Archive for the 'Links' Category

Old Books, Online

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on January 5, 2009
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Way, way back (or, at least, a long time ago as Internet history goes), there was Project Gutenberg. It began in 1971, with project founder Michael Hart typing in the Declaration of Independence, and slowly expanded to include other historical documents and out-of-copyright literature.

In 1991, Project Gutenberg took its current form. Its initial goal was to add one book per month. In 2006, with the help of volunteers around the world, it saw the addition of an average of 400 books per month, according to the general FAQ.

(As a proud citizen of the Internet, I’m pleased to say I did my part. The book I helped to transcribe is number 769 of the collection: Okakura’s The Book of Tea.)

If you’re a more recent arrival to the Internet, you might not be familiar with Project Gutenberg, but chances are good that you’ll know about Google Books.

Google started with the same idea: making out-of-copyright books available online. They’ve expanded the concept to include out-of-print books, and have come to a settlement with publishers and authors about the distribution of out-of-print but in-copyright material, as well as the distribution of current in-copyright and in-print books, as well.

For Google’s summary of their service: http://books.google.com/googlebooks/agreement/

The New York Times has a good article about the Google settlement, and what it means for researchers, readers, and publishers.

I think that anything that grants access to literature and information, while still acknowledging and respecting the rights of the owners of that information, is a good thing. Do I think this will kill paper publishing? No. Not at all.

What do you think?

Back to Work

Published
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on December 29, 2008
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I had a lovely holiday with family, and now I’m back in the office looking at the two manuscripts on my desk.

In the spirit of the season, my mother had asked me if I would like one of those “I am the grammarian about whom your mother warned you” shirts. I graciously declined, and pointed her toward my Grammar Vampires post.

However, in the process of browsing related things, I did come across the irritable vowels shirt. (second item on the page)

irritable vowels @ themorningnews.org

I never have days like that.

Capital I is for Internet

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on December 18, 2008
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Your editor is hard at work. I’m juggling three manuscripts, with a fourth soon on the way, and I’m trying to clear my desk before the holidays. If I haven’t been around in the usual places — Twitter, Skype, or wherever you might normally find me — now you know why.

One common thread I’ve found through the fiction and the non-fiction I’ve been working on lately, and even in some of the social forums I dip into, is the proper handling of words relating to our online experience.

Since these are issues I find myself looking up and referencing time and again, I thought that I would share my references in one convenient place.

Chicago Manual of Style informs us that Web site should be two words, and the same goes for Web page, and that while the capital W may become obsolete someday, that day has not yet come. For now, we still recognize Web as a proper noun, short for World Wide Web.

Similarly, capital-I Internet is the preferred usage. However, online has edged out the previously preferred “on-line”, by virtue of its inclusion in the American Heritage (4th ed., 2000) dictionary.

E-mail retains its hyphen for now, and is capitalized when it begins a sentence.

Contracts

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on December 12, 2008
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Are contracts really necessary? Isn’t making someone sign a contract for editing work like saying you don’t trust them to pay?

There’s a lot more to a contract than just “Ha! Now you HAVE to pay me!” and “Ha! Now you HAVE to do the work!”

Contracts set out the expectations of both parties. If I’m editing for you, you want to know exactly what I’m going to do to your manuscript, how I’m going to do it, and when it’s going to be done. I want the assurance that I’m getting paid at a rate we’ve agreed on, and that I’m getting credit for my work. I want to make clear up front exactly how much work that rate of pay is buying.

Don’t think of a contract as a statement of distrust, it’s the handshake at the end of the negotiation. It’s the opportunity to list out expectations and agree upon them before the work starts, so that the needs of both parties are met and there are no sudden changes or last minute surprises later.

There may be a temptation to handwave the whole contract process for a simple job, or a quick job, or a cheap job, or a job from someone you trust. Don’t. I get a signed contract from every writer who hires me, or a purchase order from every larger company. Get into the habit of creating contracts and invoices, and getting anything to do with terms or payments in writing. For tax purposes, you’ll need to. And some day, some sort of discrepancy may pop up, and having a signed agreement to reference for clarification may make all the difference between a frustrating negotiation and a smooth one.

There’s a great sample contract available for download from Editors’ Association of Canada. I’ve used this as a base and modified it for my own purposes; they invite anyone to do the same.

Nomination!

Published
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on December 8, 2008
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Congratulations to Philippa Ballantine — her novel Digital Magic has been nominated for a Sir Julius Vogel award.

I was privileged to work with Pip on Digital Magic, so this is exciting on a personal level, as well. She’s a great writer and podcaster, and it’s always a treat to work on a novel with her. I wish Pip and Digital Magic all the best!

The Really Important Proofreading Marks

Published
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on November 20, 2008
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Today, a classic:

editingmarks.jpg (c) Eve Corbel

Oh, if only.

via Geist:Comix.

Sadistic tools

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on November 13, 2008
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I don’t advocate this for a serious writing project (see: Kamikaze Mode, below), but as a tool for writing exercises, I think it’s brilliant.

Meet Write or Die, a cruel and twisted little application that nudges you when you get distracted and stop typing.

You set the delay interval, and you also choose your consequences, from the following:

* Gentle Mode: A certain amount of time after you stop writing, a box will pop up, gently reminding you to continue writing.
* Normal Mode: If you persistently avoid writing, you will be played a most unpleasant sound. The sound will stop if and only if you continue to write.
* Kamikaze Mode: Keep Writing or Your Work Will Unwrite Itself

Evil.

Brilliant.

In fact, I’m using it to write this post.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out!

Contrariwise

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on October 30, 2008
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After a brief hiatus, one of my favorite literature-related blogs is back in business. Contrariwise: Literary Tattoos.

I don’t have any literary ink on my own skin (…yet?), but the thought fascinates me nonetheless. It’s always as interesting to see what people have chosen as important to them as it is to see the creative ways they’ve chosen to immortalize them. I check back with this one often.

The Phrontistery

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on September 25, 2008
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As language sites go, The Phrontistery is one of my long-time favorites. More a compendium than a thesaurus, it’s an excellent resource for expanding and brightening your vocabulary, or even for browsing for ideas.

While one of the main features of the site is the International House of Logorrhea, a free online dictionary of weird and unusual words, I’ve found the separate lists of uncommon words, grouped by subject, to be just as useful. The color terms, fabric terms, and unusual animals are particular favorites of mine. I’ve returned to them again and again over the last few years, when I’ve been stuck and any common word just wouldn’t do.

If you’re bored of three dollar S.A.T. words and you’re looking to expand your vocabulary and throw a little more color into your writing, you could do worse than to browse The Phrontistery’s hallowed pages.

Be warned, though, that like any items of luxury, these should be used sparingly. Add one here or there for a little garnish or extra spice, but overdo it and you’ll look like you’ve been playing dressup in your mom’s thesaurus.

A Bit of Monday Snark

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on August 18, 2008
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If I were writing an article here every day… well, I’d never get any editing done. But also, I’d probably dedicate one day of the week to humor, snark and sarcasm related to publishing, writing, editing, and finger-pointing at unintentional typos.

As it is, I have the freedom to interject these things as whim and circumstance allow. That means that I can take a break from the advice posts, after long-winded serious offerings like Thursday’s, to present some lighter fare.

The sadly gone-quiet 101 Reasons to Stop Writing is a delightful stress-relief site for those in various corners of the publishing business. They’re not the first to parody the beautiful and inspirational Successories line of motivational posters (Demotivators have existed for years, and may in fact outshine their source material in popularity), but 101 Reasons’ set is particularly notable for its editorial and writerly bent.

For your viewing pleasure, then, Demotivators on editing, writing, and the everpresent slushpile. May they lighten your desktop and your step.

editing