This week I'm still editing a few articles, but nothing like at the beginning of this semester and internship. Thier work is fairly cyclical, especially the articles, published quarterly. So after a wave of articles and deadlines, their seems to be some slackening off. Of course books and other projects, along with general housekeeping items (and actual housekeeping), are still coming in and some are nearing completion.
One of the books that has been sent to the printer will actually credit me as "Proofreader," so that's cool for me. We got a copy of the cover to make sure everything (text too, but mainly colors and layout) was just right before they roll off 500 of these. The paper it was printed on seemed flimsier than that on a previous book of the same series, but other than that, it turned out very nicely. Again, I can't stress enough how important the littlest things are. The pdf sent to the printer had text blocks that looked very boxy, the version sent to us, though, had aligned the text sort of diagonally down one side to better match the graphics wrapping around from the front cover. It looks good and I can't wait to see it.
Matt and I were discussing how I felt the internship was coming, whether I was getting the hours I needed, whether I was learning, etc. when we started talking about what I was going to do after graduation. I told him I wasn't entirely sure, but I sort of had some things lined up (strong emphasis on sort of), and he told me they may like to keep me on as one of their freelance copyeditors/proofreaders. He said, I believe, that three of the last four interns were doing such work, in different capacities and volumes. I said that I was very interested as I have been looking into doing such freelance work over the internet. (God love the internet--I can work from a beach.) So that is very exciting for me, now I sort of (with less emphasis) have more things lined up.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Week 8
For last week:
The catalog is finished and we should see a copy next week or the week after. That is good considering this serves as the Spring Catalog. Holdups had occured because of pricing changes, title changes, and general uncertainty about the dates certain projects would be completed and ready to roll off the printer. I recieved a copy of the invoice from Jamie, the designer, and realized that that is an OK field to work in.
I've started editing a few articles, to stay ahead of the game and schedule, of another journal. This journal is the International Journal of Sport Finance (IJSF). One of the articles was just a book review and took less than an hour. One of the articles was written by an editor for another journal, so was already in fairly good form. The last article required the most work, but was by far the most interesting. The authors had developed a test to determine the criteria professional golfers used in choosing in which tournaments each should play. I don't even like golf very much, but the article was actually interesting, as it outlined and tested various skills a golfer possessed as well as psychological factors (including the Tiger Woods phenomenon).
This is a part of my work this semester that I have really come to enjoy. In working, I have learned about things I had no knowledge of but, apparently, did have some interest in. I have read a lot about a wide array of general sports topics addressing the psychological, physical, social, and business of sport. I think that is one of the great benefits of doing the type of work I have this semester (that is, if the editor/proofer enjoys learning about new things). It is an opportunity not many receive. Especially working at FIT, which produces academic journals, is great for this because even if a person already knows a lot about a subject, these journals only exist to introduce new ideas to the field.
The catalog is finished and we should see a copy next week or the week after. That is good considering this serves as the Spring Catalog. Holdups had occured because of pricing changes, title changes, and general uncertainty about the dates certain projects would be completed and ready to roll off the printer. I recieved a copy of the invoice from Jamie, the designer, and realized that that is an OK field to work in.
I've started editing a few articles, to stay ahead of the game and schedule, of another journal. This journal is the International Journal of Sport Finance (IJSF). One of the articles was just a book review and took less than an hour. One of the articles was written by an editor for another journal, so was already in fairly good form. The last article required the most work, but was by far the most interesting. The authors had developed a test to determine the criteria professional golfers used in choosing in which tournaments each should play. I don't even like golf very much, but the article was actually interesting, as it outlined and tested various skills a golfer possessed as well as psychological factors (including the Tiger Woods phenomenon).
This is a part of my work this semester that I have really come to enjoy. In working, I have learned about things I had no knowledge of but, apparently, did have some interest in. I have read a lot about a wide array of general sports topics addressing the psychological, physical, social, and business of sport. I think that is one of the great benefits of doing the type of work I have this semester (that is, if the editor/proofer enjoys learning about new things). It is an opportunity not many receive. Especially working at FIT, which produces academic journals, is great for this because even if a person already knows a lot about a subject, these journals only exist to introduce new ideas to the field.
Week 7
For a few weeks ago:
The 2009 Catalog is nearly finished. I've gone through and proofed it again after getting it back from the designer, again. It went through several drafts as seeing something can be very different than discussing it and other possibilities earlier in the drafting process. This go-round, I was just quickly reading through, making sure nothing was missed, and checking the ISBNs, cover images, and prices against their listings on the FIT website. I found a few mistakes, but not many. One thing, which ended up serving as an "in-service" (a meeeting in an organization to teach the members, here myself, of that organization something new), that I found was an ISBN was listed very differently on the website than what it was in the catalog and from the other books listed in the catalog. When I asked Matt and then Val to find out which one was correct, we found that the listing on the website was the incorrect one.
This set off a learning experience for me as to how to purchase ISBNs and how to register books online (which is a tremendous improvement from the old "paper" days). Apparently, ISBNs are generally purchased by publishing companies in bulk, up to hundreds at a time. This way, the books they put out have ISBNs different from each other by only a digit or three. That helps the publishers stay organized and helps me when proofreading ISBNs as i can memorize about nine or ten of the series and just focus on the last few digits.
Though the work for my internship has been primarily copyediting and proofreading, it has been instances like that just described that have taught me the most. Matt, Val, and the other folks at FIT have done a wonderful job of introducing me to the whole production process. I have seen articles and books develop from the earliest stages. I have seen and participated in the communication of changes suggested, changes necessary, and changes necessary that the authors keep changing back. Now I have learned how to register a book with the library of congress and have even learned what the "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page is (it is a leftover from publishing using plates, where all the printer had to do was cover a digit to show that this was the second printing, third printing, etc.).
The 2009 Catalog is nearly finished. I've gone through and proofed it again after getting it back from the designer, again. It went through several drafts as seeing something can be very different than discussing it and other possibilities earlier in the drafting process. This go-round, I was just quickly reading through, making sure nothing was missed, and checking the ISBNs, cover images, and prices against their listings on the FIT website. I found a few mistakes, but not many. One thing, which ended up serving as an "in-service" (a meeeting in an organization to teach the members, here myself, of that organization something new), that I found was an ISBN was listed very differently on the website than what it was in the catalog and from the other books listed in the catalog. When I asked Matt and then Val to find out which one was correct, we found that the listing on the website was the incorrect one.
This set off a learning experience for me as to how to purchase ISBNs and how to register books online (which is a tremendous improvement from the old "paper" days). Apparently, ISBNs are generally purchased by publishing companies in bulk, up to hundreds at a time. This way, the books they put out have ISBNs different from each other by only a digit or three. That helps the publishers stay organized and helps me when proofreading ISBNs as i can memorize about nine or ten of the series and just focus on the last few digits.
Though the work for my internship has been primarily copyediting and proofreading, it has been instances like that just described that have taught me the most. Matt, Val, and the other folks at FIT have done a wonderful job of introducing me to the whole production process. I have seen articles and books develop from the earliest stages. I have seen and participated in the communication of changes suggested, changes necessary, and changes necessary that the authors keep changing back. Now I have learned how to register a book with the library of congress and have even learned what the "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page is (it is a leftover from publishing using plates, where all the printer had to do was cover a digit to show that this was the second printing, third printing, etc.).
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Week 6
Last week I was surprised and a bit amused by how the new prices for the catalog were determined. This week, I was again surprised by the process for determining the prices of these ebooks FIT is trying to go to more and more. They are trying to determine the correct balance between printed material and electronic material. The printed material costs more to produce so represents a large cost for FIT. The electronic material costs, really, nothing, at least not after its production, so is purely revenue. So the discussions about ebook prices were basically to determine the correct markdown. The discussed markdown right now is about 50%, but nothing is definite.
Besides the hold up by discussions of prices for ebooks and the like, the catalog is about done. Once the designer puts a draft together, it will come back and be proofed, then will be printed and sent out. I am still copyediting and proofing, though now it is mostly scholarly articles for FIT's International Journal of Sport Exercise Physiology (IJSEP). Each article is, generally, written by a different author with his or her own style and background. Some use MLA, others APA, others sort of make up rules as they go. FIT and the IJSEP use APA, something with which I am not, or was not before this internship, well acquainted. Most things are consistent, but its the little stuff, the minutia, that is different and must especially be watched for. An example is the use of square brackets and parentheses. Chicago, and PEMDAS, says that square brackets are to be the outside parentheses and (ordinary) parentheses are to be the inner brackets. APA, I think MLA, and teachers since I was about 12, say that that should be opposite ( [ ] ). I learned that today, so must go back through about six articles I just copyedited to change it from [ ( ) ] to [ ( ) ].
Journal articles
Besides the hold up by discussions of prices for ebooks and the like, the catalog is about done. Once the designer puts a draft together, it will come back and be proofed, then will be printed and sent out. I am still copyediting and proofing, though now it is mostly scholarly articles for FIT's International Journal of Sport Exercise Physiology (IJSEP). Each article is, generally, written by a different author with his or her own style and background. Some use MLA, others APA, others sort of make up rules as they go. FIT and the IJSEP use APA, something with which I am not, or was not before this internship, well acquainted. Most things are consistent, but its the little stuff, the minutia, that is different and must especially be watched for. An example is the use of square brackets and parentheses. Chicago, and PEMDAS, says that square brackets are to be the outside parentheses and (ordinary) parentheses are to be the inner brackets. APA, I think MLA, and teachers since I was about 12, say that that should be opposite ( [ ] ). I learned that today, so must go back through about six articles I just copyedited to change it from [ ( ) ] to [ ( ) ].
Journal articles
Week 5
Week 5 saw deadlines come and pass. When I showed up to work on the catalog, I learned that new prices were being settled on and that FIT is trying to incorporate ebooks into their catalog this year. The new prices are being selected in an interesting way. I'm sure it is the usual way these things are decided, but it is fascinating and sort of fun. I asked my boss what the new price for a certain book would be, he looked at me, and picked up another company's new catalog, flipped to a page, and said $52. I must have looked sort of perplexed, so he turned the catalog around and I saw the other catalog had a similar book listed at $55. Other prices were shifted in similar ways, just by a few bucks, usually, and always with an eye to the competition.
The ebooks, for those of you who haven't heard of them, are books online. There are even little computers designed just for these ebooks. Matt and I spent probably fifteen minutes looking at ebooks and the portable screens to read them with. They hold a ridiculous amount, thousands of books. But, there aren't many books in this format yet. FIT wants to be ahead of the curve, so is going ahead and putting some of their textbooks into the correct format. We talked about the problems of theft (students printing one copy and then copying it over and over again) and price determination. Only incredibly cheap students, like myself, woulk likely print one and copy the rest, so theft shouldn't be that big of a problem, especially since the real benefit of an ebook is that it can be read from a laptop or other device.
I am still doing some copyediting and proofing, and Professor Wible's suggestion to use style sheets for this type of work has worked out well. The sheet provides me, and more importantly, those above me and the authors, with the reasoning behind and description of the decisions I made. I recommend them highly for anyone doing this type of work, where the same types of problems need to be dealt with again and again in the same work.
The ebooks, for those of you who haven't heard of them, are books online. There are even little computers designed just for these ebooks. Matt and I spent probably fifteen minutes looking at ebooks and the portable screens to read them with. They hold a ridiculous amount, thousands of books. But, there aren't many books in this format yet. FIT wants to be ahead of the curve, so is going ahead and putting some of their textbooks into the correct format. We talked about the problems of theft (students printing one copy and then copying it over and over again) and price determination. Only incredibly cheap students, like myself, woulk likely print one and copy the rest, so theft shouldn't be that big of a problem, especially since the real benefit of an ebook is that it can be read from a laptop or other device.
I am still doing some copyediting and proofing, and Professor Wible's suggestion to use style sheets for this type of work has worked out well. The sheet provides me, and more importantly, those above me and the authors, with the reasoning behind and description of the decisions I made. I recommend them highly for anyone doing this type of work, where the same types of problems need to be dealt with again and again in the same work.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Week 4
Continuing:
Today, Tuesday, February 10th, I will turn in a manuscript with the author's revisions incorporated, an academic journal consisting of eleven different articles, and I will send the first pieces of text to the designer so she can start putting the catalog together by the end of this week. I have the eight promo pieces written, but still need some information on two of the books (ISBN, price, and whether the person mentioned is the author or editor so I know whether to write [Ed.] or [Eds.] after the name[s] or not). Val, one of my bosses at FIT will have written some background information for, I believe, seven more books/manuals/directories which are new to the catalog.
The rest of the week should be finishing up the catalog on my end: I have to cut down some of the older title descriptions, and reorganize the titles based on whatever precedence Matt (my primary boss) decides. This week should be less time-consuming, but a lot of tangible material will be produced. The most important skill one can have in this work, or should develop in doing this work, is time management, especially if doing the work as I am, sort of making the hours up as I go. Sometimes I work from about 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., other times from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. I enjoy doing the work this way, chunking it whenever I have time I can devote to it, but when there is a lot to do, days get full pretty quickly.
Today, Tuesday, February 10th, I will turn in a manuscript with the author's revisions incorporated, an academic journal consisting of eleven different articles, and I will send the first pieces of text to the designer so she can start putting the catalog together by the end of this week. I have the eight promo pieces written, but still need some information on two of the books (ISBN, price, and whether the person mentioned is the author or editor so I know whether to write [Ed.] or [Eds.] after the name[s] or not). Val, one of my bosses at FIT will have written some background information for, I believe, seven more books/manuals/directories which are new to the catalog.
The rest of the week should be finishing up the catalog on my end: I have to cut down some of the older title descriptions, and reorganize the titles based on whatever precedence Matt (my primary boss) decides. This week should be less time-consuming, but a lot of tangible material will be produced. The most important skill one can have in this work, or should develop in doing this work, is time management, especially if doing the work as I am, sort of making the hours up as I go. Sometimes I work from about 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., other times from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. I enjoy doing the work this way, chunking it whenever I have time I can devote to it, but when there is a lot to do, days get full pretty quickly.
Week 3
Posting for last week:
Last week was quite busy. I almost turned in a manuscript that was proofed, but was handed a document five pages long with the author's revisions. I was also handed a copy of one of FIT's quarterly journals to proofread, mainly looking for dates and copyrights that needed updating, but also for the usual things, misspellings, commas missing or incorrect punctuation, and consistency throughout the text. And I was charged with coordinating the '09 FIT catalog. This includes updating text, inserting new text and pictures, getting rid of old information, updating the overall look of the 16 page catalog, prioritizing space for the best sellers or hopeful best sellers, and doing all this with the designer in Cumberland.
That seemed like a lot. And it was. But as long as I budgeted my time, I could get things done by the time FIT needs them. The journal will be turned in Tuesday, February 10, as will the other manuscript incorporating the author's own revisions. (By the way, SS in SS America is not italicized. Who knew?) The catalog is coming along in stages and the first of the actual text inserts will be sent to the designer on Tuesday as well, after being run by the people at FIT to make sure I have included all the necessary and relevant information and put it in an appropriate format.
Last week was quite busy. I almost turned in a manuscript that was proofed, but was handed a document five pages long with the author's revisions. I was also handed a copy of one of FIT's quarterly journals to proofread, mainly looking for dates and copyrights that needed updating, but also for the usual things, misspellings, commas missing or incorrect punctuation, and consistency throughout the text. And I was charged with coordinating the '09 FIT catalog. This includes updating text, inserting new text and pictures, getting rid of old information, updating the overall look of the 16 page catalog, prioritizing space for the best sellers or hopeful best sellers, and doing all this with the designer in Cumberland.
That seemed like a lot. And it was. But as long as I budgeted my time, I could get things done by the time FIT needs them. The journal will be turned in Tuesday, February 10, as will the other manuscript incorporating the author's own revisions. (By the way, SS in SS America is not italicized. Who knew?) The catalog is coming along in stages and the first of the actual text inserts will be sent to the designer on Tuesday as well, after being run by the people at FIT to make sure I have included all the necessary and relevant information and put it in an appropriate format.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)