News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada
In this issue:
1. FIND WORK: Making the most of EAC’s job tools
2. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: It’s our time to shine!
3. ACTIVE VOICE: Winter 2013 issue update
4. EDITING CANADIAN ENGLISH: Third edition update
5. CONFERENCE: Think 2013, think Halifax
6. DICTIONNAIRE DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE: Free trial
7. EMAIL FORUM: Get only the emails you want
8. MEMBER COMMUNICATION: 2012 survey update
9. SHOP EAC: Grammar goodies for word nerds
1. FIND WORK: Making the most of EAC’s job tools
Looking for work? EAC offers members a number of services that can help with the job search.
Online Directory of Editors (ODE)
The ODE is one of the most popular services EAC offers. A number of members have reported they have generated enough income from their ODE profile to pay for their membership fees several times over. While the ODE ranks very high in Google searches, your success generating work through the ODE is determined by the strength of your personal profile. Don’t forget; you’re competing with hundreds of other editors who are also listed in the ODE. It’s this ability to choose from so many listings that makes the ODE so attractive to employers and clients.
Your personal statement and the keywords you use in it are vital. 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. Take a minute to consider what makes you the best candidate, look at some of the other profiles in the ODE and, if needed, revise your own profile to ensure that you stand out from the crowd.
Edit your ODE profile.
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
Be sure to check the National Job Board regularly for new job postings.
Branch/Twig Hotlines
Many branches and twigs offer job hotline services that are free for EAC members, so be sure to contact your local branch or twig to find out how to sign up for the hotline service. Some branches and twigs are also on social media and recirculate job openings on Facebook and Twitter. Find out if your branch or twig has a social media presence and make sure you’re following them.
Networking
Last, but certainly not least, networking is the greatest benefit of membership in EAC. Editors will often subcontract work to or recommend a colleague if they can’t take a job. Get involved in EAC and get to know your fellow members: attend local meetings, volunteer and sign up for EAC’s email forum. The bigger your network, the better your chances of finding job opportunities.
2. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: It’s our time to shine!
Editing might be an invisible art, but that doesn’t mean great editors should hide in the shadows. Help us shine a spotlight on editing excellence by submitting a nomination for the 2012 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence!
The recipient of the 2012 Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence will receive a $2,000 cash prize and will be recognized at EAC’s 2013 conference banquet in Halifax on June 8. What’s more, finalists will receive a cash prize of $500 each, because being shortlisted for the Tom Fairley Award is also recognition of outstanding editorial performance.
The deadline for your letter of nomination is Friday, January 11. Supporting material must be received by Friday, January 25.
Please spread this message far and wide. Nominees don’t have to be members of EAC and self-nominations are encouraged.
For complete nomination instructions and other information about the award, visit the Tom Fairley Award page.
MORE THAN BOOKS!
Editors know that the fine art of editing extends beyond books and print media. While EAC’s Tom Fairley Award has been awarded to many outstanding book editors in the 28 years since it was created, we encourage nominations for a variety of written projects. Whether it’s a magazine, corporate or government report, software documentation or a book, we want to hear about it. When it comes to editing, the variety of material is limitless!
3. ACTIVE VOICE: Winter 2013 issue update
The Active Voice/Voix active team is hard at work on the Winter 2013 issue and plans to go to press in the coming weeks. Watch your mailbox for
- a profile of 2011 Tom Fairley Award winner, Iva Cheung;
- a profile of 2012 Lee d’Anjou Volunteer of the Year, Barbara Dylla;
- a piece about singer-songwriter and association member Marie-Lynn Hammond;
- articles in English and French about neologisms and the evolution of language;
- a reflection on professional etiquette
- a Christmas shopping list for language professionals;
- an article on how to create a style guide; and
- other fascinating tidbits to stimulate your cerebral hemispheres.
4. EDITING CANADIAN ENGLISH: Third edition update
The initial stages of the production of a third edition of Editing Canadian English (ECE) are continuing apace. The ECE Advisory Committee, consisting of ten senior-editor members of EAC, is reading the assessments of each chapter of ECEII that were done in winter and spring 2012. These editors will recommend the content and structure of the next version of ECE.
As well, we are investigating how to create ECE as a web-based product and considering finding a new main title (though retaining the familiar, explanatory subtitle Editing Canadian English).
As the year progresses, we will be assigning members to research and prepare the new content.
Looking for the second edition of Editing Canadian English? Purchase your copy directly from EAC now.
5. CONFERENCE: Think 2013, think Halifax
Plans for the 2013 conference in Halifax are under way. Taking place at the Lord Nelson Hotel, a landmark across from the city’s beautiful Victorian gardens, the conference promises to inspire, inform—and charm.
Your conference committee needs two key volunteers: a session host coordinator and a conference program coordinator.
Session Host Coordinator
A session host can be an EAC committee or executive council member, or any conference attendee who volunteers to introduce a session speaker, facilitate the Q&A and take responsibility for evaluation forms. The session host coordinator will
- compile contact info for those who have volunteered to be session hosts (from registration lists provided by the EAC);
- recruit additional hosts as needed;
- assign each session host to a speaker and facilitate connection between the two;
- compile and circulate materials to prepare session hosts for their responsibilities; and
- prepare information packages for them to pick up at the venue.
Conference Program Coordinator
EAC hires a professional designer to produce a printed program for distribution at the conference, but volunteer help is also needed. The conference program coordinator—working mainly in April and May—will
- collaborate with the communications manager on the design direction;
- get session descriptions, schedules, room numbers, and speaker bios and photos from the speaker coordinator;
- gather other information for the program as needed;
- compile, write and/or edit all program content (most of which can be duplicated or adapted from the conference website);
- gather sponsor logos and other images; and
- circulate successive drafts of the program to the conference committee at various stages.
Can you fill one of these rewarding roles? Please contact the conference committee at conference@editors.ca.
6. DICTIONNAIRE DE LA LANGUE FRANÇAISE: Free trial
EAC members have been offered a free trial of Dictionnaire de la langue française. Described as a true pioneer of the French language, the dictionary covers the particulars of French used in Quebec in everyday life and work. With its 60,000 words and 35,000 quotations, it provides clear answers to frequently asked questions on vocabulary and new words, criticism, pronunciation, spelling and spelling corrections, new grammar, the feminization of job titles, the combination of all the verbs in simple and compound tense, typography, and so on. It also features clear examples from a Quebec context.
Activate your free trial by completing the registration form at franqus.ca.
7. EMAIL FORUM: Get only the emails you want
The list is your friend!
To enjoy the benefits of the EAC email forum (the list) while minimizing the annoyance factor of excess emails, members are reminded that they can filter messages based on the tags assigned by the originator of a post. The list is a significant benefit of EAC membership. Day after day, and all year round, it provides information and insight, support and affirmation, and a chuckle about things only editors would find funny.
However, in today’s world of information overload, we all need strategies to manage the flow. Three mandatory tags must be used for posts so subscribers can filter threads to avoid mailbox clutter: “CHAT,” “HUMOUR” and “MEMNEWS.” You can choose to receive messages with these tags or not.
Setting up topic filtering in your email forum subscription settings
1. Go to the email forum member options login page.
2. After logging in (subscribers receive a password reminder email on the first of each month), scroll down and make selections for “Which topic categories would you like to subscribe to?” and “Do you want to receive messages that do not match any topic filter?”
For example, if you want to opt out of chat, but still receive humour and member news, you would complete the following steps.
- Under “Which topic categories would you like to subscribe to?” check HUMOUR and MEMNEWS.
- Then under “Do you want to receive messages that do not match any topic filter?” select Yes.
What you’ve done here is tell the server to send you all list emails except those with “CHAT” in the subject line.
3. Click “Submit My Changes.”
You can adjust these settings as often as you wish. Please note that topic filtering will only work for those who do not subscribe to the email forum in digest mode.
There are eight other tags that also help you manage incoming messages by allowing you to quickly identify discussions of interest. Please review the
recently revised email forum guidelines (94.48 KB) to remind yourself about the tags and their usage, as well as other tips to make the list more enjoyable and manageable.
If you ever want to see messages you missed, visit the email forum archive.
Need email forum assistance? Please contact the national office at info@editors.ca.
8. MEMBER COMMUNICATION: 2012 survey update
The Member Communication Committee spent most of October sifting through the open-ended responses to the EAC 2012 membership survey. Thanks to the diligent and enthusiastic efforts of Mary McNeill and Ruth Chernia, who volunteered to help analyze the survey’s open-ended questions, we got through this stage of the data analysis in a timely manner. Many hands do, indeed, make light work! Committee chair Susan Chambers is compiling a report for members that presents the survey highlights and hopes to have this report complete in the near future.
9. SHOP EAC: Grammar goodies for word nerds
Looking for editing-related gifts? EAC has new goodies for sale just in time for the holidays.
Eight-Step Editing/EAC Grammar Tips Poster
EAC and Jim Taylor have teamed up to produce a vibrant poster of practical highlights and tips from Jim’s popular Eight-Step Editing seminar, as well as helpful grammar tips from EAC members. This colourful quick-reference guide is essential to have on hand to help you find and fix common readability problems in your documents.
The poster is 43 cm x 56 cm (17″ x 22″) and is printed on glossy stock. Pick one up for $15* per poster (EAC member price).
Purchase your Eight-Step Editing/EAC Grammar Tips poster now.
“I’m not obsessed. I’m an editor.” and “Je ne suis pas obsédé. Je suis réviseur.” Magnets
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 or car. (Hey, why not?)
Each magnet is 9.5 cm x 4.5 cm (3.75″ x 1.75″) and is printed on vinyl (roughly 0.5 mm thick). For just $5* per magnet (EAC member price), you can pick up one of these economical gems for your magnetic surface today. Or pick up a bunch and cover that magnetic surface entirely. That’ll show people who’s (truly) obsessed!
Purchase your magnets now.
Happy shopping!
*Poster is shipped folded. Canadian shipping included in purchase price. Ontario HST extra. For bulk orders of the above products, contact EAC’s national office at store@editors.ca.
The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.