The value of community: my experience with the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading
They say that our human and not-so-human ancestors evolved learning that they needed to be part of a community to survive. They did everything they…
Copy-editing and proofreading
The four levels of editing and how they fit within the publishing timeline
Most editors will give varying answers to the question, ‘What are the levels of editing?’, but there are industry-accepted stages of editing that I’ll outline…
Building Skills and Confidence in Editing: How skills training programmes can support a more diverse editorial workforce
In 2018, The Literary Consultancy offered a pilot initiative for aspiring editors, with three short seminars giving an introduction to the basics of copy-editing, proofreading…
Nuggets of Word wisdom
Guy van der Kolk first got hooked on publishing while attending an international school in Ivory Coast, where he used Pagemaker, Photoshop and an Apple…
Progress Reports: What’s happening during your edit? [FOR AUTHORS]
It’s 10:00 p.m. Do you know where your manuscript is? It’s like being trapped in a replay loop of the old TV public service announcement…
Fact Checking: Vital or a waste of time?
I spend a lot of my time editing non-fiction; no matter how much I love fiction, the factual stuff takes up more of my time…
Stop the race to the bottom, value your writing services
I need an editor … you’ll be rewarded I need an editor … you’ll get great exposure I need an editor … fast I need…
A guide on book title punctuation
For the trained eyes, there is nothing more annoying than looking at a book which is just one letter away from perfect. It is possible…
So you want to be a freelance editor? Tips from the coalface
It is a truth universally acknowledged that book editors spend their days languidly leafing through the pages of books and occasionally waving a red pen…
Your guide to using styles in Word
Styles Make Your Writing Better Well, ok, they won’t make your writing better, but they make it a hell of a lot easier to format.
The quick and easy guide to using beta readers [FOR AUTHORS]
Oh, no … You didn’t just ask your spouse, your mom, or your best friend to read your book and tell you what they think,…
35 easy keyboard shortcuts to improve your workflow in Word
There’s a lot of talk among editors and wordy wordsmiths about using macros to help efficiency when you’re working. Truth be told, macros can be…
Inclusive language: 3 rules for editorial best practice
While the details of any book are important to get right, books about personal or sensitive topics require an extra level of attention to ensure…
Anonymity and the copy editor: Is it time to be recognised?
Here Sara Donaldson looks at the anonymity of the copy editor, why this is generally the case, and asks whether or not they should be…
Editorial freelancers, know when to say no
We’re in the business of saying yes … but just as important can be knowing when to say no – some projects may just be…