National e-news update, April 28, 2022

News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada

In this issue:

1. EDITORS 22: Sessions for all skill levels at our virtual 2022 national conference
2. EDITING ESSENTIALS: Unlock your career
3. MEMBER SERVICES: Announcing professional liability for Editors Canada members through APOLLO Insurance
4. WEBINARS: Level up your editing game
5. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Spotlight on the Copy Editing exam
6. BRANCHES AND TWIGS: Local updates
7. FEATURED VOLUNTEER: Julie Kay-Wallace
8. GET INVOLVED: Benefits of volunteering
9. NEC: Notes from your national executive council

1. EDITORS 22: Sessions for all skill levels at our virtual 2022 national conference

There’s still time to register for Editors 22: Editing for a Changing World! Editors 22 is a virtual conference that will take place May 28–29, 2022.

Ready to invest in yourself? Our conference committee has been hard at work curating sessions for all skill levels. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the stellar learning opportunities:

Don’t forget, all conference sessions will be recorded so you won’t have to choose between sessions during the conference weekend. Until August 31, 2022, you’ll be able to watch the recording of any conference session.

Editors Canada members always register at discounted rates. So, don’t delay! Register now to join hundreds of editors from a wide range of fields, as well as writers, communication professionals and small business owners for this weekend of networking, learning and fun.

NEW: Calling all Editors Canada authors

Are you an Editors Canada member who has published books that you would like to promote? You’re invited to be part of the Words of Our Own showcase at this year’s conference! Each author will receive their own profile in our virtual event platform.

Please send your name and email address to vendorfair@editors.ca by Sunday, May 15 to have a profile set up. Once your profile is active, you will receive instructions on how to upload an author photo and a banner image (e.g., a thumbnail of a book cover), enter your author bio and social media handles, and add a link to your website or sales platform. You don’t need to be registered for the conference to participate.

2. EDITING ESSENTIALS: Unlock your career

Ready to launch your editing career? Wondering how to let employers know you’ve got what it takes?

Editors Canada is pleased to announce a new test to assess knowledge of the basics of editing and to provide a qualification for entry-level editors. Editors Canada Editing Essentials evaluates basic competence in the areas of structural editing, stylistic editing, copy editing and proofreading.

Unlike Editors Canada Professional Certification, which recognizes highly experienced editors who are already the masters of their craft, Editing Essentials is intended for editors at the beginning of their careers.

Editing Essentials is a timed, multiple-choice test that’s offered online. Take the test anywhere, anytime. There are no membership, education or experience prerequisites.

Pass the Editing Essentials test and you’ll receive an official letter from Editors Canada confirming you’ve earned the Editors Canada Editing Essentials qualification. It’s that simple!

To learn more about Editing Essentials or to register now, visit the Editing Essentials page.

3. MEMBER SERVICES: Announcing professional liability for Editors Canada members through APOLLO Insurance

Editors Canada is excited to announce our partnership with APOLLO Insurance, Canada’s leading insurtech provider.

Through APOLLO, you will have access to the best rates for your business insurance, including coverage for:

Errors and Omissions (E&O) up to $2 million
Privacy Breach up to $2 million
Optional Commercial General Liability (CGL) up to $5 million
Contents coverage up to $100,000
Free legal advice

This product is available in all Canadian provinces and territories, except Quebec. Editors Canada will continue to look for a product for members in Quebec.

Visit the members’ area to learn more and to get your custom quote today.

4. WEBINARS: Level up your editing game

Interested in bringing in new clients or adding value to your current projects? Look no further than our webinars, which offer tips, tricks and tools for everything from fiction and poetry editing to business strategies. In addition to dozens of recorded training sessions you can buy to watch anytime, more live webinars are coming up:

May 3 and 10: The Editing Process for Fiction Authors (Julie Kay-Wallace)
May 19: Apprivoiser le texte informatif (Carlos Séguin)

See the full selection on our webinars page. Enjoy learning new skills with one of the major perks of Editors Canada membership—40% off all webinars and recordings!

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

5. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Spotlight on the Copy Editing exam

Copy editing is editing to ensure correctness, accuracy, consistency and completeness. As part of the Editors Canada Professional Certification exam in Copy Editing, you may be asked to perform tasks such as:

correct errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and usage;
ensure the accuracy of numerical material;
correct or query inconsistencies in logic, factual details and cross-references;
maintain consistency in heads, tables and lists; and
create a style sheet.

If you have a flair for this type of work, make 2022 the year you obtain professional certification in copy editing. The exam is scheduled for Saturday, November 19, 2022, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., local time, and will assess your mastery of the Editors Canada Professional Editorial Standards for Copy Editing (D1–D12) and the Fundamentals of Editing (A1 – A12).

Visit the Preparing for Certification page for resources to help you get ready for the exam. Resources such as seminars, webinars, and Certification Test Preparation Guides are available to help you prepare.

Exam registration is set to open this summer. In the meantime, why not try a sample question?

If you were asked to use British spelling in a document, which of the following would you use?

a) theater, traveler, honor, anesthesia
b) theatre, traveler, honour, anesthesia
c) theatre, traveller, honor, anaesthesia
d) theatre, traveller, honour, anaesthesia

Answer

6. BRANCHES AND TWIGS: Local updates

Editors Edmonton

Do you live in Alberta? Are you interested in getting to know your local editors? We’re looking for one or two dedicated members to chair the Editors Edmonton twig. The chair will organize (or delegate the organization of) Editors Edmonton’s activities and recruit other volunteers as required to support local endeavours.

If you’re interested, or have any questions, please email the Editors Calgary co-chairs, Brenna Bailey-Davies and Karen Crosby.

Editors Hamilton-Halton

On Wednesday, April 6, Editors Hamilton-Halton hosted “Editing Research Grant Proposals” led by Letitia Henville, an award-winning instructor and academic editor. Letitia covered the grants landscape, written and unwritten rules for proposals, her top three tips, and what your next steps should be if you’d like to break into this rewarding niche. Those interested in research grant proposals and learning more about Letitia’s work can find her on Twitter at @shortishard or through her website at shortishard.com.

Editors Atlantic

Letitia also spoke about editing academic research grant applications on Wednesday, March 23, during a well-attended presentation for Editors Atlantic. Attendees enjoyed the interesting and informative online session.

The co-chairs are now planning the next few months for Editors Atlantic. Stay tuned!

What is your local group up to? Check with your branch or twig to find out about professional development opportunities and social events. And be sure to check our national calendar for events across the association.

7. FEATURED VOLUNTEER: Julie Kay-Wallace

After getting her BA in English and music from Queen’s University in 2010, Julie Kay-Wallace was all set for graduate school when she came to a sudden realization: she hated writing essays. “In spirit, I’ve been an editor and a grammarian since I was very young,” she says, having helped friends and family with hobby writing and business communications. Tossing aside her plans, Julie pursued a publishing certificate from Ryerson University and interned at the media agency The Rights Factory in Toronto.

After several years amid agents and publishers, Julie longed to work directly with emerging authors to help them hone their craft. “I wanted to create a freelance career and work for myself on my own terms,” she says. She launched Julie Kay-Wallace Editing, focusing on fiction editing and full-stack web developing.

Julie joined Editors Toronto in 2012 and began volunteering as a greeter for meetings. She helped with the Editors Canada’s Volunteer Handbook and is currently the leader of the national website task force. “Sometimes it’s hard to balance my volunteer and work schedules,” she admits, “but being freelance means I can almost always find a way—even if that means a few late nights or early mornings!”

Editors Canada is “a place where I can grow professionally by being in contact with other professionals with different specialties,” Julie says. Julie, a devotee of handicrafts, old films and language studies, now lives in Stratford, Ontario, with her wife and their five cats. Although freelancing can feel “like being one person against the world,” Julie appreciates that Editors Canada offers her the opportunity to be “part of a thriving community of professionals that are every bit as dedicated to editing as I am.”

~S. Robin Larin

The featured volunteer recognizes the contributions of our dedicated people who keep Editors Canada going. Volunteers are the backbone of the association, and we are grateful for the many members and affiliates who answer the call when help is needed.

8. GET INVOLVED: Benefits of volunteering

Volunteering for Editors Canada helps our association, but there are benefits for you too!

Volunteering will help you develop skills that can contribute to your career. Some of the skills that volunteering can give you or help you improve include editing, writing, communications, interpersonal skills, leadership skills and organizational abilities.
If you’re new to editing, volunteering can help you explore and learn about this profession.
Volunteering is a great way to network with members of the association and may lead you to opportunities to expand your editing business.
If you work from home, volunteering can provide you with much-needed social time and allow you to learn from others.
Volunteering is a way to give back to the association and can give you a sense of accomplishment.

There are many volunteer roles to choose from. Select an activity that will provide you with the skills, experiences and opportunities you want to gain.

To find a volunteer opportunity, contact the chair of the volunteer management committee. You can also search our volunteer directory.

LAST CALL for association ambassadors: A great opportunity to educate others about editing

The marketing and communications committee is developing a plan to raise the profile of the association as an authority through in-person outreach to emerging writers and editors. Our goal is to promote the editing profession and the benefits of joining Editors Canada.

Part of that plan is to have ambassadors of Editors Canada speak at libraries, writers’ circles, and post-secondary institutions about what editors do and what it takes to become an editor. We plan for these presentations to start in fall 2022.

We’re looking for members to become local ambassadors for our national association, particularly members who live on the East Coast or in the Central provinces. We will provide a generic presentation for you to tailor to your own experience, as well as details about Editors Canada you can include. As an ambassador, you’ll help to promote lasting awareness of the editing profession.

We’re looking for

members with some work experience and a willingness to share their enthusiasm for the profession to act as ambassadors; and
suggested contacts at libraries, writers’ circles or post-secondary institutions.

If you’re able to help, please get in touch with Merel Elsinga.

9. NEC: Notes from your national executive council

The national executive council (NEC) met on Sunday, March 6, and discussed several topics, including the following:

The insurance task force recommended that Editors Canada partner with Apollo Insurance to provide professional liability insurance to members, and the NEC voted to approve this insurance provider. Thank you to Susan Turner and all the members of the insurance task force for your hard work on this issue.
Amanda Feeney and Maggie Morris of Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph attended the meeting to update the NEC on the twig’s activities. The twig has offered monthly meetings for its members and has some interesting activities planned for the rest of the year.
The VolunteerConnect spreadsheet has been revamped to make it easier to use and to allow postings for empty volunteer positions to be filled.
The NEC discussed other ways for members to connect other than over Facebook. We’re exploring a couple of options and hope to have something up and running soon.

The next e-news update will include a summary of the April 3 NEC meeting.

Heather Buzila
President

Answer

d) theatre, traveller, honour, anaesthesia

The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.