Happy New Year!
Phew! Has a year ever been more welcome than 2021?
Something we all learned in 2020 was the importance of connections. We’ve known for a long time that making connections is essential for building and maintaining a successful career, but the pandemic has also taught us that staying connected is essential for our well-being, too.
Editors Canada is a national hub where members come together to support and assist one another, and to share professional insights and opportunities. We are proud to offer a variety of options for members to connect with one another. Whether you work in-house or freelance, and whether you’re a student or a veteran editor, your community is here.
In this edition of the e-news update, you’ll find achievable goals to set you on the right track in 2021. And you’ll learn how Editors Canada can help, every step of the way.
In this issue:
1. STAY CONNECTED: Network with other editors
2. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Online learning, books and more
3. GET HIRED: Find work in 2021
4. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
5. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
6. SAVE MONEY: Take advantage of Editors Canada discounts
7. PROTECT YOURSELF: Free mediation support for Editors Canada members
8. BOOKMARK IT: Find Editors Canada benefits and services in one place
9. EXTERNAL LIAISON: News from The Indexing Society of Canada
10. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. STAY CONNECTED: Network with other editors
GOAL: Connect with other editors online
The Editors’ Vine and la Vigne des réviseurs
Members of Editors Canada who face barriers to attending twig or branch meetings now have another option: a virtual meeting. We’ve named this group the Editors’ Vine because a vine grows in and among branches and twigs.
The Editors’ Vine meetings usually happen on the first Thursday of the month and the Saturday that immediately follows. If you would like to join us, please email vine@editors.ca. The Zoom link will be sent out during the week of the meeting.
If you are interested in participating in our monthly French-language online meeting, la Vigne des réviseurs, please contact Agnès André.
Branch and twig events
Many local events have moved online. To find out what’s happening in your local group, visit your branch or twig page.
Our members-only Facebook group is a private place where we can talk, share information, and ask and answer questions about editing and whatever else people want to discuss.
We also have a student affiliates Facebook group to support the next generation of editors.
Are you an in-house editor? Join the Editors Canada in-house editors Facebook group today.
Of course, you can also like and follow the official Editors Canada Facebook page.
Get the latest Editors Canada news and other lively information and discussion by following us on Twitter. Find us @editorscanada.
Many of our branches and twigs and our national conference have their own accounts on Twitter as well. You’ll find all of these accounts on our Editors Canada groups list.
Looking for Editors Canada on LinkedIn? Join the Editors Canada LinkedIn group and follow our company page.
We’re on Instagram, too! Follow @editorscanada.
Editors Canada email list
Our email list is always available for you to ask questions and have discussions with your colleagues.
Editors Canada membership list
Trying to get in touch with a fellow member? Want your fellow editors to be able to find you? Stay connected with the Editors Canada membership list (in the members’ area of the association website).
Not listed in this opt-in service yet? Why wait? Visit your Online Profile to list yourself in the membership list for free today (select the option to “Update my ODE profile”). The more of us who opt in, the more valuable this list becomes.
Learn more about creating or updating your membership list profile.
GOAL: Attend our first fully virtual national conference
Editors Transform
The Editors Canada conference committee is pleased to announce that the 2021 conference will be held completely online on June 12 and 13. We look forward to learning and networking with fellow editors from all over the world for #Editors21 #Reviseurs21. Registration will open in early spring.
Stay informed
Don’t forget to join the conference Facebook group or follow us on Twitter (English, French) to get all the latest information about the conference. Shares and retweets are also appreciated. Thanks for helping us get the word out!
2. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Online learning, books and more
GOAL: Train online with Editors Canada
Want to get your training from the comfort of your own home? Many Editors Canada webinars have been recorded and are now available for purchase (and some are even free). When you buy a webinar recording, you’ll receive a video file to watch at your leisure on your computer or mobile device. The file is yours to keep, so you can watch it again and again.
Visit our webinar recordings page to see what’s available now. We’re adding new recordings regularly and some are available for a limited time only, so be sure to check often.
Our 2021 webinar season will launch soon. Stay tuned for the announcement!
GOAL: Take part in branch and twig training opportunities
Many of our branches and twigs are also offering training online. Visit your branch or twig page to learn more.
GOAL: Get help launching your career with our Career Builder
Make launching your career a little easier. The Career Builder provides a roadmap for would-be editors, students and novice editors to improve their chances of successfully launching their editing careers.
Experienced editors created the four-page PDF to help guide new and would-be editors to create a personalized career-development action plan. It provides valuable information the creators wish they had when they started their careers.
The three-year plan covers specific, tangible activities, focusing on three key objectives:
- Becoming part of the community and expanding your network
- Training to build on your previous education and existing skills to become an effective and efficient editor
- Finding work by building your resumé and establishing yourself in the editorial profession
It provides a generic roadmap that can be used by any English- or French-speaking person to discover the places you should visit along the way to improve the chances of successfully launching your editing career.
As well, experienced editors can use the Career Builder anytime a student or novice editor asks them for advice on starting an editing career. For those who teach, the Career Builder is an excellent resource to share with your students.
The Career Builder is one of the many ways Editors Canada is supporting and advancing the profession and excellence in editing.
Available now as a free download.
GOAL: Take part in Editors Canada mentorship
The John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program offers a one-on-one mentor-mentee relationship available exclusively to Editors Canada members and student affiliates.
Mentorship is a method of offering professional development opportunities in a “community of sharing.” Mentors help other members of their profession to enhance their knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in a flexible, responsive and transformational environment. Coaching and confidence-building are important features of mentorship.
Learn more about the John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program.
GOAL: Hit the books
Whether you’re en route to becoming a certified editor or you’re brushing up on your skills, having the best resources is key. Editors Canada publications will help you on the path to excellence.
Professional Editorial Standards
What is editing? What do editors do? Professional Editorial Standards clarifies what is expected of Canadian editors and defines the criteria against which their knowledge, skills and practice can be measured.
- It sets out what editors should do when performing various stages of editing.
- It tells employers what to expect from the editors they hire.
- It shows new editors the range of skills and knowledge they should aspire to.
- It helps post-secondary institutions and other training providers to design material, seminars and courses on editing.
- And it’s the foundation on which Editors Canada’s Professional Certification of editors is built.
Download Professional Editorial Standards for free now.
From Contact to Contract: How Editors Get Clients to Work With Them
From Contact to Contract: How Editors Get Clients to Work With Them offers pearls of wisdom from a group of respected editors who have over two centuries of experience between them. Whether you’re new to the editing business or have a solid client base, finding and contracting work is always of interest. This is one book you’ll refer to again and again.
The eBook is available for sale from retailers like Amazon, Indigo and Barnes & Noble.
Editing Canadian English and Editorial Niches
What do expert editors from Editors Canada and beyond say about Canadianization, spelling, the editor’s legal and ethical responsibilities, copyright, bilingual text and more? Find out in Editing Canadian English, 3rd edition. It’s a reference guide you can depend on.
Some of the common questions addressed by Editing Canadian English include these:
- What are the differences between proofreading, copy editing, stylistic editing and structural editing, and how do I know which role is required?
- When is it appropriate to adapt Canadian words that an international audience might stumble over?
- What are the biases common in Canada and how do I correct for them?
- How do I settle on a Canadian spelling when even our dictionaries can’t agree?
- What punctuation issues are specific to Canada?
- How do I reconcile the metric versus imperial mix that characterizes Canadian usage?
- How do I work with French text in English documents?
Get Editing Canadian English and Editorial Niches in the same eBook
The eBook contains all of Editing Canadian English and the companion volume, Editorial Niches.
Explore key roles and requirements for editors today, such as the fundamentals of editing, Professional Editorial Standards for structural editing, stylistic editing, copy editing and proofreading, professional development, fact checking, indexing, email etiquette and software for editors.
Learn about a wide variety of editorial niches from editors who are experts in their field. Niches include online materials, corporations, not-for-profits, associations, government, educational materials, poetry, plays, screenplays, cookbooks, magazines, science, technology, medicine and more.
How to buy the eBook
The eBook comes in .epub and .mobi formats and is available for purchase on Kindles, Kobos and Nooks, and on Amazon, Indigo, Barnes & Noble and many other places eBooks are sold.
Print edition
Looking for print copies of Editing Canadian English and Editorial Niches? Purchase your copies now from UBC Press. You can also order them from your favourite bookseller.
Certification Test Preparation Guides
If you want to be certification-ready, you’ll need the most current prep tools available. Editors Canada’s Test Preparation Guides are the go-to resources for anyone who wants to become a certified editor.
Each volume of the test preparation guides contains useful information to help you get ready for professional certification. You’ll also get a practice test (Microsoft Word format), an answer key, a marking sheet, and two sample tests—a passing test and a failing test—so you can compare your answers and see how you do.
The Test Preparation Guides are available for purchase directly from Editors Canada.
Principes directeurs en révision professionnelle
These French-language editorial standards are a tool for anyone just starting in the field and for established editors. They’re also a reference for anyone who hires editors. Available as a free download.
3. GET HIRED: Find work in 2021
GOAL: Use Editors Canada’s services and learn how to use them well
Looking for work? Editors Canada offers members and affiliates a number of services that can help with your job search.
Online Directory of Editors (ODE)
The ODE is one of the most popular services Editors Canada offers. A listing in the ODE is a benefit available only to Editors Canada members for an annual fee of $80. Many members with an ODE listing generate enough income from their listing to pay for their membership and the listing itself many times over. Learn more about listing in the ODE.
Write a profile that gets noticed
What’s the secret to writing an online profile that attracts clients? Watch our free webinar Getting work with the Online Directory of Editors on YouTube now.
Tell the world about findaneditor.ca
Telling clients and employers about the ODE is a cinch thanks to our snappy URL. If you know someone who’s looking for an editor, send them to findaneditor.ca.
National Job Board
The National Job Board is where you’ll find notices of full-time, part-time, contract and freelance opportunities.
Posting on the National Job Board is free!
If you know someone who’s hiring an editor, invite them to post their job ad on our National Job Board and reach editors across Canada. It’s free!
Networking
Networking is one of the greatest benefits of membership. Editors will often subcontract work to or recommend a colleague if they can’t take a job. Get involved in the association and get to know your fellow members: attend online meetings, volunteer, and sign up for the email forum and association Facebook groups. The bigger your network, the better your chances of finding job opportunities.
GOAL: Network smarter in the New Year
Want to start 2021 right by growing your editing network and tapping into a wealth of business knowledge, for free? In our October quick poll, about 60% of you told us you network through social media, and we’re here to help. Our career builder committee has assembled a list of editing experts who share tips frequently on LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media platforms, and who welcome new contacts or followers. Some are Editors Canada members while others hail from editors’ associations in other countries. Several of them publish blogs, host podcasts or emcee video chats. Our list features a few handy online editorial resources, too.
Being active on social media is definitely critical for marketing success—especially now when pandemic lockdowns make in-person networking impossible. When you like, share or comment regularly on social media content, you boost your profile and increase the chances of a potential client spotting you. So please check out our list, and happy networking!
Up your social media game with these follows.
GOAL: Get more resources for in-house editors
Don’t forget, networking isn’t just for freelancers. In-house editors need to network to stay on top of their game, too. Learn more about Editors Canada benefits for in-house editors.
And be sure to check out The Editors’ Weekly for features about in-house editing.
GOAL: Become a Peerwith expert
If you edit any kind of scholarly text—health sciences and medicine, natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities, earth and planetary sciences—there are researchers around the world looking for experts like you. A partnership agreement between Editors Canada and Peerwith.Expert will make it easier for them to find you.
4. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
GOAL: Add work experience and achievements to your resumé
Want to stand above other contenders? Consider volunteering for Editors Canada. Volunteering has many benefits for the association, but it can be beneficial to your career as well. Engaged members and affiliates work with influential members of the publishing and communication industries, learn new skills (at any experience level), expand their portfolios and enhance their career options.
Interested in getting involved? Email the director of volunteer relations.
5. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
GOAL: Get certified
Make 2021 the year you join the ranks of editors certified by our landmark professional certification program. Certified editors benefit from official recognition of their high level of knowledge and skill, and a marketing advantage.
We’re pleased to announce that in November 2021, we’ll be offering both the Structural Editing and Proofreading professional certification exams. See the Professional Certification section of our website for more information on exams, including how to register and ideas on how to prepare.
Thank you!
As we wrap up the 2020 Editors Canada professional exam cycle, the certification steering committee thanks all the volunteers—exam setters and exam shepherds, external reviewers and proofreaders, pilot testers, invigilators, markers and the marking analyst—who made it possible to offer the Stylistic Editing exam in a very challenging year. We couldn’t have done it without you!
GOAL: Get a national byline
Are you looking for a byline on a national platform and published pieces for your portfolio?
The Editors’ Weekly, the official blog of Editors Canada, has room for new authors. Blog articles are typically 300 to 500 words, but they can be longer or shorter. We welcome one-off opinions, mini-series or regular (monthly or bimonthly) series. If you have your own blog you can cross-post to it, and you can link to your own website and Twitter accounts. You do the writing, and Editors Canada will do the promoting through its social media channels.
Interested? Submit your proposal to the blog’s managing editor.
GOAL: Tell the world about your accomplishments
Editors Canada Member News is where we share information about members and affiliates who win awards, publish books and make their mark in other important ways.
Here’s what our members have been up to lately:
Editors Toronto member Carla DeSantis was awarded the 2020 Ewart-Daveluy Award for Excellence in Indexing by the Indexing Society of Canada for her index to Heather Bamford’s Cultures of the Fragment: Uses of the Iberian Manuscript, 1100–1600, published by University of Toronto Press.
Editors British Columbia member Lenore Hietkamp was a guest on the Edit Boost podcast, presented by Malini Devadas, an Australian coach for editors. In Episode 28: How do I turn down familiar jobs so I can move into a new field of work? Lenore and Malini discuss navigating the tricky transition of moving to coaching from editing when you have ongoing work and steady stream of referrals.
Do you have an achievement you’d like to share? Are you excited about a new project or opportunity that has come your way? Let us tell the world all about it! Please send your stories to the member news coordinator.
GOAL: Be nominated for an Editors Canada award
Each year, Editors Canada presents several awards recognizing excellence in editing and service to the organization.
Karen Virag Award
We are now accepting nominations for the 2021 Karen Virag Award. This award was created in memory of long-time association member Karen Virag, and her many contributions to the profession. The Karen Virag Award recognizes the efforts of an editor or an organization to raise the profile of editing in their community. The recipient will receive a cash award of $400.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, February 19. Visit the Karen Virag Award page for more information.
Claudette Upton Scholarship
The applications period for the 2021 Claudette Upton Scholarship is now open. This annual national award of $1,000 recognizes a promising student affiliate from Editors Canada.
The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 9. If you’re a student affiliate, or if you know someone who should be, visit the Claudette Upton Scholarship page for more information.
President’s Award for Volunteer Service
The President’s Award recognizes outstanding service by member and affiliate volunteers to the organization, at the branch, twig or national level. 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. Nominations open soon. Visit the President’s Award page for more information.
GOAL: Get your own Editors Canada logo
Want to promote yourself as a member or affiliate of the association? Download the Editors Canada member logo or student affiliate logo for your website, business card and other promotional material.
6. SAVE MONEY: Take advantage of Editors Canada discounts
GOAL: Stop paying for that CMOS subscription because you get it free with your membership!
We’re proud to offer The Chicago Manual of Style Online (CMOS Online) as a free benefit of membership. CMOS Online features the 17th and 16th editions of the Manual. It is completely searchable and easy to use.
Ready to check out this reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers and publishers? All you need is your editors.ca member login. Visit the members’ area to start using CMOS Online now.
GOAL: Save money on products, services and training opportunities
Looking for savings on products like PerfectIt, University of Chicago Press titles, scholarly journals and registration for partner conferences? Editors Canada is pleased to offer many great discounts to members and affiliates.
Visit the members’ area to take advantage of these discounts.
7. PROTECT YOURSELF: Free mediation support for Editors Canada members
GOAL: Resolve conflicts
Are you having a conflict with a client over your services? Experiencing difficulty resolving a dispute with another member?
Free mediation support is available to members of Editors Canada and their clients who wish to resolve an issue with the help of a neutral third-party mediator. Free coaching support is also available for Editors Canada members who simply wish to discuss how best to move forward to resolve the situation on their own.
Please email Jane Kidner, Certified Mediator and Coach, to schedule a time to chat by phone.
Jane is a lawyer, mediator and leadership/conflict coach with over 25 years of experience mediating high-emotion disputes and leading teams during times of conflict, disruption, and change. A recent client had this to say about Jane:
“Jane was able to listen and understand the issues and my concerns, and get to the heart of the matter quickly and efficiently. She was both empathetic and at the same time impartial, communicating in an even-handed way both sides of the issue. Tensions were high at the outset, but she was able to diffuse the negative emotion, and open the way for a resolution that was agreeable to both of us.”
8. BOOKMARK IT: Find Editors Canada benefits and services in one place
GOAL: Remember where to find all these benefits and services
Your Editors Canada membership comes with so many benefits that it can be difficult to keep track. Fortunately, we have resources that organize our benefits and services in useful ways to help you get all the info you’re looking for quickly.
Welcome Kit
The Welcome Kit is available for download.
The Welcome Kit provides a brief overview of our services and resources, with links to the relevant pages on our website. It is a useful guide for existing members as well, and can be used as a quick reference for information on the website.
Special thanks to the member services committee for producing this wonderful resource and to Ellen Keeble for her design.
Pathways to Success with Editors Canada
Once you’ve plotted yourself on our bilingual Pathways to Success infographic, you’ll see what Editors Canada benefits and services are available at your career level so you can continue on the path to the next level.
Download Pathways to Success now.
Talk to us: What do you think of your member services?
It’s a new year and a good time to take stock of what we offer our members and to plan for the future. But we can’t do that without you! The member services committee would like to interview a diverse group of members to find out if we are providing the type of services you want. We’d also like to know if you are craving services we don’t provide. If you’re interested in sharing your experience through a short telephone interview, email the chair of the member services committee.
9. EXTERNAL LIAISON: News from The Indexing Society of Canada
ISC/SCI member wins the Purple Pen award
The Institute of Certified Indexers announced that Jess Klaassen-Wright has won the 2020 Purple Pen Competition. Jess’s index appears in the book Deep Knowledge: Ways of Knowing in Sufism and Ifa, Two West African Intellectual Traditions by Oludamini Ogunnaike.
This is the seventh year that the international contest has been held by ICI, and the fifth time that a Canadian indexer has won the prize.
Ewart-Daveluy Indexing Award Open for Submissions
The next deadline for nominations is Monday, February 22, 2021. Find out how to apply.
Who we are
The Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI) is Canada’s national association of indexers. We invite you to find an indexer for your project, read our publications, discover our conferences, events, and resources for indexers, find out about membership and learn about the Society.
10. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
I hope that everyone had a happy and restful holiday season and is ready to embrace a new year!
The national executive council (NEC) will be continuing with monthly Zoom meetings for the foreseeable future. Here is a list of upcoming meetings:
Sunday, February 21, 2021, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern
Sunday, March 21, 2021, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern
Sunday, April 25, 2021, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern
Sunday, May 30, 2021, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern
Sunday, June 27, 2021, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Eastern
Zoom links will be posted along with the agenda for members before each meeting; all Editors Canada members are welcome to attend any NEC meeting. I will provide a short meeting summary in the monthly e-news following each meeting.
Other important dates in 2021:
Editors Canada virtual conference: June 12–13, 2021
Editors Canada annual general meeting: Saturday, June 26, 2021 (time TBD)
More information for each of these events will be sent out in the near future.
Heather Buzila
President
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.