Editors' Association of Earth discussion
Welcome and intros!
Mod
If I could force everyone in the world to read one book, I would have a really hard time choosing. I just read Wally Lamb's collection of writing by female prisoners, Couldn't Keep It to Myself, and I think reading that would change a LOT of people's views about prisoners and poverty, especially as it relates to women. So that springs to mind but I now I'm thinking of other nominations...
Vanessa here, and I live in Waterloo, ON, Canada. I edit fiction and I'm trying to burrow myself into a niche of doing structural editing in speculative fiction because I'm a spec fic junkie. I pretty much grew up on horror. I'm currently listening to Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett and reading Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede and When the Hero Comes Home, an anthology. I could not, for the life of me, pick just one book for people to read. My favourite book is The Raven Ring by Wrede, but I doubt many people would love it the way I do.
I'm Erin Brenner, and I'm in Haverhill, MA. I'm the editor of the Copyediting newsletter, and I run an editorial services company that specializes in editing content marketing publications.I'm currently read Moby-Dick, which is a little slow but I'm almost done.
Vanessa, I've read Equal Rites. What a fun book! Have you read The Truth? It's a Disc World novel about the printing press. I love Disc World novels: social commentary and comedy, all in one.
One book that everyone should read? That's a tough one. I'd have to say the complete works of Shakespeare. He really was the master of language and storytelling.
Hi. I'm Helen (HKelleyB) from NYC.I do copy, line, and developmental edits for fiction writers. I also proofread and do manuscript evaluations.
While I am waiting for my next freelance job, I am reading White Gold by Rachel Amphlett. I will be writing a book review shortly in exchange for the free copy of this book.
I am also betareading two manuscripts. The first is called Brooding City; the other is Take a Chance.
My one book that I believe everyone should read is Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy. It is the best example of storytelling that I have come across in years. I have re-read it about four times already over the years. (Yes, the movie was good, but the book is so much better!)
Hi all. I'm Janet and I live in Margate, Florida. I'm a freelancer--I edit theses and dissertations as well as nonfiction books, articles, and blog posts.
I'm currently reading The Path Between the Seas (McCullough), Boundaries (Cloud and Townsend), and The Dovekeepers (Hoffman). I like to read nonfiction during the day and fiction before I go to sleep.
I wouldn't force anyone to read anything, but one of my favorite fiction books is The Oath by Peretti--I love the symbolism he uses. As for nonfiction, I couldn't live without the Bible.
Thank you, Cat, for starting this group.
Hi, I'm Wendy, and I live in Vancouver, BC. I've spent most of my working life being the go-to editor and proofreader for my bosses and colleagues, and am taking courses and dipping a toe into the world of freelancing, because why not monetize a natural talent and affection for language? I'm a creative writer, too. I think I'd like to specialize in editing fiction, but the more I learn about other possibilities, the wider my interest turns out to be. Experience will help me choose, I am sure.
Currently reading a raft of Canadian short fiction from Pulp Literature, and writing short fiction, too.
I wouldn't force any one book on everybody, but if I had my way, everyone would have a library card and the time and inclination to use it. Because, books!
Hi, I'm Lisa from Chester in England. I'm a freelance medical/scientific editor and I specialise in helping non-native English authors, particularly Japanese. I am currently reading the very enormous Luminaries, which is very dense and very complicated and I am absolutely loving it. The book I insist people read, and the book I have re-read myself the most times, is Donna Tartt's Secret History.
Hi, I'm Erika in Durham, NH (I grew up in Haverhill, MA, Erin!). In the last year, I've started freelance editing (all levels) and it's keeping me busy!I've just finished Revival by Stephen King, and I currently have 3 editing projects and a beta read in various stages of review.
This might sound self-serving, but my recommendation is for "The Suicide Flowers" by Pete Conrad. It's one of the books I edited. I love the flawed characters and their unique stories so much, and just want to share it with everyone I know!
Erin wrote:"Vanessa, I've read Equal Rites. What a fun book! Have you read The Truth? It's a Disc World novel about the printing press. I love Disc World novels: social commentary and comedy, all in one."I haven't read that one yet, but I've got everything Pratchett has ever written on audiobook. I'm going through in what is allegedly chronological order. According to my file, The Truth is 22 books away. O_o I will, one day, get there. I love the Disc World books so far, though.
Helen wrote: "I do copy, line, and developmental edits for fiction writers. I also proofread and do manuscript evaluations."I love doing ms evaluations! I just finished one, and also just submitted one of my own mss for evaluation. I'll be starting beta reads on two novels soon and regularly beta read short stories for my writer friends and the critiquing circle I'm a part of.
Vanessa wrote: " I've got everything Pratchett has ever written on audiobook. "I love Pratchett but I can't imagine how they work as audiobooks, with his footnotes and asides? Interesting.
Hi. My name is Chris. I am from South Africa. I do copy-editing and proofreading. I am busy with a few books at the moment, re-reading Ender's Game saga and a few Warhammer universe books.If I had to force every one to read one book it would have to be Ender's Game. It is....I can't actually explain it.
Lisa wrote: "I love Pratchett but I can't imagine how they work as audiobooks, with his footnotes and asides? Interesting."I'm really enjoying the audiobooks, a format I'm often hesitant about. They've got some very good voice actors and just drip with delightful sarcasm. The characters just really come alive, and the asides don't seem to get lost at all.
Erika wrote: "Hi, I'm Erika in Durham, NH (I grew up in Haverhill, MA, Erin!). In the last year, I've started freelance editing (all levels) and it's keeping me busy!I've just finished Revival by Stephen King,..."
Hello, fellow Hillie!
Vanessa wrote: "Erin wrote:"Vanessa, I've read Equal Rites. What a fun book! Have you read The Truth? It's a Disc World novel about the printing press. I love Disc World novels: social commentary and comedy, all i..."That's a heroic goal! I'm guilty of jumping around, reading one here, one there, as they take my fancy.
Chris wrote: "Hi. My name is Chris. I am from South Africa. I do copy-editing and proofreading. I am busy with a few books at the moment, re-reading Ender's Game saga and a few Warhammer universe books.If I ha..."
Love the Ender series! I've read it a few times now.
Vanessa wrote: "Helen wrote: "I do copy, line, and developmental edits for fiction writers. I also proofread and do manuscript evaluations."I love doing ms evaluations! I just finished one, and also just submitt..."
I love MS evaluations, too! There are so many creative minds out there. :)
Chris wrote: "Hi. My name is Chris. I am from South Africa. I do copy-editing and proofreading. I am busy with a few books at the moment, re-reading Ender's Game saga and a few Warhammer universe books.If I ha..."
I loved Ender's Game! And hey, I'll be in South Africa in a month's time (mostly in Cape Town). *waves*
Hello! My name is Erica, and I'm a freelancer providing developmental, line, and copy editing to authors of both fiction and nonfiction. I currently live in Bemidji, MN but will be moving to Florida as soon as my youngest goes off to college (18 months and counting!). I am so done with winter.Right now I am reading The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luís Alberto Urrea. It is the first book of his that I have read, and I am loving it. His writing reminds me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
One book everyone must read? Wow, that's a tough one. Some of my favorites are Midnight's Children (Salman Rushdie), Love in the Time of Cholera (Gabriel Garcia Marquez), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), and The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver).
Erin wrote: "That's a heroic goal! I'm guilty of jumping around, reading one here, one there, as they take my fancy."The first one I read just happened to be The Colour of Magic. Good starting point, and made it a bit easier to keep going chronologically, especially since I've got them all now.
Dear all,I’d like to share with you the realization of a vision. After years spent in publishing my novels, always aiming at the most professional and polished books for my readerships, I’ve dreamed of an environment where all caring actors around the creation and enjoyment of great books could be together, interact, and contribute to the realization of our dreams, for sure, but with a professional and committed attitude as well.
BookGarage opens its doors to welcome authors, freelancers, and readers together.
We talk about a vision, and a dream, and the importance of quality as the foremost goal in the long journey required for turning a manuscript into a book that readers will enjoy.
I encourage you to explore our vision and our mission from BG website at http://www.bookgarage.com/, and subscribe to our mailing list in order to be kept up to date with our development and—soon—our start of the operations: http://www.bookgarage.com/newsletter....
Profit from this run-in period, while we finish developing the heuristics and advanced search capabilities, to share with us your expectations and wishes.
BookGarage will be as great as its members are.
All the best,
Massimo Marino
COO & co-founder
Hello! My name is Maria and I am from Montreal, Canada. I am an editor for technical documentation in the aerospace industry.I am embarrassed to admit that I have not had time to read any books in MONTHS and I am desperate to sink my teeth into a good page-turner. The last books I read was from the Louise Penny's mystery series.
Erica - you just listed three of my absolute favourite books! (I never read Love in the Time of Cholera.)
Other books that have marked me and that I would recommend to the world are A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry) and The Book of Negroes (Lawrence Hill).
Hi! I'm Noelle, from Wichita, Kansas. I'm an academic copyeditor. I just started Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea. And by "just started," I mean I read about a page and fell asleep--which has to do with how tired I was, not how good the book is!I can't think of one single book I would recommend. I would say read something! Anything! I don't care what people are reading as long as they're willing to read.
Hi everyone. My names Kat, I live in Victoria, Australia and I'm a book addict (clearly!).Copyediting and line editing are my bread and butter but I prefer developmental editing and MS assessments. I primarily work with indie authors and students. Currently I'm reading a small book. I won't go on about it.
As for a book I *would* recommend, I have three (sorry but they are fairly short) - Louise Cooper's The Time Master Trilogy.
Hello! I'm Julia Willson, copyeditor and proofreader from Middletown, DE, USA. I started a freelance business, Edits by Julia, earlier this year after self-teaching with Chicago Manual of Style (ok, and Copyediting for Dummies), and a lifetime of being "that person" who would compulsively correct anything in front of me. Former Instructional Designer and Editor for HSBC.So far, I've edited non-fiction (a book about writing books!), fiction (Clay-Stained Memories-avail Nov), marketing content for SplitSeed, and various short docs as a Prooffixer. Recently hooked up with an ex-pro football player turned motivational speaker for whom I'll be compiling his first book of blog posts. So, clearly I am still finding my niche!
Reading-wise, I prefer non-fiction (self-help, personal effectiveness) and humor. But at the moment, I'm reading The Husband's Secret-Liane Moriarty, Reader's Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, The Subversive Copy Editor, and An Idiot Abroad-Ricky Gervais.
Excited to meet you all!
Julia :-)
EditsbyJulia.com
Hey, Julia. Welcome!
I finally got around to joining! I edit books for publishers and independent authors. Although I edit both fiction and nonfiction, I specialize in historical, mystery/thriller, and women's fiction of all kinds. That's also what I tend to read for fun.I spend about half my work time editing. In my other life, I'm a writer focusing on travel, recreation, and the arts. I've written a handful of books on those topics, so I've seen the publishing process from multiple angles!
Thank you for setting up this group.
Christy
Hi! I'm Lea and I've been an editor for more than 30 years and I currently live in the Seattle area (although I think I'd like to move back East). I started out in magazines and later worked for marketing firms, a law firm, and software companies (most of my recent experience). I've also done academic editing. I started editing on a freelance basis about two years ago and have worked on academic books, a memoir, historical fiction, short stories, and a how-to book. I'm now the copy editor for a history journal. I officially left the corporate world in December to start my own business (Gallant Editorial Services). I'd like to focus on history books (fiction and nonfiction) since that's my background, but I also continue to do technical editing because it pays well. I would love to edit more memoirs, since that's history to me. I think I would also like to eventually teach, but only after my business gets off the ground.
Twelve Years a Slave and Couldn't Keep It to Myself are both on my list. :-)
Good luck moving into structural editing! It sounds like the perfect niche for you. I love your passion for the speculative fiction genre.
I haven't read anything by Alice Hoffman in way too long. :-)
Christi wrote: "Hi. My name is Chris. I am from South Africa. I do copy-editing and proofreading. I am busy with a few books at the moment, re-reading Ender's Game saga ...
I read Enders Game, for the first time, with my son last year. He homeschools, and we're always reading a book together. I was blown away by the fact that, writing in the 70s, Card was so prescient about so many things going on in society today.
I read Enders Game, for the first time, with my son last year. He homeschools, and we're always reading a book together. I was blown away by the fact that, writing in the 70s, Card was so prescient about so many things going on in society today.
I love doing ms evaluations! I just finished one, and a..."
That's a niche I'm definitely excited about getting into!
That's a niche I'm definitely excited about getting into!
Lea wrote: "Hi! I'm Lea and I've been an editor for more than 30 years and I currently live in the Seattle area ...I visited Seattle last year with my son, who wants to go to DigiPen. It was my first time visiting the West Coast. Loved it!
Hello, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all these intros. I'm a bit late to this party, but...
I am Stephanie, living in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I am relatively new to freelancing, but I've been coaching/editing for almost 11 years. Right now, I am providing substantive copyediting for a hybrid self-publishing company and occasional private clients. I like substantive copyediting, but I really want to provide developmental (structural) editing and manuscript evaluations.
I'm an eclectic reader, but I am particularly passionate about memoirs, literary fiction, mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy. I am currently reading the "Last Policeman" series by Ben H. Winters, one of Louise Harnby's editorial books, 1984 with my son and Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson with my daughter. They are unschoolers, so this is part of their "curriculum."
I can't settle on one book I wish everyone would read, but I am passionate about the importance of literature and films. In addition to cultivating an appreciation for language and storytelling, it helps us develop greater empathy and wisdom and connect to the larger world around us, including aspects that are outside the realm of our experience.
I am Stephanie, living in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I am relatively new to freelancing, but I've been coaching/editing for almost 11 years. Right now, I am providing substantive copyediting for a hybrid self-publishing company and occasional private clients. I like substantive copyediting, but I really want to provide developmental (structural) editing and manuscript evaluations.
I'm an eclectic reader, but I am particularly passionate about memoirs, literary fiction, mysteries, science fiction, and fantasy. I am currently reading the "Last Policeman" series by Ben H. Winters, one of Louise Harnby's editorial books, 1984 with my son and Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson with my daughter. They are unschoolers, so this is part of their "curriculum."
I can't settle on one book I wish everyone would read, but I am passionate about the importance of literature and films. In addition to cultivating an appreciation for language and storytelling, it helps us develop greater empathy and wisdom and connect to the larger world around us, including aspects that are outside the realm of our experience.
Hey! I'm Sonnet, and I recognize a number of you from the EAE Facebook group. Nice to find you here!I live in Central Minnesota and work with fiction. About 90% of my jobs are developmental but I offer copy editing as well. I also have recently started doing English translation clean-up (for world authors or those who speak English as a second language but want to publish in the US) and I find I really enjoy it.
Picking a single book is impossible! It varies so much day to day. I think my favorite is Caroling Dusk, a compilation of poetry from the Harlem Renaissance. I love HR lit. Outside of that, for pleasure reading I'm a big fan of historical fiction and mysteries.
Glad to be here!
I'm as busy as ever. And I've got jet lag. So, coffee is my best friend this week!
Hey. I just found out about this group. And then when I came here I found I was already a member (figures). So, how can I get it to show up on my FaceBook page so I remember to check it?
Hi, everybody. My name is Kathy. I've just joined this group here and on Facebook, thanks to a mention on the EFA mailing list. I'm a full-time freelance copyeditor, indexer, writer, and proofreader and work almost exclusively for university presses (though I've also handled theses, dissertations, and scholarly journal articles for their authors). Those of you who are interested will find the books on which I've worked in their own category in my GR Books Read list. Please feel free to Friend me!I'm delighted to see that so many of you are fellow Terry Pratchett fans. My current reads, which I'm dipping into as time permits, are Sloane Crosley's How Did You Get This Number, and Frances Hodgson Burnett's first novel, That Lass O' Lowrie's (1877). My "must read" work of fiction for the whole world would probably be Dickens's Great Expectations—the version with his original melancholic ending. It's wonderfully funny, it's dramatic, it's heartbreaking, it's gripping, and the characters all live and breathe on the page. For nonfiction I'd probably go with J.C. Furnas's impeccably researched and written Great Times: An Informal Social History of the United States, 1914-29.
Late to the game! Hi, I'm Jess. I live in Sydney, Australia, I'm a freelance copyeditor and proofreader, and I'm currently reading The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett, and Forensics by Val McDermid.If I could make a strong suggestion about a book, my vote would be for We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler OR Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It's too hard to choose just one!
Hi, I'm Jaime in the SF Bay Area, and I don't often get on Goodreads. Today I did because I was looking for a book recommendation. What I'm reading these days is mostly research for a novel I'm working on. So ... recently I decided I need to read something purely for entertainment. Looking forward to reading and following up your suggestions ...
Editors' Association of Earth
Books mentioned in this topic
Strange Practice (other topics)How Did You Get This Number: Essays (other topics)
That Lass O' Lowrie's Frances Hodgson Burnett (other topics)
Great Expectations (other topics)
Great Times: An Informal Social History of the United States, 1914-29 (other topics)
Let's introduce ourselves! What's your name, where do you live in the world, what kind of editing do you do, and what are you currently reading? And if you could strongly suggest* that everyone in the world read one book, what would it be?
*I originally wrote "force," but obviously I'm not really supportive of forced reading.