by Iola Goulton While most of the rules of punctuation are consistent between US and British English, there are a handful of important differences authors and editors need to be aware of when editing. Titles US English adds a period to titles: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Dr Jones. British English omits the periods (Mr and Mrs […]
by Karin Beery Freelance editors need to know more than simply how to edit a manuscript. You also need to know how to track expenses, manage time, and market your services. Included in the marketing realm is one document that scares many freelance editors: The Bid Letter I’ve talked with many freelance editors who are uncomfortable writing […]
by Iola Goulton Over the centuries, English has borrowed words from many languages—Latin, French, and German, to name a few. As a result, English spelling and grammar is complex and inconsistent, making English a difficult language to learn to read and spell. When Noah Webster first compiled his English dictionary, he decided to simplify the […]
by Ken Walker As one familiar with fluctuating income, I know how challenging it can be to be grateful when the roller coaster takes a dive. That’s what happened after I completed a time-consuming developmental book edit at the end of January. At first, I wasn’t too upset. I had completed that project on the heels of […]
by Judy Hagey What’s the typical response when you tell people you’re an editor? They may not say it, but their expression might convey, Oh, you’re one of those fussy grammarians—just looking to pick apart someone’s writing. Or they picture you in a lush office in a major publisher’s headquarters rubbing shoulders with bestselling authors. What many do […]
By Denise Loock Arbitrary capitalization wreaks havoc in written communication. Numerous nouns have been exalted to proper status even though they’re common and should remain common. Revolutionary writers cry, “Aren’t all nouns created equal?” We editors should proclaim, “No, they’re not.” Basic capitalization rules haven’t changed since we learned them in elementary school. Capitalize proper […]
“The Mentally Healthy Editor” and “An Editor’s Prayers” are the two keynotes Bob Hostetler will deliver at PENCON 2021. With decades of experience in the publishing industry, Bob will inspire you to balance your spiritual and professional life.Here are more tools you can add your skill set by attending PENCON 2021: Invest in self-care by […]
Topic: PENCON Fellowship When: Tuesday, April 20, 7:00 PM EDT (US & Canada) Every PEN member is invited to attend the PENCON Zoom fellowship on April 20 at 7:00 p.m. CEN owner Kathy Ide will share with us what inspired her to create Christian Editor Network and to host the first PENCON. If you’ve never […]
by Iola Goulton In my last post, I introduced some of the differences between American (specifically, USA English) and British English. Today, I’m discussing vocabulary. Getting the vocabulary right is important for two main reasons: Vocabulary is a great shortcut to characterization. It’s an easy way to establish where a character is from, and what […]
by Karin Beery Freelance editing is an interesting profession—we’re essentially hired by authors to point out everything they’re doing wrong (and hopefully some things they’re doing right). Our goal is to help them polish their manuscripts so they’re ready for publication or submission. Here are the top five ways we can help them do that.* […]
