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Preparing to Meet an Acquisition’s Editor
Whether you contact the editor or she prospects you to discuss your book idea, you should bring your A game to the meeting. That is: Be professional—Arrive on time, minimize distractions as much as possible, and be ready to discuss your work and your book idea. Editors often schedule meetings back-to-back so it’s a good… Continue reading
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Learning from a Publisher’s Rejection
So, you prepared your proposal (summary of your book idea, where you think it’ll fit in the market, your credentials, and all that other requested info) and submitted it for your dream publisher’s consideration. After your painstaking work, an acquisitions editor (the publisher’s representative) rejects it. How do you handle that? The following are a… Continue reading
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Submitting Your Proposal (for First-timers)!
So you’ve finally written your book and compiled a list of publishers whose audience will love it. But what do you send? Each publisher has its own guidelines—usually found on its website, but send the following and no detail will be left to chance. Cover letter (or email) summarizing your manuscript, your expertise, other publishers… Continue reading
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Working During COVID-19
Like many offices, mine shifted to remote work at the start of the pandemic. That shift is something I’m grateful for and yet, I notice that it creates new challenges. Isolation from coworkers and office resources (printers, mail service, and so on) are chief among them. The following are ways I’ve been handling this time:… Continue reading
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Recounting Four Takeaways From ACES 2018
To keep my copyediting skills sharp, I was off to the 2018 national conference of ACES: The Society for Editing in Chicago, IL. It was a great opportunity to learn new practices in the industry. The following are four lessons I’m taking away from the event. Language: Understand that we, the people, choose how we… Continue reading
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Laying the Right Foundation (Author Onboarding)
I read a Harvard Business Review article, “Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly,” that highlighted the importance of proper onboarding for talent retention. The writer pointed out that companies that streamline the steps and interactions needed to make a new hire’s first days successful and welcoming see less turnover. In essence,… Continue reading
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Reviewing the Edit Versus Formatting Review (for Authors)
Some publishers, including the one that employs me, give authors two reviews during the publishing process. The first—the review of edit—occurs after the manuscript has been developed and copyedited. During this time, the author sees his or her manuscript for the first time since sending it to the publisher. The author should read the file… Continue reading
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Getting the Style Sheet Right
A style sheet is an invaluable tool that ensures consistency. Per The Chicago Manual of Style (2.52), “for each manuscript the editor must keep an alphabetical list of words or terms to be capitalized, italicized, hyphenated, spelled, or otherwise treated in any way unique to the manuscript.” The style sheet makes sure each volume in… Continue reading
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Checking Photos
Whether editing or proofreading, it’s important to review photos for quality, clarity, and accuracy. Ask yourself: Will the photo be reprinted in color? If so, is a full-color pic used? Is the photo high resolution? I find that a JPEG, TIFF, or applicable format at 300 dots per inch (dpi) reprints well. Is the photo… Continue reading
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Ashante Thomas's Blog 