thomas's personal collection, leading us on a journey back in time to identify and track down copyright holders of images taken in the 1960s and 1970s, including photographers who had covered the Woodstock Festival in 1969. We also contacted several former members of the legendary ensemble, many of whom have long since moved on to new musical paths, some to entirely new careers. We learned a lot about intensive photo research and the long trails of copyright through this projet, and gained some insight on how much things can change in 40 years, especially in the music industry.
Client: The Royal Ontario Museum Press
Project: ROM magazine
Services Provided: Photo Research
The executive editor of ROM magazine approached The EditingCompany with two photo requests. The editor was preparing the next issue of the ROM magazine and needed a selection of images. The first image was of a coelacanth, an ancient species of fish thought to have become extinct over 65 million years ago. We quickly found several options by accessing our database of stock photo agencies and relevant educational resources. The second set of images were full-colour illustrations of the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses Maat, Mut, Horus, and Anubis. Once again, our research provided a selection of images for the editor. These two small projects allowed us to demonstrate our skills as effective photo researchers while learning a few interesting facts about living fossils and ancient deities.
Client: Canada’s National Ballet School
Project: The Ballet Class: A History of Canada’s National Ballet School 1959–2009
Author: Professor Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt
Services Provided: Editing
Herself a graduate of the National Ballet School, Professor Fisher-Stitt went on to a successful career at York University teaching dance, dance history and education, and ballet technique. She is currently the Associate Vice-President of Academic Learning Initiatives. The NBS hired The Editing Company to edit Professor Fisher-Stitt’s final draft, which she wrote over several years while combing through the School’s archives and conducting interviews with other alumni. Our editors polished the details of this well-crafted, engaging, and well-paced history.
Client: Tom Wayman for Dundurn Press
Project: Woodstock Rising
Services Provided: Permission Clearances, Music
Over the course of a year, The Editing Company cleared permissions to reproduce 24 lyrics in this novel. The lyrics were taken from songs recorded and published in the 1960s, including “You Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes, “Long Time Gone” by David Crosby, “Getting Better” by The Beatles, “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell, and “Cloudy” by Simon and Garfunkel. Our permissions editors identified the correct copyright holders; cleared rights and negotiated fees; handled the contracts; and often had to negotiate with multiple copyright owners. We itemized each lyric as it was cleared to keep track of costs and prepared the copyright source lines according to contract stipulations. This experience introduced us to the world of music publishing and the processes required to clear permissions for reproducing lyrics.
Client: Champion Press
Project: Assessment and Treatment Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families (Volumes One and Two), and Creative Family Therapy Techniques: Play, Art, and Expressive Activities to Engage Children in Family Sessions
Author: Liana Lowenstein
Services Provided: Editing
Champion Press, established by author Liana Lowenstein in 1999, has published seven child counselling books to date, and are marketed to mental health practitioners. The Editing Company has edited two of her collections: Assessment and Treatment Activities for Children, Adolescents, and Families: (Volumes One and Two), and Creative Family Therapy Techniques. Each presents 60 or more activities created and written by clinicians, psychologists, social workers, and play therapists. The themes are varied and engaging, and the description of each activity includes treatment goals, materials needed, setting up and carrying out the activity, potential benefits, references, and a short biography of the author. TEC edited each description for clarity in the writing and consistency in the details. We also created a comprehensive style sheet for the Press, to ensure consistency in forthcoming volumes.
