1210212.us16.myftpupload.com Managed WordPress Site

Tag: editing

  • Job Profile: Book Publisher

    Job Profile: Book Publisher

    Books are amazing things. You can pick one up and travel to a world of elves, fairies, and exciting adventures. Or you can pick up another one to find out about the history of ancient Rome or about how beavers live and what part they play in the natural world. You can read a long novel or a short magazine article. Most of the time, the stories and information you read have gone through a publisher before they came to you.

    What actually happens when an author wants to get a book published? Sometimes they publish the books themselves, but often they want the skills and knowledge of a publisher to help them with the process. Most publishing companies have different people who each focus on one part of the process. In smaller companies, one or two people might do all of the different steps.

    The first step is usually deciding which books to publish. Sometimes, this means that an acquisitions editor will spend a lot of time reading books that people have sent in to the publisher.  The next step is editing for any problems with the book. These problems could be about the book’s contents, such as incorrect information or a confusing story line. The problems could also be much simpler issues of proofreading, such as writing “pan” instead of “pane” in a story.

    Once the editing is done, the book will go to the design department where people will decide what picture to have on the cover, the size of the type font, and anything else that affects the appearance or design of the book. Even electronic (online) books need this kind of work before they are ready for sale.

    Publishers are good at taking care of the many small jobs that are part of getting books ready for sale. One of these jobs is getting the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) and the Cataloguing in Publication information, which helps librarians to organize the books they buy. Another task is deciding what the price should be.

    After all of these small jobs are done, the book is ready to be printed and marketed.  Marketing is what happens when a publisher lets people know about a new book or magazine. They might put up posters, pay for advertisements, or go on tours to talk about what they have to sell. They might set up tables at special events and have some of the books and magazines for sale.

    How do people become publishers? Sometimes all it takes is knowledge of how to sell books and the money to set up a small company. At other times, it might mean getting a low-level job at a publishing company and then learning enough to get a higher-level job. Sometimes an education in business or literature is helpful. People can work in small, local companies or in big, international ones. If you love books and you also love to organize events and keep schedules, work as a publisher might be the right thing for you.

  • Finding a Career in Words: Editing as a Profession

    Finding a Career in Words: Editing as a Profession

    What would you do if you found a mistake in something you’d read, like a menu in a restaurant, an online blog or a newspaper? Would you just try to ignore it or would you try to tell someone about it? If you chose the second option, you might want to consider working as an editor someday. Editors are people who love words and writing, and who want writers’ thoughts to be communicated as clearly and effectively as possible, whether on paper or online. Editors are the link between writers and readers.

    Many different jobs can be part of an editor’s work. Some editors work as managers of newspapers, magazines or publishing companies. They decide what materials to publish and what to reject or to send back to the author for rewriting. Others work directly with authors to help them improve their work by making suggestions about the style or content. If a novel has far too many characters for readers to remember or is written in a very difficult style, stylistic or substantive editors can help.

    Near the end of the process, some editors work with the layout of the book or article, deciding how to fit it onto the page and make it look presentable. Others check names, dates and facts to ensure they’re correct. Just before the book or article goes to be printed or put on a website, a proofreader or copy-editor might look at it to check for mistakes in word usage, grammar, punctuation and spelling. If all of these parts work together, the result is a well-written and accurate document.

    To some extent, almost everyone is an editor. Have you ever checked your friend’s school assignment for mistakes? You were acting as an editor then. Have you ever stopped in the middle of a sentence to think of a better way of saying something? You were editing your own words. Professional editors do that kind of thing for a living.

    Generally, editors are not required to have any particular education in order to work. However, a Bachelor’s degree in English literature, creative writing or communications is very helpful. Some editors might also be required to obtain professional certification in areas such as technical communication. They might need to take courses on a variety of topics to keep their knowledge current. For many editors, a good knowledge of grammar is essential. Nouns, verbs, and prepositions are daily concerns for many editors. Reading all kinds of fiction, non-fiction and poetry is another form of training for editors. The more they read, the better prepared they’ll be to work with other people’s writing.

    In some cases, becoming an editor means a steady job with a regular paycheque. In most cases, however, the work is far more uncertain. Freelance editors who work with many different people have to be comfortable with an uncertain income. They have to be willing to work long hours and often to find another job to support themselves. For many editors, however, the enjoyment they get from the work is worth the trouble.

    So if you love words, why not consider becoming an editor?