Tag: freelance
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Dear Editors: Kilometrestones
Dear Editors, Book publishing moves so slowly, doesn’t it? There’s rarely an opportunity to yell “Stop the presses!” as we have plenty of lead time to update manuscripts and check proofs. Also, with the exception of some exceptional small presses (Coach House in Toronto, I’m looking at you), most publishing houses don’t have an actual…
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Dear Editors: Big city hair
Dear Editors, I was 25 when I landed an editorial internship at Knopf Canada, an imprint of what is now Penguin Random House Canada. I had recently finished my master’s in literature, and was having the time of my life in Vancouver: working at a cafe, biking around the city at all hours, going to…
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Editors, time to blow your own horn
There’s a tendency in writing and publishing to think of editors as “invisible.” It’s the author’s book, and the editor is working in service of the author and reader, but in some cases the editor is co-creating the idea and the words with the author. I’ve long advocated for editors to speak up about the…
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So, you want to be a writer?
Too often, writing posts focus on the toil of being a writer. The rejections. The late nights and early mornings. The bleary eyes and sore shoulders. Writing on your lunch break, or while your kids nap. Stealing time away from life to write as if writing weren’t life itself. What these posts miss: The look of happiness…
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Is this a book?
I live in a log house that was built in the 1970s. What I love about my house is that it’s so easy to see the bones of its construction. The contractors established a foundation, and then they started stacking logs. They followed a plan, and knew exactly which logs to place where—the slightly larger…
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Gone freelancin’
I’m launching my freelance editorial business, and I specialize in working with artists and environmentalists. I offer supportive guidance to writers at every stage of the publishing process. More on my services below. But first, a story about how I got here. When I was finishing my master’s in English literature, I went to my…
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Guidelines for editors
Whether you’re brand new to editing or have been at it for years, these guidelines can help steer you along an ethical path that will support authors and further your own career. Ethics, man—live ’em, love ’em. It’s not your book You’re working in service of the writer and the reader. You can advise, but…