Editors on the Blog: April 2018

12/4/2018

Editors on the Blog is a monthly column curating some of the posts from the editing community – articles written by editors and proofreaders for colleagues and clients alike.

There are some absolute corkers in this inaugural edition. Thank you so much for contributing!

THE BUSINESS OF EDITING

‘How do I get freelance copywriting work?’ by John Espirian, published on Espirian. John writes: ‘One of the commonest questions I’m asked is: How do I get copywriting work? I hope it helps a few of you newbie copywriters to get started.'
‘How to get fiction editing and proofreading work’ by Louise Harnby, published on The Proofreader's Parlour. Louise writes: ‘This post looks at how specialization, training, directory advertising, content marketing, events and festivals, workshops and webinars, and reading fiction help to get us fiction editing work.'

CLIENT FOCUS

'6 ways to improve your big-picture revision skills' by Lisa Poisso, published on JamiGold.com. Lisa writes: ‘Building your story sensibilities will give you the confidence to begin your revisions where they count: at the story level.’
‘Document content formats: pros and cons’ by John Espirian, published on Espirian. John writes: ‘My clients are often unsure about which document format they should use for their content. In this article, I look at the pros and cons of HTML, PDF, Word and PowerPoint.’
'How to cope when your manuscript query is rejected' by Lisa Poisso, published on lisapoisso.com. Lisa writes: ‘Your soul is not being judged at the pearly gates. You’re pitching a book in an industry based on pitching books. Toughen up. Lean into the punches and push back.’
‘How to start writing your novel’ by Cally Worden, published on The Enigma Blog. Cally writes: ‘If you perpetually avoid putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) here are five possible reasons why, with some ideas to help you out of each particular novel-writing rut.’
'Crime fiction subgenres: Where does your novel fit?' by Louise Harnby, published on The Proofreader’s Parlour. Louise writes: ‘Understanding your crime-fiction subgenre(s) helps you tell readers where to find you, agents where to place you, and publishers where to shelve you. This article covers some of the biggies.’

EDITING IN PRACTICE

‘The art of being invisible’ by Brian Langan, published on Storyline Editing. Brian writes: ‘Book editors measure their success by their invisibility. Yet they share the emotional highs and lows of the authors, depending on the books’ critical reception.’
‘Proofreading pitfalls: Nine tips to improve your proofreading strategy’ by Hazel Bird, published on The Wordstitch Blog. Hazel writes: ‘How methodical is your proofreading approach? My latest blog post has nine tips on proofreading strategy from my experience as a project manager and proofreader.’

FREELANCE LIFE

'Business continuity planning for your proofreading service' by Pete Haigh, published on Kateproof. Pete writes: ‘My laptop broke. I thought it would be helpful to share my experience of what I did to get my editing and proofreading service back up and running and the lessons learnt (some the hard way!) from this process.’
‘Getting better and getting organised’ by Sarah Dronfield, published on Sarah Dronfield Proofreader. Sarah writes: ‘I hope that sharing my experiences will help others recognise when they need a break and/or what they could do to be more productive.’
‘Introductory post to my series on being a nomadic editor and proofreader’ by Kate Haigh, published on Kateproof. Kate writes: ‘As the world’s workforce has the technology at hand to become less geographically fixed, I thought it might help other proofreaders and editors if I shared my experiences of being a nomadic editor and proofreader.’

LANGUAGE MATTERS

‘Cambridge Analytica Debacle – The Definition of Breach’ by Laureen Hudson, published on AlienVault. Laureen writes: ‘It's incredibly important, when explaining technology to those who are not fluent in its nuance, to use your words precisely, in a consistent and clear way. And as much as little sideslips like “on premise” and “crypto” make us all twitch, the use of the term “breach” when no actual breach occurred not only misleads people, it blurs the line between those victimized by breaches, and those manipulated without their explicit consent.’
‘Shakespeare’s Netymology’ by Laureen Hudson, published on AlienVault. Laureen writes: ‘Because technical editors and technical writers are also looking for ways to describe that thing that happens, we tend to be early adopters of protologisms, and move words along the spectrum to neologisms as fast as we upgrade the technology itself. As Shakespeare said in Henry V, “We, my dear, are the makers of fashion.”’

To include your article in next month's edition of Editors on the Blog, click on the button below. The deadline is 15 May 2018.

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Louise Harnby is a fiction copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in helping self-publishing writers prepare their novels for market.

She is the author of several books on business planning and marketing for editors, and runs online courses from within the Craft Your Editorial Fingerprint series. She is also an Advanced Professional Member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders. Louise loves books, coffee and craft gin, though not always in that order.

Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Proofreader & Copyeditor, say hello on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, or connect via Facebook and LinkedIn.

If you're an author, take a look at Louise’s Writing Library and access her latest self-publishing resources, all of which are free and available instantly.