Proofreading

  In August 2017, Beth wrote this blog when our TEC offices were located on 27 Carlton to express her frustration at spotting  obvious – or perhaps not so obvious – typos that are missed in storefront signs, newspapers, and final pages of a book manuscript. Sometimes we spot them when others don’t, and vice versa!   *****     We editors can't help that our eye will fall on misspelled words or faulty punctuation....

Business / Event / Language & Editing

The Editing Company is celebrating its 14th year of editorial excellence, and, to mark this milestone, I’m investigating the cultural, numerological, linguistic, and mathematical significance of the number 14.   “Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things. ” -Henri Poincaré   Mathematics was never my best subject, so I’ll keep this section brief and, I hope, relatively simple. Unlike the numbers two, three, five, and seven, 14 is...

Language & Editing

We are pleased to repost this blog by former TEC editor Laura Cok. Laura is currently working as a communications specialist with Indigo Books and is a published poet. Her poem "Cosmic Egg Hypothesis" was the winner of the 2020 League of Canadian Poets Broadsheet Contest.   *** Bookish types, such as we are, can run into problems with pronunciation. As a child, the language I was reading was more advanced than...

Technology / Editing Numbers / Editing & Technologies

At TEC, we recently helped a client who had a request we hadn’t encountered before—he had written a paper that included many footnotes; however, he needed to change those footnotes over to endnotes. We thought that creating a practical blog with instructions for how to make this switch would be helpful for others who are looking to do the same thing!   Make Sure Your Prep the Document   It’s very important to...

Editing / Usage / Editor/writer / Proofreading

Why Do We Fact-Check?   As The Chicago Manual of Style points out, in publishing, the author is ultimately responsible for the accuracy of a work. And while most publishers do not perform fact-checking in any sort of systematic way or expect it of their editors, obvious errors should always be pointed out to the author, as well as any questionable proper names or other dubious details that might take away...

Editing / Editor/writer / Editing New Media

In this blog from the archives, our former editor Jean Mathew walks us through her experience of creating and editing her first comic book. The artwork featured above is from that work!   *****   Behind every delicious comic is a very sharp-eyed editor. Or at least I'd like to think so! I'm mostly a comic writer/illustrator, but over time I learned how to be a comic editor as well. As...

Language & Editing / Books And Reading

Editing is hard work, and sometimes it's nice to take a break from editing a particularly difficult piece of text and have a bit of fun. I've collected some suggestions for little quizzes, relaxation techniques, and interactive activities for you to help you perk up, recharge, and give your brain a break!    Copy Edit This! Try The New York Times Grammar Quiz The NYT has been offering readers a chance to...

Editing / Usage / Style / Publishing

The process of working on any manuscript presents a range of concerns specific to the manuscript’s intended genre, so don’t get caught with your space pants down. Have a look at these 5 tips on how to effectively edit science fiction.   Substantive Editing: A Journey to the Centre of the Plot A Timely Topic?   During the substantive edit of a science-fiction manuscript, the editor acts as an informed and interested reader....

Editing / Usage / Editing New Media / Technology / Editing & Technologies

The first step in preparing a document for publication is the copyediting of the work. The majority of copyediting tasks today are carried out on-screen using the mark-revision feature (e. g. , track changes) built into the powerful word processing program of your choice (e. g. , Microsoft Word). Need to add in a missing comma? No problem. Correct a misspelling? Easily fixed. Delete a repetition?...

Business

In a blog post I wrote in 2013, “3 Professionals Every Entrepreneur Needs in Their Corner,” I noted that when an entrepreneur launches a new business, they must have three good professionals in their corner — a good bookkeeper, a good accountant, and a good lawyer. I was fortunate enough to find these three professionals and start a working relationship with them early on in the business. I continue...

Business

In a blog post I wrote in 2013, “3 Professionals Every Entrepreneur Needs in Their Corner,” I noted that when an entrepreneur launches a new business, they must have three good professionals in their corner — a good bookkeeper, a good accountant, and a good lawyer. I was fortunate enough to find these three professionals and start a working relationship with them early on in the business. I continue to have...

Editing / Editor/writer / Publishing

As editors, we at TEC are well aware of the ins and outs of working with each of our clients and helping them navigate the editing process.   We also know that as our client, you may not always know what that process will entail, or what things you should expect, or what is expected of you. So, we’ve written up some helpful advice to help you feel more assured...

Editing / Usage / Language & Editing / Editing Numbers

Here at TEC, it’s our job to provide our clients with the best guidance and advice in the editing and flow of their documents. Recently, we had a client ask us about working with numbers in text – how to treat them, when to spell them out, when not to spell them out… There are many questions that can arise when you’re working with numbers!   So, here is a helpful...

Copyright And Permissions

In this blog from former editor Nadine Bachan, she sheds a little light on the not-so-clear complexities of Wikipedia copyright and the real deal behind what can and can’t be considered Fair Dealing (this is known as “Fair Use” in the United States).   Both subjects are often about finding the “quick fix” in permissions. Most people turn to Wikipedia and possible Fair Dealing items to avoid fees and restrictions...

Editing / Usage / Style / Editor/writer / Publishing

Editorial work entails a variety of different jobs. These include substantive editing, line editing, and proofreading. Because the process of editorial work occurs largely through written exchanges — through emails and through editorial comments left in the manuscript’s margin, for example — it’s critical that writers and editors share a common glossary of editorial terms.   Editorial work, like work in most industries, employs an ever-expanding list of technical...

Publishing / Book Design

Perhaps one of the most misunderstood things about the editing and publishing process is just how long it can take. If, for example, you have completed your manuscript and it is ready for editing, be sure to give yourself enough time for the editing, revising, proofreading, layout, and production processes. And what do we mean by enough time? You may need up to a year, depending on the...

Editing / Grammar / Usage / Style / Editor/writer

Ryerson University’s Publishing Program is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year!    Founded in 1990, the Certificate in Publishing is the largest and most successful professional training program for the publishing industry in Canada. Our graduates thrive in book publishing and related industries, and in corporate, non-profit, and government communications. (Ryerson Publishing)   We wanted to celebrate this milestone by sharing some insights and inspirations from two of the program’s current students...

Publishing

Although some of the steps that playwrights take on their journey to publication are similar to those taken by authors seeking publication, there are some features of play-script publication that set the process apart from that of publishing novels, short stories, and other books. For instance, unlike other types of book publishing, publishers of play-scripts generally require that the script in question has already been produced at least once....

Language & Editing

Canadian vs. American spelling variation isn't a topic we have talked about recently, but it is definitely a subject that continues to remain relevant! This sampler, pulled from TEC's archives, will help give you an introduction to the differences between Canadian and American spelling, and if you need to check the spelling of a specific word, we suggest taking a look at Barbara's trio of spelling guides (linked below)...

Publishing

New Canadian authors working without the benefit of representation are probably familiar with House of Anansi and Douglas & McIntyre as being Canadian publishers that continue to accept unsolicited manuscripts. But if you’ve already received rejections from these two houses, don’t give up: there are many independent Canadian publishers that accept unsolicited work.   The following list features ten Canadian publishers, some of which have been publishing for a decade...

Publishing / Social Media / Editing & Marketing

What is a publishing plan? Well, a publishing plan is exactly what it sounds like: it involves scheduling and planning for the writing and publishing of your manuscript, from start to finish. Publishing can be an amazing journey, but also an overwhelming one. A well thought out plan can help you manage aspects of this process that you didn’t even realize were involved! Read on to learn how to...

Editing / Grammar / Usage / Style / Writing

Although there are some who would advocate for a world free of passive-voice constructions, an all-out ban on this wrongfully maligned verbal form would be going too far. It is true that the active voice generally provides clarity that the passive voice tends to lack, but when used effectively, the passive voice allows for an element of mystery or gravity that can be difficult to achieve in straightforward active-voice...

Editing / Editor/writer / Technology / Editing & Technologies

Picture this: you’re an author who has just sent your first manuscript off to an editor for a professional copy edit. Eventually, the editor returns the manuscript to you, you open the file with excitement, and you see…a sea of red marks?   If you’ve written a document — be it a book, a research report, or an article — and you’re working with an editor for the first time, your first introduction...

Editing / Editor/writer

For our blog just a few weeks ago I was asked about the best piece of editing advice I ever received. I had actually only recently had an epiphany about this, so I replied without hesitation: “Remember, it’s not your book. ” The same might be said about any writing format, but it was this phrase in particular that rang in my head when the penny finally dropped. ...