News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!
Summer is traditionally a time to kick back and relax, but things are always buzzing at EAC. So it’s the perfect time for you to look into valuable marketing and networking activities that can help you to get ahead while others are taking it easy.
Want to build your skills, expand your network and earn some valuable professional development? Find what you’re looking for and more in this issue of the e-news update.
In this issue:
1. EAC CERTIFICATION: Register this month
2. ACTIVE VOICE: Recruiting a managing editor for EAC’s national magazine
3. CONFERENCE 2014: Join the Toronto conference team
4. MARKETING: Join the branding task force
5. VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT: Looking for team leaders
6. PUBLICATIONS: Editing Canadian English update
7. MEMBER SERVICES: Changes to home and auto insurance plans for EAC members
8. PROMOTE YOURSELF: Member news
9. ANNUAL REPORT: 2012–13 report now online
10. EXTERNAL LIAISON: EAC members invited to register for PLAIN2013 at discounted rate
1. EAC CERTIFICATION: Register this month
Registration for EAC’s 2013 certification tests opens on July 29.
The Copy Editing and Stylistic Editing tests will be offered on Saturday, November 16, in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax. The discounted fee for EAC members is $425 to write one test or $800 to write both tests.
Order your Certification Study Guides!
Each Study Guide contains a practice test with answer keys and studying tips. The practice tests help you develop your test-taking skills and show you what the real test is like. Remember, preparing mentally is just as important as practising your editing skills, especially if you haven’t written an exam recently.
Order a Certification Study Guide.
Follow a study plan!
Begin preparing early. Whether you work alone or with a group, set aside regular study time.
Work through the Certification Study Guide and Meeting Professional Editorial Standards, and review your reference books. In addition, you can increase your skills by taking courses. Time yourself when you take the practice test—you may find that you need to increase your speed to finish the test in the allotted time.
Enjoy the process! Working through the study materials is a valuable professional development exercise.
Learn more about EAC Certification.
Where can we advertise our 2013 certification exams?
Where would you expect to find an ad for EAC’s certification exams? What magazines do you think cater to potential certification candidates? What websites do editors and people who edit as part of their job visit?
Help us find people who’ve been editing for several years and might be interested in becoming certified editors. They don’t necessarily work in publishing: they might be in marketing, public relations, technical writing or administration.
You can help in two ways.
- Email us your ideas for possible publications, websites, water coolers—wherever you think potential exam candidates might be hanging out.
- Offer to do a little research to help us whittle down the list.
Email EAC’s certification communications project manager, Lori Straus, to volunteer your skills, knowledge or ideas.
2. ACTIVE VOICE: Recruiting a managing editor for EAC’s national magazine
EAC is seeking an English-language managing editor for Active Voice/Voix active (AV/Va), the association’s twice yearly magazine.
As part of the AV/Va editorial committee, duties of the managing editor include soliciting articles, editing articles (or having them edited), writing an editorial message, writing articles (if so inclined), suggesting images, ensuring that AV/Va style guides and writer guidelines are current, liaising with volunteer copy editors and proofreaders, and working in tandem with the French-language managing editor to ensure that English and French articles match the overall theme of the issue (Note: the AV/Va editors work independently, but their work is guided by the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief provides a production schedule to the AV/Va editorial committee; the managing editors are responsible for ensuring they adhere to the production schedule).
At the moment, AV/Va is published twice a year; each edition has 20 pages. The right candidate is a skilled editor, has experience working in magazines or with newsletters, shows good judgment and flexibility in balancing numerous demands, is diplomatic, is able to mentor and encourage volunteers, and has a solid understanding of EAC and its concerns and interests. It is hard to estimate the time required for this position; obviously more time would be required near publication dates.
Interested candidates should send a letter of interest and a resumé to EAC’s director of publications, Karen Virag.
3. CONFERENCE 2014: Join the Toronto conference team
Many of us feel like we’ve only just returned from Halifax, but some of us are already thinking ahead—to the 2014 conference in Toronto! The conference will be held at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, from June 6 to June 8, 2014.
Conference committee co-chairs Emily Dockrill Jones and Nancy Foran are already hard at work, but they can’t do it alone! They are actively recruiting for the following volunteer roles:
Communications Coordinator, Web
This volunteer will
- participate in weekly conference call meetings;
- assist with creating the conference communications plan and monthly and weekly communications;
- prepare and plan how to deliver content provided by the communications coordinator, who will be heading up writing; and
- assist with the recruitment of the conference webmaster (or fulfill that role themselves).
The ideal candidate is familiar with web publishing, is deadline driven, and works well with a large and varied team.
Volunteer Coordinator
This volunteer will
- assist with recruiting and coordinating volunteers as needed;
- recruit and coordinate on-site volunteers;
- compile contact lists of volunteers;
- prepare a schedule for on-site volunteers; and
- provide instruction for on-site volunteers.
The ideal candidate is a natural networker and can be an ambassador for the conference.
Social Media Coordinator
This volunteer will
- participate in weekly conference call meetings and
- initiate and coordinate conference communications and promotion on social media platforms.
The ideal candidate is active in social media and is willing and able to regularly post on behalf of the 2014 conference.
Speaker Coordinator
This volunteer will
- participate in weekly conference call meetings;
- prepare the call for conference proposals/submissions;
- research and compile contact information for potential non-member speakers;
- compile and maintain a spreadsheet with potential speaker/session info;
- handle direct communication with speakers; and
- assist with scheduling conference sessions.
The ideal candidate has some background in professional development (for EAC or elsewhere), can meet deadlines, and will follow through until the task is accomplished.
Toronto Experience Coordinator
This volunteer will
- participate in weekly conference calls;
- work under the direction of the communications coordinator to write, research and coordinate tourism and other interesting info about Toronto for the conference website;
- organize the Thursday night pay-as-you-go dinner; and
- source free items for conference bags.
The ideal candidate is passionate about Toronto and keen to show local and out-of-town conference attendees all that the city has to offer.
The conference organizers are also looking for innovative copywriters, exacting copyeditors and proofreaders, and social media mavens for the conference communications committee.
If you are interested in any of the volunteer roles outlined above or in volunteering for the 2014 conference in any way, please contact the conference committee co-chairs.
See you in Toronto!
4. MARKETING: Join the branding task force
EAC’s branding task force is searching for a few members who are experienced in enterprise brand management and/or message development. If you’re interested in joining the team, contact Carolyn L Burke.
5. VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT: Looking for team leaders
Want free professional development? Learn how to do things like manage a project, coordinate with other groups or supervise a team. These are all valuable career skills for in-house or freelance editors.
How can you get this free training? By volunteering.
The volunteer management committee needs a chair or co-chairs to help shepherd several new projects we’ve started that will help improve the EAC volunteer experience. If you want to help with this, and want to gain or improve your project management skills, contact EAC’s director of volunteer relations, Gael Spivak.
6. PUBLICATIONS: Editing Canadian English update
The publications committee continues to work on the new, web-based version of Editing Canadian English. We are currently selecting our web product development consultant and will soon engage volunteer help to break the new content hierarchy down into subcategories. Based on advice from a web product development consultant, we will engage volunteer help to create a style and format guide for our researchers and writers. Then, we will launch our volunteer researchers into preparing the content for this new product.
As well, we will engage volunteer marketing experts early in the production process. Decisions on details such as title and price will evolve in the coming year. We plan to make a print-on-demand version available, as well as the online subscription format.
Sales of our existing publications (Editing Canadian English, 2nd ed.; Meeting Professional Editorial Standards; and Certification Study Guides) continue to generate income every month.
Elizabeth Macfie
Co-chair, publications committee
7. MEMBER SERVICES: Changes to home and auto insurance plans for EAC members
We regret to announce that Waterloo Insurance has decided to cease offering discounted rates on home and auto insurance to EAC members. Members who have already signed up will still be insured for the remainder of their terms, but the plans will not be renewed by Waterloo once the terms are up.
The national office is currently working with brokers to source new providers for discounted home and auto insurance. EAC’s relationship with providers of errors and omissions, health and dental insurance, as well as financial planning services, remains unchanged.
Learn more about EAC’s member services.
8. PROMOTE YOURSELF: Member news
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. 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, contact EAC’s member news coordinator, Kerri Niblett.
9. ANNUAL REPORT: 2012–13 report now online
The final version of EAC’s 2012–13 Annual Report is now available for download (709.3 KB). Thanks to Anita Jenkins for coordinating this huge project.
NEW! French version!
You are also invited to read the French version of EAC’s 2012–13 Annual Report (680.25 KB). Thank you to member volunteers Anne-Marie Deraspe, Sandra Gravel, Marie-Christine Payette and Sylvie Théodule for their work on translating the report from the original English.
10. EXTERNAL LIAISON: EAC members invited to register for PLAIN2013 at discounted rate
Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) has invited EAC members to register for its 9th international conference (Vancouver, October 10–13, 2013). Register by August 31 to take advantage of discounted rates.
For more information, visit the PLAIN2013 website.
The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.