News, events, tips and updates from Editors Canada
In this issue:
1. SALE: 50% off all Editors Canada webinar recordings
2. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
3. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination
4. QUICK POLL: Which editing specialties interest you most?
5. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
6. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Plan to show the world you’re at the top of your editing game
7. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
8. MEMBER NEWS: Tell the world about your accomplishment
9. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. SALE: 50% off all Editors Canada webinar recordings
Ready to save on online training? All Editors Canada webinar recordings are half price, but only until Monday, November 30! That’s more than 70 webinars for editors, writers and communication professionals, at any skill level, each presented by our top-notch instructors.
Don’t forget: Editors Canada members, student affiliates and members of partner organizations already get discounted rates on webinar recordings. Until November 30, you’ll save 50% on top of the member discount!
When you buy a webinar recording, you’ll receive a video file that’s yours to keep so you can get your training on your own schedule. Stock up now for your 2021 training. Or give the gift of professional development this holiday season to the editor on your list.
Get your half-price Editors Canada webinar recordings now.
2. WEBINARS: Train online with Editors Canada
Are you looking for training opportunities online? Check out our upcoming webinars.
Don’t forget: Editors Canada members and student affiliates register at discounted rates.
Upcoming webinars
- Wednesday, December 2: Business Planning for Freelancers with Sagan Morrow
- Thursday, December 3 and 10: Les anglicismes au Québec : une question de variation with Mireille Elchacar
Catch up on demand: Webinar recordings are available
Did you miss an Editors Canada webinar? Many of our webinars have been recorded and are now available for purchase (and some are even free).
Recently added
- Readability Tricks with Christa Bedwin
- L’accord du participe passé : hier, aujourd’hui et… demain! with Annie Desnoyers
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.
Don’t forget: all Editors Canada webinar recordings are 50% off until Monday, November 30. Visit our webinar recordings page to see what’s available now. We’re adding new recordings regularly, so be sure to check often.
3. TOM FAIRLEY AWARD: Submit your nomination
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 2021 Tom Fairley Award. The cash award of $2,000 is made possible by Editors Canada and its generous donors.
The deadline to submit your completed nomination form is Friday, January 15, 2021.
Download the nomination form now. (53.59 KB)
Please spread this message far and wide. Nominees don’t have to be members of Editors Canada 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 the Tom Fairley Award has been awarded to many outstanding book editors since it was created in 1983, we encourage nominations for a variety of written projects. Whether it’s a magazine, a 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!
4. QUICK POLL: Which editing specialties interest you most?
The career builder committee is working on developing various career path materials, and we’d love to hear about the areas of editing you are most interested in pursuing. Please take our anonymous two-minute poll and learn more about some of the existing career resources within Editors Canada. Thanks for your time!
www.surveymonkey.com/r/QVWXWHX
5. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Mentorship
The Editors Canada mentorship program now offers two levels of mentorship.
Level 1
- designed primarily for student affiliates and those who have a small, clearly defined topic they want to discuss
- 4–5 hours over 1 month
Level 2
- designed for a more in-depth mentoring experience
- 10–20 hours over 2 months
- can be extended up to 6 months
Visit the John Eerkes-Medrano Mentorship Program page for more details and to apply to be a mentor or a mentee.
Testimonials
“My first mentorship term was a wonderful experience! My mentor was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and inspiring. She tailored our conversations to my needs and was very generous when answering questions and recommending resources. Working with her over these last two months has given me many different perspectives on my editing career. Thank you so much to Editors Canada for making this possible.”
– Sarah Jefferies, PhD
“What a great opportunity to learn collegially and to benefit from the experience of a senior editor: we’re lucky to have a program like this. Thanks so much for this opportunity!”
– Claire Wilkshire
6. PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION: Plan to show the world you’re at the top of your editing game
On Saturday, November 21, candidates around the country demonstrated their skills by taking the Editors Canada professional certification exam in Stylistic Editing. Next year, why not you?
You’ve worked at mastering the craft of editing; start planning now to earn professional certification to demonstrate your experience and expertise to employers, clients and peers, too. Certification can open professional doors, serves as a powerful marketing tool, and may allow you to command a higher salary or rates.
In 2021, Editors Canada will offer two exams: Structural Editing and Proofreading. Don’t miss out: your next chance to write these exams will be in 2023 (we plan to offer the Stylistic Editing and Copy Editing exams in 2022).
Be prepared
Editors Canada exams are rigorous, and it’s never too early to prepare. Why not get a head start and pick up one of the professional certification test preparation guides? (Or buy one for an editor friend! #holidaygiftideas) There’s a guide for each exam, reflecting the Professional Editorial Standards tested. The guides include practice tests and answer keys, so you can check your work, and make for an invaluable resource to help you prepare.
More information on how to prepare is included in the Preparing for Certification section of the Editors Canada website. There you’ll find a list of study tips and resources, including a free webinar on exam preparedness, and a checklist to help you decide whether you’re ready to take an Editors Canada professional certification exam.
Editors Canada’s professional certification is the gold standard of editing. Why not make 2021 the year your knowledge and skills are recognized?
7. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
Insurance task force
The insurance task force is looking for additional members. The team consists of leader Jenny Davies (a new Editors Saskatchewan student affiliate and current Level 3 licensed insurance broker in Saskatchewan), David Marsh (Editors British Columbia) and Barbara Czarnecki (Editors Toronto). The task force is currently looking into insurance carriers to find a life and health Insurance package. Once this is settled, the task force will move on to errors and omissions insurance and home and auto packages.
If you’re interested in joining the task force or would like more information, please email Jenny Davies.
Member services committee
The member services committee needs you! This small (but mighty!) committee is always looking for ways to improve Editors Canada member benefits. If you’re interested in helping to improve existing benefits, for example, our national job board, or adding new ones, please email committee chair Alana Chalmers.
8. MEMBER NEWS: Tell the world about your accomplishment
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.
9. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
I wanted to take the opportunity this month to update our members on the association’s financial situation, as well as the overall health of the association.
Here are some of the cost-saving measures we have taken:
- We did not fill the part-time membership coordinator position in the office.
- The national executive council (NEC) had already decided to cancel in-person meetings for the rest of 2020 before travel became difficult. NEC Zoom meetings will continue for the foreseeable future.
- We are doing less printing and mailing.
- We are using volunteers to do our translating as much as possible.
- The association’s bookkeeper retired at the end of August, and we are now working with Young & Associates, a bookkeeping firm that specializes in non-profits. This should reduce our bookkeeping costs going forward.
The above measures have saved us about $50,000.
Additional information:
- The NEC is working on a financial policy and financial procedures. These will be voted on at the November 29 meeting.
- We applied for and received the wage subsidy offered by the federal government earlier this year, which has allowed us to keep our existing staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- We applied for and received a CEBA loan from the federal government earlier this year, but so far we haven’t had to use any of the funds.
Our bank account is healthy, and we have had no issues with paying bills or meeting our financial commitments. However, our reserves have been depleted over the past several years of running deficits, and we need to continue to run lean until we can build those up again.
Our membership numbers are down slightly, but not enough to have a real financial effect. Membership renewals and new memberships are continuing to come in.
Overall, Editors Canada is stable, and there are no immediate financial concerns to worry about. This is in part due to the generosity of the branches and twigs, who forgave some internal debt and transferred funds to the national accounts last year.
December’s e-news update will include a summary of the October and November NEC meetings.
Heather Buzila
President
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.