Language & Editing

  Since the term political correctness entered mainstream usage in the 1990s, it's been richly scorned and lampooned. Maybe this is because to some, the word correctness smacks of rules, rigid and arbitrary ones enforced by language police.   Of course, there is no official body governing the use of the English language. Dictionaries and style guides merely document and codify how the language is used. So it's up...

Editing & Technologies

  Hello, TEC readers! Editors, like anyone else, occasionally like to take some time off and go on vacation, which is where I am this week. While I'm gone, please enjoy this "blog from the archives," written by Melissa MacAulay. The digital advances we've made in the past 20 years have affected more than just editors—writers are affected too, especially when it comes to using sources found online. ...

Book Reviews

  A good question to ask, especially when reading the University Press Issue, which was released on July 9. I happened to be at Book City on the Danforth and couldn't resist picking up a copy. The New York Review of Books is, of course, an undisputed source of information for all books literary, poetic, academic, geographic, historical, and the list goes on, which makes for incredibly engaging reading....

Office Happenings / Social Media & Community

What's Up @ TEC! August/September 2015 Edition   Here we are in August, enjoying the summer and all that it has to offer. Toronto has been abuzz with the Pan Am and Para Pan Am Games. Our TEC editor Chris Cameron volunteered as a field-of-play marshal at the men's and women's triathlons on the course of the road cycling events. "It's a great thrill to watch the elite athletes from...

Editing & Marketing

  Recently, we created a worksheet for self-publishing authors to calculate a rough estimate of what their costs for editing services might be. Budgeting your money in order to self-publish is a smart move---there are so many different services you might need for your book, anything from developmental or copy editing to cover design, formatting, or printing. There are lots of resources on the web that can assist you...

Language & Editing

  Editor Barbara: She's Been There!   So you've been in Canada for a while now, and you've gone from understanding very little English to understanding almost everything. From there, you've taken the leap to speaking fairly fluently. And yet . and yet . writing is a lot harder than you thought it would be. Learning the Language I hear you. ...

Publishing

As someone who likes to see writers get into print, I am particularly interested in the growth of the self-publishing community and the opportunities it offers for both authors and editors.   Arlene Prunkl, an editor with many years of experience, works almost exclusively with authors who self-publish. At EAC's Editing Goes Global conference this year, Prunkl presented an inspiring workshop on the agonies, ecstasies, and pitfalls of working with...

Publishing

  Are you thinking about self-publishing a book? Many people feel they have a book idea rattling around in their head, just waiting to be written. If you are one of those people and you decide that now is the time to get that book onto the page, I have some things you might want to think about.     First, if you would like to write this book just for the...

Editing / Grammar

At this year's EAC conference, a major theme was professional development and keeping up-to-date. Just as a physicist must keep abreast of advances and innovations in her field, so too must the editor keep up with the constant evolution of language. As keynote speaker Carol Fisher Saller pointed out, you may have learned to never split infinitives (see what I did there?), but that was twenty years ago....

Editing / Usage

Last week was a very exciting event for editors in Canada (and around the world)--the 2015 EAC International Conference, "Editing Goes Global," was held in Toronto. Organized and hosted by the Editors' Association of Canada, this  was the first-ever global conference of editors, and obviously TEC staff jumped at the chance to attend! There were so many great seminars, it was hard to choose which to sit in on,...

Books And Reading

On Wednesday, June 10, I attended the Summer Edition of "45 Books in 45 Minutes" at Ben McNally Books in Toronto. This semi-annual event is a must for those wishing to keep abreast of the latest fiction and non-fiction publications. Advertised as a "quick and informative rundown of the best, or most talked about, books of the season," in 45 minutes Ben McNally and Lynn Thomson provide you...

Office Happenings

  There are no words I can use to apologize for the hiatus in the bi-monthly updates from TEC. Since January/February a few things have happened!   New Editor: In April, Chris Cameron joined our editing team as academic and non-fiction editor. We welcome him and look forward to having him on board.   New Editing Services: TEC is pleased to announce a new service for writers of English as a Second...

Editing / Editor/writer

  In the last “Ask the Editor” blog, I talked about bringing an editor on board before you’ve even started writing the book, and I pointed out how using your editor in this way can help make your book better from the first word you write. If that struck a chord with you, read on!    This week, I’ll be talking about how you, as an author, can prepare for your first...

Usage

Ever wonder what editors do while they ride the subway on their way to work? One engaging pastime is to read subway posters for minor errors. The other morning I spotted these four. See if you can identify them. “A simple solution to a sophisticated look. ”                –An Outdoor Deck Company “Paying more for less...

Editing / Editor/writer

So, you want to write a book. You’ve got the idea in your head, and a vague plan of how to move forward. But how do you get started? Finding an Editor to Write With Many authors seek out an editor before they have even started writing their book. The reasoning is that an editor can help you as you move through the writing process: she/he will keep you accountable, provide real...

Editing Numbers

When I was in elementary school and learning about measurements in the 1990s, my teachers used to tell us, “Don’t get too used to using inches! By the time you grow up, we’ll have changed over to the metric system!” So we learned our measurements with trepidation – but all for naught, it seems! In fact, according to Wikipedia, the United States is one of only three countries that do...

Usage

Studying philosophy has given me a special appreciation for logical words and the work they do. Some of these words, however, are commonly misused. (I already touched on a few of them in my last blog post. ) Here are some more pointers!  “Infer” and “Imply” The confusion between the verbs “infer” and “imply” is widespread. You might see something like this, for example, and think nothing of it:  “Her...

Language & Editing

  As a freelance editor working for clients from all over the world (and currently based here in Portland, Oregon), I have to be aware of the differences that folks from different lands incorporate into their versions of English. There are four distinct English types: American, British, Australian, and Canadian. Today, I'm going to address how I, an American editor, approach working with clients requesting Canadian English.   Our countries may...

Editing / Usage

They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So when I recently came upon a text riddled with hyphens popped in willy-nilly where they didn't belong, I felt a bit sad (moderating my emotions in accordance with John Benbow's words of advice: "If you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad"). If only the author had known the basics of hyphenation! Sure, we all know the overarching rule: hyphens...

Language & Editing

Don't get me wrong—I appreciate that the English language is constantly changing and evolving. And I know that my job as an editor requires me to recognize the difference between these micro-evolutions on one hand and plain errors on the other. But the academic in me can't help but grumble when I see these three increasingly common English morphs pop up in a text.   1. "Dilemma" Writers like to use the word "dilemma" as...

Book Reviews

  While reading through the January/February issue of Quill and Quire, Beth came across a review of a title that sounded so interesting, she bought it right away (at Book City on the Danforth) and brought it to the office as an “office copy. ” A book we at TEC could all take a turn reading. The title? The Devil You Know, by Elisabeth de Mariaffi.   I was lucky enough...

Editing / Editor/writer

Recently, we posted our second eBook publication, The Author's Guide to the Pre-Publishing Editing Process. In this blog and a few to follow, we want to offer a few insights that are included in the guide. Insights that can help you work your way through the editing process. You can download the full Guide here.   Keeping Control of Your Work during the Editorial Process When an author is...

Office Happenings / Social Media & Community

Happy New Year to all! We hope you had a safe, meaningful, and enjoyable holiday season, and that getting back to the usual grind hasn’t been too arduous.   Here at The Editing Company, we enjoyed a “Holiday Adventure” that took us to Ben McNally Books on Bay Street for an afternoon of browsing and book shopping, followed by an early dinner at The Gabardine: Fine Grub and Libations Restaurant. ...

Proofreading

You know the feeling, don’t you? You’ve composed an exquisitely worded email, tinkered with the phrasing to get it just right, and read it through several times to make sure it’s error-free. You’ve clicked on Send, and just as you’re about to lift your finger off the mouse, you spot it: an egregious typo that is irrevocably on its way once you lift your finger—which you’ll have to do...