News, events, tips and updates for members of the Editors’ Association of Canada
Happy New Year from the Editors’ Association of Canada! Okay, so it isn’t the start of a new calendar year, but Labour Day signals new beginnings and the unofficial end of summer.
Did you make any resolutions in January? Why not treat September as the time to review the goals you set for yourself, and discover how your EAC membership can help you achieve them?
In this issue:
1. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
2. BUILD YOUR NETWORK: Connect with fellow editors
3. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
4. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Workshops, books and more
5. NATIONAL OFFICE: Staff news
1. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
Goal: Get certified
Thinking about becoming certified?
School’s in! Like the start of a new year, September is the perfect time to set new goals and commit to professional development. Are you thinking about writing EAC’s Proofreading or Structural Editing certification test? There’s no better time to hit the books and become certified.
Last chance until 2014 to take the Proofreading and Structural Editing tests!
Registration is still open, but only until October 26. These tests won’t be offered again until 2014 (the Copy Editing and Stylistic Editing tests will be offered in 2013), so don’t miss your chance to sharpen your pencils, flex your editing muscles, test your skills and enhance your career.
The Proofreading and Structural Editing tests will take place on Saturday, November 17, in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Halifax.
Register today to see how EAC Certification can help your career.
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.
Do you have a recent achievement? Contact member news coordinator, Marguerite Watson. Each news item will be posted once on the website and once in EAC’s e-news update.
Join EAC’s Speakers List
EAC’s speakers are members who will speak about EAC and the editing profession at meetings of associations and groups, at colleges and universities, and at career fairs in their community.
View the speakers list.
Want to join the speakers list? If you have a flair for public speaking and you enjoy talking to a variety of audiences about EAC and/or what editors do, please contact Marketing and Public Relations Committee chair Tina Dealwis at marketing_and_pr@editors.ca.
Identify yourself as a public speaker in the Online Directory of Editors
If you have a listing in EAC’s Online Directory of Editors (ODE), make sure you let searchers know you’re an experienced public speaker. Edit your Online Profile by checking the “I am an experienced public speaker, available to talk to groups and associations about editors and editing” box.
Not listed in the ODE? Visit the Members’ Area for more information about purchasing your own listing in the official advertising directory of association members.
2. BUILD YOUR NETWORK: Connect with 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.
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.
Goal: Attend EAC’s first ever Maritimes conference in 2013 (Halifax, June 7–9)
Investigative reporter for The Muppets is keynote speaker
Are you a grammar stickler? Do typos make you cringe? Know the difference between an em dash and an en dash?
Join Canada’s editors as they converge on Halifax June 7–9, 2013, for the Editors’ Association of Canada national conference. One special highlight: Robert MacNeil.
The internationally known reporter and author has generously agreed to be our opening keynote speaker. He will talk about his own experience with many editors and how valuable they have been to his writing. As well, he may explore what the future holds for editors: are they an endangered species as publishing goes digital?
For 20 years Robert MacNeil was executive editor and co-anchor of The MacNeil/Lehrer Report on PBS. Born in Montreal and raised in Halifax, MacNeil’s 40-year journalism career began with 5 years at Reuters News Agency in London. As an investigative reporter, he covered the JFK assassination (and he may have unknowingly met assassin Lee Harvey Oswald) and the Watergate scandal, but junior newshounds may know him best for his Sesame Street Special Report “Cookiegate.”
Visit our conference page for more information on the conference.
Nancy Holland and Valerie Mansour
Co-chairs, Conference 2013
Goal: Celebrate International Plain Language Day (October 13)
International Plain Language Day will be celebrated all over the world on October 13. Events are organized by local supporters. More information and ideas for local events are available at www.iplday.org. For the first time, there will be a virtual conference organized by the International Plain Language Day founders, Cheryl Stephens and Kate Harrison Whiteside.
Goal: Connect with other EACers online
If you’re already on the world’s largest social networking site, “like” the Editors’ Association of Canada on Facebook.
“Write drunk; edit sober”? Corporate buzz words? Join in on 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
PayPal fees, estimating for HTML coding, and using PowerPoint. These are some of the September discussions on EAC’s popular email list. 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.
3. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
Goal: Make your resumé more impressive
EAC’s 2012–13 national executive council and committee chairs officially took office on September 4. Here’s a rundown of who’s who.
National executive council
President: Greg Ioannou (Toronto)
Vice-President: Jacqueline Dinsmore (Quebec/Atlantic Canada)
Past President: Michelle Boulton (Saskatchewan)
Secretary: David Harrison (British Columbia)
Treasurer: Danielle Arbuckle (Toronto)
Regional Director of Branches and Twigs (West): Arden Ogg (Prairie Provinces)
Regional Director of Branches and Twigs (East): Julia Cochrane (Nova Scotia)
Director of Communications: Adrienne Montgomerie (Kingston)
Director of Francophone Affairs: Sandra Gravel (Quebec/Atlantic Canada)
Director of Professional Standards: Moira White (National Capital Region)
Director of Publications: Karen Virag (Prairie Provinces)
Director of Training & Development: Ken Weinberg (Toronto)
Director of Volunteer Relations: Gael Spivak (National Capital Region)
Executive Director: Carolyn L Burke
National committee chairs and other national positions
Francophone Affairs Committee: Anna Olivier (Quebec/Atlantic Canada)
Certification Steering Committee: Janice Dyer (Toronto), Anne Brennan (British Columbia)
Conference Committee: Nancy Holland (Nova Scotia), Valerie Mansour (Nova Scotia)
Forum Monitor: Joanne Haskins (Toronto)
List Monitor: Nancy Wills (Kingston)
Marketing and Public Relations Committee: Tina Dealwis (Toronto)
Mediator: Michael Benedict (Toronto)
Member Communication Committee: Susan Chambers (British Columbia)
Newsletter Committee, English Print Editor: Pamela Capraru (Toronto)
Newsletter Committee, English Online Editor: Patricia Matos (British Columbia)
Newsletter Committee, French Editor: Carolyne Roy (Quebec/Atlantic Canada)
Professional Standards Committee: Lynne Massey (Toronto)
Publications Committee: Elizabeth Macfie (National Capital Region), Anne Louise Mahoney (National Capital Region)
Training and Development Committee: Dr. Peter J. Roccia (Prairie Provinces)
Volunteer Management Committee: Lisa Goodlet (National Capital Region)
External Liaison Committee: Carolyn L Burke, EAC executive director
Book and Periodical Council, EAC Representative: Stephanie Fysh (Toronto)
Freedom of Expression Committee, EAC Representative: Marg Anne Morrison (Toronto)
Cultural Human Resources Council, EAC Representative: Karen Virag (Prairie Provinces)
Human Resources Committee: Greg Ioannou, EAC president (Toronto)
Nominating Committee: Michelle Boulton, EAC past president (Saskatchewan)
Want to give your career a lift? Volunteer for EAC. Volunteering has many benefits for the association, but it can be a professional advantage for you as well. EAC member volunteers work with influential members of the publishing and communications industries, learn new skills, expand their portfolios and boost their career options.
Current opportunities
Here are just some of the positions that are currently available.
Chair, Member Services Committee
EAC already offers members some great discounts and services, but this is one area where more = better! Do you want to see new services and benefits? Of course you do. We’re looking for a committee chair to help identify and lock down the kinds of benefits EAC members are after. Interested in getting more, more, more for your EAC membership? Join the Member Services Committee! Contact Gael Spivak at Director_Volunteers@editors.ca to get involved.
Members, Member Communication Committee
The Member Communication Committee is looking for a few social media savvy volunteers who love spending time participating in and following discussion threads on various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter) and the email forums (“the lists”). Volunteers will track discussions related to member needs and advocacy for the profession and organization, and collate comments for the committee. Interested? Contact Susan Chambers at mcc@editors.ca to get involved.
Manager, EAC Social Media
Attention social media savvy editors!
Can’t get enough of Facebook? Do you tweet until twilight? If you’re hooked on social media, EAC’s Marketing and Public Relations Committee needs you! We’re looking for a volunteer Social Media Manager to oversee and handle EAC’s social media updates on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Social media is the future of business communications and this position is a great opportunity to build experience—and your resumé! You’ll interact with EAC members, enhance your career and have fun! If you’re interested, please contact Tina Dealwis at marketing_and_pr@editors.ca.
4. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Workshops, books and more
Students aren’t the only ones starting new courses and hitting the books. September means a new crop of EAC workshops and seminars. Take the “new year” as your cue to brush up on your professional development.
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. Whether you want to know more about grammar, copy editing, copyright law or running a freelance business, there’s something for everyone.
For more information about workshops in your area, visit EAC’s seminars page and stay in touch with your branch or twig.
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. Your local branch and twig pages (many of which have recently been updated) will help you on the path to excellence.
Certification Study Guides
EAC’s recently revised 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.
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 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. And we’re not the only ones who think so: Ryerson University’s Publishing Program and Mount Royal University have adopted volumes of Meeting Professional Editorial Standards as course textbooks. Available for purchase now.
Editing Canadian English
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 may be the first reference book you pull off the bookshelf when considering how to handle a prickly editing problem. While it may have been a little tricky to track down in the past, Editing Canadian English is now available directly from EAC.
Editing Canadian English news
As of September 10, EAC has collected over $5,000 selling Editing Canadian English ourselves. (Compare this figure with our $300 to $500 in royalties per year in previous years and you’ll see why we’re excited!) We have more than covered the cost of acquiring all rights and copies of the title, as well as all costs involved in selling and distributing the book ourselves. As well, several schools have adopted ECE and Meeting Professional Editorial Standards, and many more are mentioning these books to students as important resources.
Meanwhile, work on the third edition of Editing Canadian English is well under way. Research into how best to publish the revised resource was funded by Access Copyright Foundation. On August 9, EAC learned that its report on how the grant was used had been approved. The program consultant wrote, “It was interesting to consider the scope of the research and the conclusions that emerged around publishing Editing Canadian English in a more cost-effective and easily revised format. I look forward to purchasing a copy (virtual or otherwise!) when it comes out.” EAC is now eligible to apply for future grants from the Foundation.
Stay tuned for more details in the coming months about ECE in its new incarnation.
Elizabeth Macfie and Anne Louise Mahoney
Co-chairs, Publications Committee
5. NATIONAL OFFICE: Staff news
We’re pleased to announce an addition to the national office staff. Sébastien Koch joined the staff at the end of August as EAC’s certification program administrator and is very excited to have joined the team. Sébastien grew up in France and recently moved to Canada after finishing his studies in England. He has an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and a MSc in e-Marketing. A native-French speaker, he will also be working closely with the Francophone Affairs Committee to develop EAC’s French-language services. In his free time, Sébastien likes watching films, reading, cooking and visiting new places. Welcome, Sébastien!
The EAC national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.