Ooligan Press is a student-run trade press that operates in conjunction with the book publishing master’s program at Portland State University. Those of us inclined to bite off a bit more work operate as project managers (those who manage the publication of a book project) and department managers (those who run the various departments within the press). As copy chief it is my responsibility to oversee and edit all the copy that goes through the press.
With our most recent audiobook title Faultland by Suzy Vitelllo, Oolies are now in charge of the entire production process. This is an exciting opportunity for students to get hands-on experience with a vital part of the audiobook production process. Although it may sound daunting, editing audio is an incredibly satisfying process and a marketable skill that students can add to their growing repertoire of qualifications.
Luckily for freelance editors, there are a handful of editorial societies that are available to join to build a sense of community even when working remotely. Providing encouragement and learning resources, each of the organizations listed below are sure to provide some benefit to your range of skills whether you prefer something free to low cost or have the funds to invest in a high-end membership.
Assessing the structural integrity of a house is what developmental editing is to a manuscript. When doing a developmental edit, an editor will organize their thoughts and notes into a cohesive document called the developmental editing letter, or sometimes just the editorial letter, which will then be sent to you. What can you expect from the editorial letter?
Everyone has a favorite genre or story, but comfort isn’t always the key to selecting a desirable manuscript. A publisher should be aware of systemic issues and internal bias. There are fine lines between genre expectations, tropes, and stereotypes. A publisher should consider how these expectations function in the manuscript before rejecting a piece or prescribing edits.
Artificial spell-checking and editing software like Grammarly has been around for several years, but in recent years, more robust artificial intelligence programs have been developed to write documents and fully edit them with little to no human interference. This flux in AI programs for writing and editing has certain implications for the future of copyediting, but can AI really become proficient enough to fully replace human editors? We’ll explore this question in this blog post.
Is this a typo or is it just poetry? Editing poetry can appear so daunting at times because of this infamous question. Everything within a poem can seem intentional. From two em dashes in a row to a misspelled word, it can be hard to decipher what’s needed and what isn’t. However, there are poetry rules of thumb that make it a little easier to navigate a poem.
Automated writing evaluation (AWE) software such as Grammarly, Bartleby, and Microsoft Word’s spellchecker can’t replace human editors, but they can be used in conjunction with traditional editing to increase productivity and allow the human editor to focus on more individualized feedback.
In a world with a broad range of writing, is it possible to specialize in a subject matter you love?
We read content all the time that doesn’t align to any style guide at all and title formatting is based on what the author may vaguely remember from high school. This guide will help clear up some of that confusion and create a document that you can refer back to whenever you come across this problem in your own writing or editing.