News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada
Happy New Year from the Editors’ Association of Canada!
Okay, okay. It’s the end of the month and you’re probably tired of hearing about resolutions. Still, it’s become a January tradition for us to remind you that this time of year doesn’t have to be full of lofty resolutions that are dropped by the time the month is out. Being realistic about your goals is the key. And making the most of your EAC membership to achieve those goals can help to put you on the path to success.
In this issue:
1. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Workshops, books and more
2. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
3. BUILD YOUR NETWORK: Connect with your fellow editors
4. GET HIRED: Find work in 2013
5. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
6. PROTECT YOURSELF: Affordable insurance options
1. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Workshops, books and more
Goal: Attend branch and twig workshops
Give your skills a boost by taking part in branch and twig seminars and workshops. Expert instructors help beginning editors build strong foundations, and they help more experienced ones develop their expertise. Looking for basic skills in proofreading, copy editing and substantive editing? Perhaps you’re after special-interest and advanced topics such as web editing, photo editing and business development. With EAC seminars, there’s something for everyone.
For more information about workshops in your area, visit EAC’s seminars page.
Goal: Hit the books
Whether you’re en route to becoming a certified editor or brushing up on your skills, studying early and often is the key. EAC’s respected publications (many of which have been updated recently) will help you on the path to excellence.
Professional Editorial Standards
What do editors do? That’s a question most of us have been asked at one time or another, and it’s the question addressed by the 2009 edition of our cornerstone publication, Professional Editorial Standards, revised and updated to reflect the skills and knowledge required by editors today. Available as a free download.
Meeting Professional Editorial Standards
Whether you’re learning the craft of editing or you’re an established professional looking to broaden your knowledge, this second edition, four-volume self-teaching and self-testing package is a must-have for any editor’s bookshelf. Volumes of Meeting Professional Editorial Standards have been adopted as course texts by Ryerson University (Toronto) and Mount Royal University (Calgary). Available for purchase now.
Certification Study Guides
EAC’s study guides are the primary resources for anyone who wants to become a certified editor. Whether you use the guides for independent study or in a workshop setting, you will learn more about the knowledge, skills and judgment required to earn your EAC Certification credentials. Available for purchase now.
Principes directeurs en révision professionnelle
EAC also offers the first edition of Principes directeurs en révision professionnelle. These editorial standards are designed to address the needs of those who provide professional editing services in French, as well as those who use their services. Available as a free download.
Editing Canadian English, second edition
For years, this indispensable tool has been a staple in classrooms and for anyone who edits Canadian English. With its distinctive red cover, Editing Canadian English, second edition (ECE2) may be the first reference book you pull off the bookshelf when considering how to handle a prickly editing problem. Available for purchase directly from EAC.
Editing Canadian English, third edition update
Thanks go out to the advisory committee for ECE3, who spent considerable time last fall cogitating, ruminating and coming up with suggestions for the revision of ECE2. After evaluating the advisory committee’s comments, which will involve defining ECE3’s purpose and structure, the publications committee will recruit volunteers to create the new product: first researcher/writers, and then structural editors and copy editors.
In the meantime, the publications committee is currently seeking experienced editor volunteers to help structure the ECE3 online database. We are looking for people who are familiar with an established online style database (for example, the online Chicago Manual of Style database) and can advise us on such things as set-up, functionality and user-friendliness. If that is you, please get in touch with the ECE3 production editor, Carolyn Pisani.
2. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
Goal: Get Certified
Make 2013 the year you join the ranks of editors certified by EAC’s landmark certification program. EAC’s certified editors benefit from official recognition of their high level of knowledge and skill—and a marketing advantage.
Registration for the 2013 tests in Copy Editing and Stylistic Editing will open this summer. For more information visit EAC Certification online.
Goal: Tell the world about your achievements
EAC Member News is where we share information about EACers who win awards, publish books and make their mark on the communications world in other important ways. Here are some of the things our members have been up to lately.
BC branch member Susan Chambers has published her first book, Small Business, Big Change: A Microentrepreneur’s Guide to Social Responsibility (Night Owls Press, San Francisco). Learn more about the book at www.smallbusinessbigchange.com.
A Geography of Blood, written by Candace Savage and edited by BC branch member Nancy Flight, recently won the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction
BC branch member Janet Love Morrison has released her fourth book, Friends, Six Friends, Six Cultures, One Humanity (Influence Publishing). The book celebrates multicultural friendships and the belief that when we all rise to be the best we can be—humanity will rise to be the best it can be. www.janetlovemorrison.com
Do you have a recent achievement? Let EAC help tell the world about it on EAC’s Member News page. If you have member news to share, drop us a line at membernews@editors.ca.
Member news coordinator
Want to help us call attention to the great work EAC members are doing? We’re looking for a volunteer to coordinate member news submissions and write the monthly updates. The member news coordinator will monitor submissions received at the membernews@editors.ca address and liaise with members to coordinate permission to publicize news items received from other sources (usually referrals).
If you’re interested in helping us to promote EAC members, while earning a nifty little networking and copywriting notch on your belt, send an email to EAC’s marketing and public relations chair, Tina Dealwis.
Goal: Receive an EAC award
Each year EAC presents several awards recognizing excellence in editing and service to the organization. While nominations for the Tom Fairley Award are now closed, the season for EAC’s other respected awards has only just begun.
Claudette Upton Scholarship
This annual, national award of $1,000 recognizes a promising student editor from among our membership. If you’re a student member, or if you know someone who should be a student member, visit the Claudette Upton Scholarship page for more information. The deadline for submissions is March 1.
President’s Award for Volunteer Service
The President’s Award recognizes outstanding service to the organization, at the branch, twig or national level, by member volunteers. From among the nominations received for the President’s Award, one volunteer is selected to receive the Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year Award. Visit the President’s Award page for more information.
Goal: Pick up some EAC merch
Looking for some vibrant, useful and fun editing merchandise to spruce up your work space?
Eight-Step Editing/EAC Grammar Tips Poster
EAC and Jim Taylor have teamed up to produce a vibrant poster that features practical highlights and tips from Jim’s popular Eight-Step Editing seminar, as well as helpful grammar tips from EAC members.
If you’re an editor or a writer, this colourful quick-reference guide is essential to have on hand to help you find and fix common readability problems in your documents.
Purchase your Eight-Step Editing/EAC Grammar Tips poster now.
EAC magnets
Stick ’em up! EAC’s popular “I’m not obsessed. I’m an editor!” and “Je ne suis pas obsédé. Je suis réviseur.” graphics are now available as magnets. Boast proudly to the world what you do by sticking this tongue-in-cheek magnet on your fridge, filing cabinet, car and the robot you’re building in your garage.
Purchase your magnets now.
Upgrade your pens (at a 10% discount!)
Pen aficionados, rejoice! We’re pleased to announce a new member discount: EACers can now enjoy 10% off purchases at Cult Pens, a UK-based company that specializes in classic, hard-to-find and niche pens, pencils and refills from the world’s biggest manufacturers.
We’re living in a digital age, but many of us know there’s nothing quite like putting pen to paper. This exciting new discount comes with a caveat though: there’s no telling how many hours you’ll while away wondering which chic pen you’ll use next.
Learn more about the Cult Pens discount for EAC members.
Goal: Get a branded email address
Show people what you do with an @editors.ca email address, available exclusively to EAC members. Your @editors.ca address tells people what you do and identifies you as a member of EAC.
3. BUILD YOUR NETWORK: Connect with your fellow editors
Networking is essential for building and maintaining a successful career and for keeping up on industry news. Whether you work in-house or as a business owner, you’re learning about editing, or you’re a veteran editor with years of wisdom to impart, networking is one of the primary benefits of belonging to EAC. As a member of the association, you’re connected with 1,500 editors and communications professionals across the country and abroad.
Goal: Connect with other EACers online
Blog
EAC now has an official blog, The Editors’ Weekly. True to its name, blogs are posted each week at blog.editors.ca. If you’re a seasoned blog reader, you understand the potential for great conversations to crop up when readers leave comments about each blog post. We want to make those conversations happen, and we invite you to join in.
You can subscribe (via RSS) to the blog, or just visit weekly. New content is posted every Tuesday or Wednesday. If you want to try your hand at writing a blog post, contact the blog’s managing editor, Susan Bond.
If you’re already on the world’s largest social networking site, “like” the Editors’ Association of Canada on Facebook.
- Who we connect with
- Eight must-haves for a business plan
- Editing blogs
These are just some of the recent topics of discussion in EAC’s LinkedIn group.
Get the latest EAC and industry news by following us on Twitter. Find EAC @eac_acr.
Flickr
Who says editors are all about words? EAC photos can now be found in one place on EAC’s Flickr page. Check out national executive council meeting photos and pics from recent conferences.
EAC Email List
Here’s a sample of the January discussions on EAC’s popular email list.
- Writing grant applications
- Reference book recommendations
- Examples of style sheets
Whether you’re looking for tips on the business of editing, or a virtual water cooler, the email list has something for you. Join the discussion today!
Interactive Voice
Email not your thing? Check out the web-based, threaded discussion on Interactive Voice (also the home of EAC’s National Job Board).
EAC Membership List
Trying to get in touch with a fellow member? Stay connected with EAC’s online Membership List. Not listed in this opt-in free service yet? Why wait? Visit your Online Profile to list yourself in the Membership List today.
Goal: Attend more branch and twig meetings and social events
If you’re itching to get out and meet with other editors face to face, commit to attending more of the regular meetings and socials hosted by your branch or twig. Each branch and twig offers a variety of local programs for members and non-members alike.
Announcing a new EAC twig!
We’re pleased to welcome the Peterborough Editors Group (PEG) to our growing circle of twigs. PEG will serve editors and other word lovers from Peterborough, Lindsay, Lakefield, Trenton, Oshawa, Whitby and the surrounding areas in Ontario.
Twigs provide similar services to those of EAC branches—opportunities for socializing, networking and professional development—but are located away from EAC branch cities.
EAC’s current twigs are as follows.
- Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph (KWG)
- Hamilton-Halton (HH)
- Peterborough Editors Group (PEG)
- Kingston Editors Group (KEG)
- Nova Scotia (NST)
Thanks to Jane Davidson, PEG twig coordinator, for initiating our newest twig.
Having some twiggy thoughts yourself? Check out EAC’s twig resource for information on getting a local group going in your neck of the woods.
Goal: Attend EAC’s 2013 conference in Halifax (June 7–9)
Only 134 more sleeps! From June 7 to 9, editors, writers, indexers and other lovers of language will converge on the Lord Nelson Hotel in Halifax for EAC’s annual conference.
Our theme this year is “Between the lines / Entre les lignes.” We chose this because it relates to the practice of editing and it connects directly to many of the conference workshops. Editors read the lines authors have written and correct obvious errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation and more. They also read between the lines of text and suggest changes that help authors communicate their message more clearly. Painstaking listening, reading and revising, accompanied by careful inferences, are part of the everyday work of editors.
We hope you’ll join us as we explore what lies between the lines. Visit the Conference 2013 website to learn more about the annual conference and all the workshops and activities we have planned.
Registration for Conference 2013 opens on February 21, with early-bird discounts in effect until April 12. The early-bird fees are $360 for EAC members ($440 for non-members). After April 12, the fees increase to $440 for EAC members ($620 for non-members).
4. GET HIRED: Find work in 2013
Goal: Give your career a boost
Online Directory of Editors
The Online Directory of Editors (ODE) is a searchable online resource that helps employers find the right editor fast. Editors who list in the ODE can attract new clients by creating personalized listings that rank high in online searches. A well-written ODE listing can pay for itself many times over.
Your personal statement and the keywords you use in it are critical. In particular, the first 20 words of your personal statement are key. These 20 words show up in the results when employers and clients are searching for an editor who meets their needs. What makes you the best candidate for the job? Spell it out in these first 20 words.
Learn more about your ODE listing.
Try before buying
There is an annual fee of $80 to be included in the ODE, but any member can create a profile in the ODE—even before paying for it. It won’t be published until you pay for it, but you can still create and preview your profile to see how your entry would look in the ODE. To create your profile, visit the Members’ Area.
National Job Board
The National Job Board is where you’ll find notices of full-time, part-time, contract and freelance opportunities from across the country.
Hotlines
Many branches offer free job announcement services through their hotlines. For more information visit your branch page.
5. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
Goal: Make your resumé more impressive
Want to stand out from the crowd? Consider volunteering for EAC. Volunteering has many benefits for the association, but it can be beneficial to you and your career as well. EAC member volunteers work with influential members of the publishing and communications industries, learn new skills, expand their portfolio and boost their career options.
Featured volunteer opportunities
Member Services Committee, chair (aka Chief Acquirer of STUFF)
Wouldn’t it be grand if EAC membership automatically gave you access to loads of discounts and free stuff? EAC members already enjoy access to affordable insurance plans, as well as discounts on EAC’s own programs and services, and retail outposts like Grand & Toy, Staples and Cult Pens.
Imagine, if you will, spending the morning perusing your favourite magazine, hopping into your rental car and checking into a hotel, before taking in the conference of an EAC partner organization—all at discounted EAC member rates.
Sound great? We think so too! Sometimes getting is just a matter of asking (okay, and working with a team to make things happen). If you have a good idea about the types of benefits that would make an editor’s heart sing and you’ve got what it takes to build relationships, we need you to chair EAC’s member services committee. You’ll work with a team of volunteers to bring your wish list of amazing stuff you don’t want to pay full price for, er…new member benefits to fruition. What’s in it for you? More bang for your buck as an EAC member and a killer leadership, relationship-building and communication credit for your C.V.
Interested? Contact the EAC’s director of volunteer relations, Gael Spivak.
EAC publications, marketing copywriters
If you’re creative, like planning and are marketing savvy, here’s an opportunity to build your resumé while having fun at the same time. The marketing and public relations committee is looking for copywriters to inject some pizazz into an important campaign: getting EAC’s amazing publications into schools.
We’re looking for volunteers to help promote our publications to universities and colleges. Can you write compelling cover letters to advertise strong products? We need you! If you’re interested, contact marketing and public relations committee chair, Tina Dealwis.
Member Communication Committee, social media volunteers
The member communication committee is looking for a few social media savvy volunteers who would love to apply (or enhance) their social media communication skills. Volunteers will work with the committee chair to share information with members and communicate information about the committee’s activities. Volunteers will also follow discussions and identify themes or trends related to member communication that will help us to better serve members. It would be great to have some volunteers who can inspire, encourage and support members to make the most of the social media platforms available to them. In addition to the good karma points for helping out, volunteering for the committee gives people an opportunity to reach out to other members and make new connections.
If you’re interested in social media member communication, contact committee chair Susan Chambers.
Member communication update: EAC membership survey
Committee chair Susan Chambers has completed the preliminary analyses and written a draft of the 2012 membership survey highlights. Once the highlights report is approved, the committee will share the results with EAC members and encourage some lively and illuminating discussions.
Member services update: Staples Advantage program
Many of you have set up accounts with the Staples Advantage discount program, one of EAC’s member services. However, several people contacted us to say they’d sent in an account application but hadn’t heard back from Staples. So we looked into it.
Staples said they had some issues on their end with faxes and emails being improperly processed in their system. It’s been an on-going issue for them for many weeks.
To avoid applications being lost, they are adding a second contact person for EAC. If you fill out the application form and send it by email, send it to our account manager, Nancy Naami (nancy.naami@staples.com), but also cc Uma Jagadeeshwar (uma.jagadeeshwar@staples.com). We’ve updated our website to reflect this change.
Also, they are setting up accounts only when a first order is placed. Initially they set up all the requests they received but their system is designed to make accounts go dormant after three months if no order has been placed. To manage this, Nancy has been calling some applicants to walk them through their first order and set up an account at the same time.
If you think you want an account but won’t be placing an order for four months or more, you may want to consider holding off on your application until you are ready to order.
If you were in the first batch of people who set up an account but you have not yet placed an order, you will likely have a problem when you try to log-in to place an order. Your account will be dormant and the Staples website won’t recognize your password. To fix this, send Nancy and Uma an email.
Gael Spivak, director of volunteer relations
National executive council update: September 2012 minutes now online
Wondering what your national executive council has been up to? The official minutes from the 2012 Q3 meeting are now available. Minutes from the 2012 Q4 meeting will be posted after they are approved by the council in March. And if you just can’t wait until March to find out what went down at that Q4 meeting, be sure to read the latest edition of vice-president Jacquie Dinsmore’s Executive Briefs.
6. PROTECT YOURSELF: Affordable insurance options
Goal: Protect yourself, your family and your ability to earn an income
EAC is pleased to offer several affordable insurance options for EAC members.
Errors and omissions insurance
Professional risks go hand-in-hand with the editing industry. E&O insurance protects you against lawsuits arising from allegations of negligence or wrongdoing, thereby protecting your assets. For a client who has suffered damages, E&O insurance helps to ensure there are adequate funds for compensation.
Health and dental insurance
These enhanced health-care plans can supplement your provincial government’s coverage and help protect you against unexpected health and dental expenses.
With a complete product package that spans term life insurance, permanent participating life, universal life, disability, critical illness and long-term care, these plans can offer you personal peace of mind, regardless of what the future might bring.
Automobile and property insurance
This program offers you competitive group rates and quality insurance coverage for your car, home, home-based business, condominium, apartment, cottage, seasonal home, jewellery, fine art and other valuables. As a member, you could potentially save up to 60% on your insurance premiums.
For more information visit EAC’s Member Services page.
E-news updates are emailed to members several times a year. If you have missed any or if you want to read up on EAC news and events, visit the News page.
The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.