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Bookish types, such as we are, can run into problems with pronunciation. As a child, the language I was reading was more advanced than I usually heard spoken, and so I developed a few peculiar pronunciations for words that I had seen but never heard. This led to a particularly embarrassing moment in grade school when I pronounced “chaos” like “cha-hos. ” Nina had a similar experience, believing that...
Read MoreThis is not something I ever wondered before working in publishing. In the past, I saw indexes as a minor annoyance, things that ordered me through a series of bothersome page-flips and never seemed to have what I wanted when I needed it. But I never stopped to think how one might be made. Indexing does not seem like a human process. The end result comes in...
Read MoreEditing isn’t for everyone. It can be quite strenuous and demanding, as well as rewarding and satisfying. Those of us who are editors know that being good at what we do means developing a wide range of skills and attributes. I was recently asked what I look for in an editor, and after giving this some thought, I’ve come up with a list of seven things, each...
Read MoreSpring is finally coming to Toronto, and budding along with the leaves are a number of exciting new projects for TEC’s editors. We might add that to welcome spring we all read Maggie Helwig’s Girls Fall Down, Toronto Library’s One Book Selection for this year’s Keep Toronto Reading Festival. (See Nadine’s review in her recent blog post. ) Aside from our in-office book club, here's a look at what we've been up to....
Read MoreIn support of the Toronto Public Library’s city-wide reading event, One Book Toronto, we at TEC obtained copies of Maggie Helwig’s Girls Fall Down (published by Coach House Press) and started our own office book club. While our opinions of the story of Alex and Susie-Sue varied, we all agreed that this poetic novel — filled with local colloquialisms and endless references to the streets and neighbourhoods of our fair...
Read MoreThis past weekend, Beth and I attended a workshop put on by the Editors' Association of Canada entitled “E-publishing Essentials for Editors. ” We were hoping to brush up on our ebook knowledge and get ready for what’s on the horizon. Sure enough, the seminar gave us a great run-down of the e-publishing basics. And, while much of what we learned seemed to fit with our existing knowledge...
Read MoreWith the rise of self-publishing, more and more authors are able to bypass traditional avenues and get their books directly to their readers. Instead of finding an agent, who finds a publisher, who either takes care of the editing in-house or contracts it out to companies like TEC, self-published authors can oversee the entire process themselves. Numerous success stories — Amanda Hocking, for example, who made millions from her...
Read MoreSocial Media / Editing & Marketing
Social Media Marketing is one of those projects for which there is no ultimate end point, no finished product. Similarly to other kinds of marketing initiatives, those of the social media variety are done best when carried on as an organic process: one that necessarily requires growth of your brand “personality” as well as your relationships with clients and community partners. Of course, doing the legwork of giving...
Read MoreWe’re already a whole month into 2012 and so far it’s shaping up to be an interesting year. January brought a wide variety of projects into the TEC office, all of which are keeping our editors busy. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to lately… Academic Editing TEC’s editors have been working on a number of projects for University of Toronto Press, from copyediting to checking proofs....
Read MoreI fell in love with the footnote when I was an undergraduate in Montreal. I was learning to write academic essays: first in English literature and then in history. On my first attempt at composing a footnote, I sat down with my portable typewriter and a copy of Kate Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. It was November 7, 1972. I...
Read MorePrint is dead. We've been warned about this for years. I can trace back my anxiety over the impending death of paper books to at least 2007, when I drafted this master plan to my friend Vincenzo (sent via email, ironically enough): There must be some way to ensure preservation of the printed word . As far as I can tell, sense of smell is one of the...
Read MoreIn one of my first classes in Ryerson University’s publishing certificate program, my teacher alluded to some of the goings-on at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the world’s largest trade publishing book fair, and the most important when it comes to international deals, publishing rights, and licensing fees. He joked that the Frankfurt cabbies were well used to ferrying about publishing types for their various illicit liaisons. I was therefore...
Read MoreWhen the year is coming to an end, it is often the time to wrap things up. That being said, this will be the last blog in the Permissions Editor series. This final blog will further explore the quest for e-rights and offer a positive look at the dreaded situation (and it will happen) when finding a copyright holder can start feeling like a wild goose chase. E-Rights: Who...
Read MoreAt The Editing Company, each time we begin a new editing project, we make sure we have a style sheet to guide our work. What is important to know, and what isn’t always understood, is just how style can vary from project to project. Not all styles are the same! There are many different kinds of styles and it’s our responsibility to apply the style that is required for...
Read MoreOffice Happenings / Social Media & Community
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of discovering The Editing Company—a short walk from the College subway station—and eventually of joining the team as the Website & Social Media Coordinator. Having had the privilege of working with many talented writers and editors in Toronto, I know how important a sense of community is. Since August of 2011 I have been working to extend The Editing Company’s presence within the...
Read MoreEarlier this month, I said a temporary farewell to the TEC office and headed across the ocean. One of the stops on my two-week European journey was southern Germany, where much of my family still resides. In some ways German could be called my first language, but in reality it’s not entirely clear. As a toddler I mostly spoke a language that my bilingual parents referred to as...
Read MoreIn the second installment of this blog series, I’d like to shed 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...
Read MoreIt’s not an easy world for new editors out there. The publishing industry is changing while job markets everywhere are suffering. And yet, if you’re the right kind of person, editing can be a fantastic career. There is plenty of wisdom to be found out there from editors who are much more experienced than I am, but since my entry into the field was relatively recent, I can...
Read MoreHere at TEC we are celebrating our 4th Anniversary. The year introduced us to many wonderful new clients and opportunities, and gave us the chance to learn new skills as we strengthened our overall editing expertise. We have completed several projects this summer and, as the fall begins, we are undertaking several new ones. We are pleased to outline some of these for you here. Academic Editing We are working...
Read MoreIn her last blog, “The Texture of Technology,” Beth touched on the subject of e-books. Talk about e-books always prompts me to think about copyright. Well, most things prompt me to think about permissions and copyright these days. I’ve been inspired to begin a series of blogs, From The Desk of the Permissions Editor, where I’ll shed some light and offer some guidance on the complex world of...
Read MoreJust before the August 31 deadline for switching from analogue to digital, I phoned Bell and ordered FibeTV. Up until now I have had no cable at all, and I never thought I would want cable. In fact, if I hadn’t had to make this move, I probably wouldn’t have ordered it. But here I was facing a choice: TV or no TV. Of course, no TV...
Read MoreSlipping singly from my fingers, lettuce seeds drop like punctuation marks, organic ellipses marking the start of a new season of cultivation. Onion sets, diminutive bulbs the shape of Russian domes, stand to attention before being buried alive, later to emerge as vibrant, blue-green blades. On a neighbouring farm, in a hot-house fired by a wood-burning stove, under the watchful eyes of the farmers' children, cheddar and purple...
Read MoreVisitors and our fellow fourth-floor dwellers often comment on how little noise we make in our office. It seems to surprise them that three editors sitting in close quarters can be so silent. It’s no mystery to us: the nature of our work here at The Editing Company requires quiet concentration. For most of the day we sit at our desks, focused intently on our work—which is...
Read MoreA few weeks ago an author approached The Editing Company for some help with rewriting the synopsis of her manuscript. I was lucky enough to be put to the task. Writing a synopsis is quite the creative challenge. It requires you to sculpt the manuscript down to its best and most vital parts and make them flow as tightly as possible. As I worked through our...
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