The beginning of a new year is when we reflect on what we’ve accomplished, but it’s also a time to look ahead to the changes we want (or need) to make. Did you resolve to focus on your career in 2022? In this e-news update, we’ll look at how belonging to Editors Canada can help you achieve your professional goals.
In this issue:
1. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Online learning, books and more
2. STAY CONNECTED: Network with other editors
3. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
4. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
5. GET HIRED: Find work in 2022
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. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Online learning, books and more
GOAL: New Year, new skills! Train online with Editors Canada
Expand your scope of expertise this year by taking advantage of the 40% member discount on professional development webinars! If you’re interested in learning more about fiction, copyright, style guides or a variety of other editing topics, Editors Canada has opportunities for you at great prices in 2022.
Coming right up in February, look out for these webinars:
- February 3: Écrire avec style (Carlos Séguin)
- February 10: Copyediting Fiction (Amy J. Schneider)
- February 16: Deux heures pour en apprendre plus sur le droit d’auteur (Véronyque Roy)
- February 19: One-Hour Marketing Plan (Christine LeBlanc)
- February 24: Increase Your Profits Using Business Data (Erin Brenner)
See our webinars site to register and find more details. And don’t forget to check out our webinar recordings to catch up on any useful training sessions you might have missed in 2021.
GOAL: Take part in branch and twig training opportunities
Many of our branches and twigs offer 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 this 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.
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: Learn more about equity, diversity and inclusion in editing
Wondering how equity relates to our work with language? We have a web page for equity, diversity and inclusion resources, as well as a volunteer-compiled list of editing resources related to inclusivity.
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.
Edit Like a Pro
Edit Like a Pro is a series of four workbooks published by Editors Canada to help editors assess and improve their skills through hands-on editing practice.
Each book will contain exercises based on realistic scenarios, with sample answers and detailed commentary focusing on one type of editing—structural editing, stylistic editing, copy editing or proofreading—as described in Editors Canada’s Professional Editorial Standards.
The Edit Like a Pro series, based on the 2016 edition of Professional Editorial Standards, replaces the Meeting Professional Editorial Standards series, which is based on the 2009 Professional Editorial Standards.
Edit Like a Pro: Proofreading, Third Edition, is now available for purchase. The newest editions of the other volumes (Structural Editing, Stylistic Editing, Copy Editing) will follow.
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.
The ebook contains all of Editing Canadian English and the companion volume, Editorial Niches.
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 from UBC Press. You can also order them from your favourite bookseller.
Certification Test Preparation Guides
If you want to be ready for Editors Canada Professional Certification, 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.
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.
2. 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 branch or twig 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.
National, branch and twig events
What is your local group up to? Check with your branch or twig to find out about professional development opportunities and social events. And be sure to check our national calendar for events across the association.
Our members-only Facebook groups are private places 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.
You can also join the Facebook group for our 2022 national conference.
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 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 the national conference
Have you ever attended an editing conference? If not, 2022 is the year to check off that goal on your list!
Due to an existing venue contract, we’re tentatively planning a hybrid event that will be held May 27–29, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, and online. However, as the COVID-19 situation in Alberta continues to evolve, our plans will have to remain flexible. For more information, visit the conference website.
Plan to join us for a weekend of learning, networking and fun with fellow editors at #Editors22 #Reviseurs22!
Registration will open in late February.
NEW: 2022 Editors Canada membership survey coming soon!
Editors Canada periodically conducts a survey of its members and student affiliates. Download the 2016 membership survey highlights.
We’ve revamped the membership survey for 2022. Based on the feedback we’ve had from members and student affiliates, we have broken the membership survey into four shorter surveys that we will administer on a rotating basis each year. This means we’ll ask you to answer about 25 questions each year, saving you time.
Look for your email invitation to take the 2022 Editors Canada membership survey in February.
3. 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, and 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.
Here are some of the volunteer opportunities that are currently available.
National call for association ambassadors: A great opportunity to educate others about editing
The marketing and communications committee is developing a plan to raise the profile of the association as an authority through in-person outreach to emerging writers and editors. Our goal is to promote the editing profession and the benefits of joining Editors Canada.
Part of that plan is to have ambassadors of Editors Canada speak at libraries, writers’ circles, and post-secondary institutions about what editors do and what it takes to become an editor. We plan for these presentations to start in fall 2022.
We’re looking for members to become local ambassadors for our national association. We will provide a generic presentation for you to tailor to your own experience, as well as details about Editors Canada you can include. As an ambassador, you’ll help to promote lasting awareness of the editing profession.
We’re looking for
- members with some work experience and a willingness to share their enthusiasm for the profession to act as ambassadors; and
- suggested contacts at libraries, writers’ circles or post-secondary institutions.
If you’re able to help, please get in touch with Merel Elsinga.
Career builder volunteers
The career builder committee is looking for volunteers to help in our core mission of connecting members with work opportunities. Part of our goal is to make Editors Canada an indispensable part of building a career as an editor, whether in-house or freelance. In this volunteer role, you will help members determine their professional and financial goals, prepare them for targeted opportunities for networking, education and training, and help connect them with employment opportunities.
The committee is currently focused on creating a hub for the new Editors Canada website that will help connect members with existing resources, and monitor resource gaps to help members decide where they want to go and how to get there.
This is an ongoing task. We are seeking volunteers with digital/tech abilities, design savvy, and research and writing skills. Whatever skills you have to offer, we can find a way to use them. We’d also like to find ways to monetize some aspects of what we’re doing to provide the organization with new revenue streams while still providing basic job-finding and career-building services as part of the membership fees.
Please contact Lynne Melcombe, chair of the career builder committee.
Certification steering committee members
Fancy contributing to a unique editing certification program that helps editors show off their editing skills and increase their visibility and career prospects? Join the certification steering committee!
We’re looking for a couple of volunteers to join our small, fun and hard-working team, to help administer the professional certification exams. It helps if you have one of the Editors Canada professional certifications, but you don’t have to! If you have some sort of experience with the professional certification program—piloted an exam? written an exam? have an interest in administering exams generally and/or helping people gain certification in editing?—we’d love to hear from you. We’re looking for people with general skills in communications and marketing, as well as exam technology (e.g., remote proctoring, online exam administration, document management), or for one of the specific positions below.
- Exam shepherd: Is air-traffic control (i.e., project management) your jam? In this position, you’ll oversee one of the exams from start to finish, keeping it moving from A to B: from exam-setting through quality analysis to marking. It’s variable in terms of busy-ness, with some holding patterns (during which you can refuel…perhaps it’s time to stop with the flying metaphors). The busiest periods are usually February–March for exam-setting time, then in late summer to get the exam laid out, and finally in October-ish to steer our beloved marking teams through the process of, well, marking.
- Recruiter: It feels a little meta to be recruiting for a recruiter, but here we are! We need a persistent, organized, friendly matchmaker to help us find volunteers for annual tasks related to the professional certification exams. This position is busy only at certain times of the year: usually November–December, to recruit exam setters for the following year; in the spring to find exam proofreaders; and finally in late summer, to set up a roster of exam markers.
Don’t be scared if you’ve never done any of this—we have manuals, spreadsheets and project management tools! At least one of us has done all this before and can help you out! We’re chatty and enthusiastic! We may provide chocolate! If you’re keen, please contact the committee co-chairs, Jaime Miller and Vicky Bell.
Certification exam setters
Do you gleefully rub your hands at the thought of creating interesting but challenging multiple-choice questions or passages to be edited? Then we need you to help set our certification exams!
The certification steering committee (CSC) loves its volunteer exam setters. Without them, Editors Canada Professional Certification basically doesn’t happen! These small but mighty teams of three sit down together (virtually, these days…) to create our professional certification exams for the year. You don’t have to be a certified editor, but you’re probably interested in or knowledgeable about the professional certification program in some way—you’ve written one of the pilots or real exams, for example. And you’re interested in setting exams that challenge our editing candidates to show off their skills.
Ideally, this will be one long weekend out of your life in February 2022. The CSC will ask you to write 10 to 15 multiple-choice questions that cover the Editors Canada Professional Editorial Standards, and to come up with a passage to be edited. In 2022, you’ll have the choice of working on the Stylistic Editing or Copy Editing exam. Oh, and did we mention the position comes with an honorarium?
Interested? Please contact the committee co-chairs, Jaime Miller and Vicky Bell.
Website task force
The website task force is looking for additional members! Since our current website reaches end-of-life in November 2022, we are in the process of moving and upgrading the Editors Canada website. No technical experience is necessary! We are looking for willing volunteers from all fields. This is also a great opportunity to learn about accessible and SEO web writing and website maintenance. Please contact Breanne MacDonald for more information.
4. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
GOAL: Get certified
Make 2022 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.
The CSC is pleased to announce that in November 2022, we’ll be offering both the Stylistic Editing and Copy Editing 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.
We’ll be providing more information soon on how the exam will be administered, but at this stage, we anticipate it will be remote (online) again, as in 2020 and 2021. We sincerely hope the pandemic will be long finished and forgotten by November, but we do have to appreciate that it forced us to get innovative with technology and come up with solutions that just might stick! Watch this space.
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.
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 2022 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 25. Visit the Karen Virag Award page for more information.
Claudette Upton Scholarship
The applications period for the 2022 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 8. If you’re a student affiliate, or if you know someone who should be, visit the Claudette Upton Scholarship page for more information.
Equity Fellowship
We are now accepting applications for the 2022 Equity Fellowship.
This annual fellowship is designed to support editors who have traditionally been excluded by the publishing and editing industries, including editors who are BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of colour), 2SLGBTQIA+, neurodiverse and disabled.
The Equity Fellowship provides the following to up to three successful applicants each year:
- membership in Editors Canada for one year;
- registration for the annual conference or the congrès des langagiers et langagières (in French only) of Editors Canada;
- three Editors Canada webinars;
- one copy of the book Editing Canadian English (and Editorial Niches);
- one copy of the ebook From Contact to Contract;
- one copy of each of the four Certification Test Preparation Guides; and
- a listing in the Editors Canada Online Directory of Editors for one year.
Each fellowship is valued at $1,210.
The deadline for applications is Friday, April 8. For complete application instructions and other information about the fellowship, visit the Equity Fellowship page.
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.
5. GET HIRED: Find work in 2022
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 association Facebook groups. The bigger your network, the better your chances of finding job opportunities.
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.
NEW: Complete the survey for in-house editors
The career builder committee is wants to hear from in-house editors about what they are (and aren’t) getting from their Editors Canada membership, and what we can do to make it better. The survey takes approximately five minutes to complete.
Complete the survey for in-house editors now.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
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.
6. SAVE MONEY: Take advantage of Editors Canada discounts
GOAL: Access over 500 Oxford titles for free!
In case you missed it, the Oxford Reference Online Premium Collection is now free for Editors Canada members and student affiliates via the association website!
Oxford Reference Online is one of the world’s most trusted reference products, featuring the contents of Oxford University Press’s Dictionaries, Companions and Encyclopedias.
Ready to start using this premium resource? All you need is your editors.ca member login.
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? Visit the members’ area to start using CMOS Online now.
Note: CMOS for PerfectIt is not available through our website
In August 2021, The University of Chicago Press and Intelligent Editing launched The Chicago Manual of Style for PerfectIt. Given the nature of the product and the collaboration between The University of Chicago Press and Intelligent Editing, they are unable to offer CMOS for PerfectIt free of charge to Editors Canada through our website. Members will need individual subscriptions to both products if they’d like to use the add-in.
- Get 20% off individual subscriptions to CMOS Online.
- Get 30% discount off a single licence of PerfectIt.
GOAL: Save money on products, services and training opportunities
Looking for savings on products like 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.
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.
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.
9. EXTERNAL LIAISON: News from The Indexing Society of Canada
The Indexing Society of Canada / Société canadienne d’indexation (ISC/SCI) is pleased to announce that datejie cheko green is the 2021/2022 ISC/SCI Diversity in Canadian Publishing Bursary Award recipient.
With this bursary, ISC/SCI aims to help achieve equality of opportunity for aspiring indexers belonging to underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. The bursary covers fees for an approved indexing program, two years of ISC membership with listing, and entry into the Mary Newberry Mentorship program.
10. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
The national executive council (NEC) has approved two new sets of policies and guidelines that are currently with the volunteer translation group and will be posted to the website soon. I wanted to take this opportunity to share an overview of the new documents with you.
Public Health Policy and Guidelines
These documents provide guidance for any in-person gathering (e.g., meeting, event) held by Editors Canada and any of its branches, twigs, committees, etc., and can be used for any public health situation where it is important to follow government guidelines to keep people safe. The documents direct organizers to follow the national, provincial and municipal guidelines already laid out, and also give direction regarding Editors Canada’s expectations regarding in-person gatherings.
Huge thanks to Gael Spivak for writing these documents for the NEC.
Membership Fee Relief and Reduction Policy and Guidelines
Earlier this year, the office staff received an email from a potential new member who was wondering if Editors Canada had an application process for requesting a membership fee reduction on the basis of disability, chronic illness or marginalization. Since the existing Membership Fee Relief Policy and Guidelines were due to be reviewed this year, the NEC decided to do a substantial revision of those documents to include a category for potential new members.
Thanks to Maria Frank (vice-president) and Adebe DeRango-Adem (equity, diversity and inclusion adviser) for helping me with the revisions.
The next e-news update will share an overview of the January 9 NEC meeting.
Heather Buzila
President
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.