Happy New Year from the Editors Canada!
Okay, so it isn’t the start of a new calendar year, but September always feels like a new beginning, doesn’t it? It’s that back-to-school mindset. When summer draws to a close, our training to start preparing for the next grade kicks in again. That feeling doesn’t go away, but we can use that momentum and energy to review the goals we set for our careers.
Want to give your skills a boost? Find work? Meet more of your colleagues? In this edition of the e-news update, we’ll show you how you can make the most of your membership in Editors Canada to achieve your career goals.
In this issue:
1. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Mentorship, seminars, online training, books and more
2. GET HIRED: Use Editors Canada’s job services to take your job search to the next level
3. BOOST YOUR RESUMÉ: Get involved
4. EXPAND YOUR NETWORK: Connect with editors and people who hire editors
5. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
6. PROTECT YOURSELF: Editors Canada mediation
7. SAVE MONEY: Take advantage of Editors Canada discounts
8. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
1. DEVELOP YOUR SKILLS: Mentorship, seminars, online training, books and more
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. We’re thrilled to offer another valuable service to support Editors Canada members at every stage of their careers.
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.
Join our mentorship committee and make a difference
Our mentorship committee is looking for francophone and anglophone volunteers to help make the program a success by facilitating matches, monitoring the program, and making recommendations for improvement. Interested? Contact the director of training and development, Berna Ozunal.
GOAL: Attend branch and twig seminars
Give your skills a boost by taking part in branch and twig seminars. Expert instructors help new editors build foundational skills and experienced editors develop expertise. Looking for basic skills in copy editing, business finances or social media? Perhaps you’re after special-interest topics like editing government reports and graphic novels or writing proposals. With Editors Canada seminars, there’s something for everyone.
For more information about seminars in your area, visit your branch or twig page.
GOAL: Train online with Editors Canada
For more than 35 years we’ve delivered high-quality, local training for editors at every stage of their careers. Are you looking for training opportunities online? Stay tuned! We’ll be announcing our 2017–18 webinar season soon.
Catch up on demand: Webinar recordings are available
Did you miss an Editors Canada webinar? Several of our 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.
Gain valuable skills and add to your resumé—the training and development committee is looking for volunteers
The training and development committee oversees programs for professional development at the national level of the association. Bearing in mind the diverse needs of association members, the committee investigates new options for programming and delivery, makes recommendations, and initiates program development.
Being a committee member is a great way to gain experience and influence professional development at Editors Canada. We are looking for volunteers who speak one or both of our national languages to join as webinar hosts—training will be provided.
Some of the benefits of becoming a webinar host include
- acquiring a very specialized and useful new skill
- attending the webinar for free and receiving a recording and any supplementary materials
- helping the organization, the instructor, and your fellow members in a very critical and meaningful way
Other roles and positions are available. Interested? Contact the director of training and development, Berna Ozunal.
GOAL: Hit the books
Whether you’re en route to becoming a professionally 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. Download the latest edition of Professional Editorial Standards for free now.
Editing Canadian English, 3rd edition and Editorial Niches
Get the latest guidance on Canadian English, from Canadianization to spelling, abbreviations, punctuation, measurements, bilingual texts and so much more. Written by expert editors, they are reference guides you can depend on.
You can purchase Editing Canadian English, 3rd edition, and Editorial Niches from UBC Press or Chapters Indigo. You can also order them from your favourite bookseller.
Certification Test Preparation Guides
Taking the 2017 professional certification tests? Study well with the test preparation guides. Our updated guides are designed to equip you with the right tools for this year’s onscreen tests. Preparing for the certification tests also serves as valuable professional development. If you want to discover your editorial strengths and areas for improvement, studying for this year’s tests is the perfect way to find and fill any gaps in your skill set.
Meeting Professional Editorial Standards
Meeting Professional Editorial Standards is a four-volume, self-teaching and self-testing package based on the 2009 edition of Professional Editorial Standards. This is a must-have for any editor’s bookshelf, whether you’re learning the craft of editing or you’re an established professional looking to broaden your knowledge.
Principes directeurs en révision professionnelle
Our 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. Download Principes directeurs en révision professionnelle for free now.
Guides de préparation aux examens d’agrément
Are you interested in becoming a réviseur(e) agréé(e)? Check out the Guide de préparation à l’examen d’agrément general and the Guide de préparation à l’examen d’attestation en révision comparative.
2. GET HIRED: Use Editors Canada’s job services to take your job search to the next level
GOAL: Get serious about your job search
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 and student affiliates 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 creating your 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 snap thanks to our vanity 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!
Tell us about your job board success
In the past few weeks, we’ve heard many members mention that they found full-time or freelance jobs via our job board—jobs they wouldn’t have found without this service.
If you’ve had success with the National Job Board, consider writing a testimonial for Editors Canada to share on social media or the website. Success stories can lead to more employers and editors using the board and that’s a win-win for all of us. Send your testimonials to jobs@editors.ca.
Networking
Last, but certainly not least, 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 local meetings, volunteer, opt into the membership list, and sign up for the email forum and association Facebook groups. The bigger your network, the better your chances of finding job opportunities.
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.
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, as well as being beneficial to your career. Engaged members and affiliates work with influential members of the publishing and communications industries, learn new skills (at any experience level), expand their portfolios and enhance their career options.
You’ll find national volunteer opportunities throughout this e-news update. You can also contact the volunteer management committee to find out about other opportunities to get involved.
Meet Editors Canada’s Volunteer of the Month for September: Julie Kay-Wallace
Julie Kay-Wallace joined Editors Canada in 2013, just as she was starting to work as a professional editor. Although she had been editing since a young teenager, working with friends and writer’s groups, she turned to the profession after realizing the life of a historian was not for her. A graduate of Queen’s University, Julie is currently enrolled in Ryerson’s publishing program. She mainly works in fiction (her passion!), but also does corporate editing, copywriting, and some web development.
A member of Editors Toronto, Julie began volunteering as soon as she heard the organization was looking. She wanted to help out the organization that provided support as she started her career, and jumped at the chance to talk with other editors to learn more about the community and her colleagues’ daily experiences. It is this camaraderie Julie loves best. “Editors Canada is a great organization with a lot of experienced, friendly, and helpful volunteers,” she says. “It’s so rewarding to be able to work through a task and know you’re helping build resources and a community that helps so many people.”
For the last four years Julie has been working with a volunteer coordinator and a team of writers on creating the Volunteer Handbook. She admits it has been a challenge to manage workload and schedules, but credits the committee with their understanding and flexibility.
In her spare time Julie loves to sew clothes and costumes, and was once torn between editing and theatre costume design. (Although she is very glad she choose books!)
The volunteer of the month highlights the dedicated people who keep Editors Canada going. Volunteers are the backbone of the association. We are grateful for the many members and affiliates who answer the call when help is needed.
4. EXPAND YOUR NETWORK: Connect with editors and people who hire editors
Making connections is essential for building and maintaining a successful career and for keeping up on industry news. Editors Canada is a national hub where members come together to support and assist one another, and to share professional insights and opportunities. Whether you work in-house or freelance, and whether you’re a student or a veteran editor, your community is here.
GOAL: Connect with other editors online
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.
Of course, you can also “like” 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, our national conference and even Editing Canadian English 3 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.
Google+
Are you a G+ user? Find Editors Canada on Google+.
Flickr
Who says editors are just about words? Pics from recent conferences and national executive council meeting photos can be found on the Editors Canada Flickr page.
We’ve been pinning! Take a look at past conference boards on Pinterest.
We’ve dipped our toe into insta waters, too! Follow Editors Canada on Instagram.
Editors Canada email list
Many freelancers and in-house editors think of our email list as a fast and convenient way to learn from others, and as a virtual water cooler.
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.
GOAL: Attend more regional meetings and social events
If you resolved to get out and do more face-to-face networking, 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 the 2018 Editors Canada conference in Saskatoon (May 25–27)
Want to connect with hundreds of editors, writers and communication professionals? Plan to attend our 2018 national conference, May 25–27, at the Radisson Hotel Saskatoon.
Be part of #Editors18!
May 25–27, 2018
Saskatoon, SK
The theme of the 2018 conference will be “Bridging Communities—Bringing together communication-related professions.” We see this as an opportunity to bring together editors from the Prairies and across the country, as well as professionals from other related organizations.
How to get involved
Would you like to help us build some bridges?
- If you want to help define the conference, join the advisory team.
- If you know someone who would be a terrific keynote speaker or presenter, be part of the programming team.
- If you have some hot leads on potential supporters, the sponsorship team wants you.
- If you’re a hotshot project planner who can’t wait to get your hands on our volunteer management spreadsheets, have we got a job for you!
To make your mark on the 2018 conference, email the conference chair.
GOAL: Take advantage of Editors Canada partnerships
We’ve been hard at work fostering relationships with other organizations and exploring potential partnerships that will benefit our members and affiliates, while allowing us to keep raising the profile of editors and the editing profession. Events hosted by other organizations are great opportunities for Editors Canada members and affiliates to learn new skills while networking with leaders in business and other organizations—organizations that may need editors.
NEW DISCOUNT! Online workshop on creating accessible websites and documents
Webinar: eAccessibility with David Berman: WCAG 2.0 for Web, Office, InDesign, PDF
Date: November 15, 2017
Time: 1 p.m. to 4:50 p.m., eastern time
Are you interested in improving document accessibility? In this online workshop, David Berman will discuss why universal design is important for everybody—to broaden your audience, to comply with the law, to drive down costs, or simply to be socially responsible. He will also provide in-depth familiarity with W3C WCAG 2.0 success criteria, as well as ADA, Section 504/508 and AODA requirements.
Editors Canada members, student affiliates and friends register at the discounted rate of $200 (regular price $330) by using the code EDITORSCA. For more information or to register for this webinar, visit David’s website.
Looking for more Editors Canada partner discounts? Visit the members’ area.
5. GET NOTICED: Stand out from the crowd
GOAL: Get certified
Make 2017 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.
Are you ready for certification? Watch our free webinar Are You Certifiable? Preparing for Editors Canada’s Certification Exams on YouTube now.
Download the webinar handout. (165.21 KB)
Registration for the 2017 tests in Copy Editing and Stylistic Editing is open until Friday, October 20. For more information visit the certification website.
GOAL: Get involved in Canada’s first French editing proficiency program
On Saturday, October 14, French-language editors interested in becoming a réviseur(e) agréé(e) will write the examen d’agrément général in Quebec City and Montreal. Registration is now closed and we offer best wishes to all of the test takers!
Are you interested in management experience?
You can gain rich management experience by becoming a member of the Comité Agrément/Principes.
Committee members share responsibilities in communication, archiving, marking and updating documentation. Interested in chairing this committee one day? Don’t hesitate! Join the committee and get the best training for the leadership role.
Committee meetings are held in the evening on Skype, every six weeks.
If you’re interested, or if you would like more information, please contact Sandra Gravel.
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 is looking for more 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.
If you have something to say that you think other editors and linguaphiles want to hear, submit your proposal to the blog’s managing editor.
Our Languages
Earlier this month, the Language Portal of Canada launched the Our Languages blog, a meeting place for Canadians to come together to discuss language-related topics, learn more about community initiatives and celebrate their successes with others. One of the first articles published on the blog was “Editing matters: Helping your text to shine” by Editors Canada past president Anne Louise Mahoney.
Interested in becoming a guest blogger? Contact the Language Portal of Canada team.
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.
Editors Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph member Carolyn Wilker has had her picture book, Harry’s Trees, published for a general market by Angel Hope Publishing. The project began as a legacy for her father, who died in May of 2016. It reflects his interest in and care for the environment, and especially trees.
Harry’s Trees is a delight for young readers as they experience the importance of trees in each season. Seasons change, but Harry doesn’t change his mind. Trees lose their leaves, but Harry does not lose his love for them.
Carolyn’s illustrator, Maja Wizor, is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Katowice, Poland, and now lives in southern Ontario.
For more information please visit Carolyn’s website.
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: Nominate yourself or a fellow member for an Editors Canada award
Each year, Editors Canada presents several awards recognizing excellence in editing and service to the organization. Over the next few months, we’ll be opening the nominations for the association’s respected national awards.
Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence
2017 marks the 34th year of the Tom Fairley Award. This $2,000 award is for an editor’s outstanding contribution to a work published in Canada in English or French during a stated calendar year. Finalists receive $500.
Claudette Upton Scholarship
This annual national award of $1,000 recognizes a promising student affiliate from Editors Canada.
Karen Virag Award
The association’s newest award was created in memory of long-time association member Karen Virag, and Karen’s many contributions to the profession. This $400 award recognizes the efforts of an editor or an organization to raise the profile of editing in their community.
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.
Watch your inbox as we open the nominations period for each of these awards.
GOAL: Get a free editors.ca email address and helpdesk support
Do you want an email address that will not change no matter how many times you switch Internet Service Providers? Show people what you do with an editors.ca email address, available exclusively to Editors Canada members.
An editors.ca email address is a free benefit of membership. Sign up now for your own branded email address and dedicated helpdesk support at no charge.
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. PROTECT YOURSELF: Editors Canada mediation
GOAL: Resolve conflicts
In a perfect world you’d never have to worry about contract disputes. If you do have a grievance or dispute involving editing work that you have not been able to resolve, the Editors Canada mediator may offer advice or even intervene to help settle the matter. Learn more about Editors Canada’s mediation service.
7. SAVE MONEY: Take advantage of Editors Canada discounts
GOAL: Save money on products and services
Looking for savings on office supplies, resources and training opportunities? Editors Canada is pleased to offer great discounts to members and affiliates.
8. NEC: Notes from your national executive council
I enjoy summer but a lot of editors I know are excited about the fall. It might be a word nerd thing. According to an article in The Huffington Post, children are conditioned to thinking about fall as back-to-school time, with all the fun that brings (new stationery!). And we carry that excitement with us into adulthood.
A lot of work starts again in earnest in September. And, for Editors Canada volunteers, it’s the same. Committee chairs and directors have been making plans for the coming year and we’ve now started turning those plans into action.
Your national executive council met in Ottawa on September 16–17. As always, we had an ambitious agenda, including going over those committee and director plans. I’ll be sending out a detailed summary of the meeting in a few weeks.
Happy fall, everyone. If you haven’t bought your new pens and pencil crayons, there’s still time!
Gael Spivak, president
Welcome to Editors Canada!
Editors British Columbia
Lynn Corrigan, Deegy Dallong, Hanna Kim, Virginia Rasch, Debbie Wong
Editors Calgary
Adria Laycraft
Editors Edmonton
Robin Carson, Will Gabriel
Editors Saskatoon
Martha Roberts, Michelle Shaw
Editors Hamilton-Halton
Tracy Kowalkchuk
Editors Toronto
Stasja Drecun, Dahlia Eldeeb, Donna Logan, Tim Prior, Emily Sheppard
Editors Ottawa–Gatineau
David Carruthers, Erica Mitchell
Editors Quebec/Atlantic Canada
Anne-Julie Boucher, Megan Dean, Amélie Messier, Karine Morin, Myriam Raymond-Tremblay, Nathalie Riel
Editors Nova Scotia
Margot Hynes, Rose Poirier
The national e-news update is produced on behalf of the national executive council by the national office.