Why Copyeditors Are So 2011

Artificial intelligence just ain't good enough to replace good copyeditors. Not yet, anyway. Do you know what copyeditors do?

The job description goes way beyond spell-checking and perfecting punctuation. An errant ellipse or  extra space can be forgiven when what you're reading makes sense.

That's what copyeditors are supposed to do: make the reading make sense. That's why copyeditors are still relevant today, and why they probably will be for years (or decades) to come.

And here's a newsflash: copyeditors don't necessarily need to know the subject to do a great job. Case in point:  once I caught a math error (me!) in a user manual I was editing on Chromospectography. And the wonderful copyeditor who has vastly improved the second edition of my hiking guide, 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Cleveland, managed that not-so-small task while sitting in her office in Birmingham AL. (Thanks, Amber!)

The self-published book business is booming, without copyeditors. But can you name a self-published best-selling novel? I'm pretty sure that's not a coincidence.

No matter what your business, you could probably improve it by hiring a copyeditor - or proofreader. Sure, there are differences between the two, but they're both important to readers (and writers) and quite relevant in 2011. Perhaps even more than ever, as our reading environment changes. (Ever heard of Google Reader, Kindle, or an iPhone app?)

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Is there a typo in your sales contract? You'd rather hear about it from someone on your payroll, instead of a former customer's lawyer, right? What about your new employee handbook? Your website privacy policy? Who actually reads those? Well, copyeditors and lawyers... and really upset customers who can make your whole staff miserable. Copyeditors are relevant, and not nearly as dorky as you might think. Find out what one can do for your business. 

Philosophical look at plot, fiction, and real life

The Highlights Foundation published a mini-interview with editor Stephen Roxburgh (who has edited the works of Madeline L'Engle, among others) and I found this little ditty particularly interesting:

Highlights Foundation: How critical is a strong plot to the sale of a novel? ...

Roxburgh: ... A strong protagonist won't exist without a coherent plot: what happens and why it happens (i.e., the plot) makes the protagonist strong. Plot is the crucible in which character is formed.  

~~~~~~~ hmmmm; not unlike real life ~~~~~~~~ 

Roxburgh continues, "you can't know where a plot begins unless you know where it ends, and unless you know the beginning and ending, you can't know what must come in between." The analogy fails here, of course; we cannot rewrite our own lives. We can, I think, revise them. As Roxburgh sees it, the key is "'re-vision,' seeing what you have written in a new way."


Can you revise your life story? I think so. Can you revise that novel you have in a drawer? Not until you take it out of the drawer! If you're a philosopher, consider your 2011 re-vision carefully ;) and if you're a writer with a plot stuck in a drawer (or your head) consider the Highlights Foundation's pricey-but-possibly-worth-it workshop, Plotting Your Novel.  The registration deadline is January 31. 

DISCLOSURE: I am NOT advertising or recommending Highlights Foundation. This is not a paid promotion of any sort, just a mention that the opportunity is nigh. 

Dear Governor-elect Kasich: Call me next time

File this under writer as image consultant:

About 8 hours after every newspaper and website in Ohio (and quite a few outside the state) broke stories about governor-elect John Kasich's edict excluding the media from his inauguration, the guv reversed his decision. 

And that was the right decision. But. There's always a but - and a good writer knows what to do with it. 

Because Kasich intended to hold the inauguration at his private residence, rather than the governor's mansion, there were undoubtedly many important issues (security) that may- just may- have warranted the closed ceremony.

Had he handled the message a little (okay a lot) differently, Mr-about-to-be Governor could have not only kept the media at bay, but won (more) friends and influenced (more) people at the same time. For example, how 'bout a press release stating, "These are dire times for Ohio; our budget is severely strained. Because of this, I cannot justify the expenditure required to hold a traditional, large, very public inauguration ceremony. The (show big dollar amount here) savings will go directly to the state's bottom line, and in doing so, I hope to show every other state worker I mean business."  

It certainly would have given me a different perspective on things. As it is, I'm just left wondering, what's this guy's real agenda? Of course, we would have wanted the media to verify the dollar-savings claim, but as long as it was legit, Kasich would have gotten his private inauguration and had the attention of the entire state when he got to work on Monday.*

The words you choose can set the tone for everything. Much as I hate to put it in these terms, I'm afraid it's appropriate in this case: Media 1, Kasich 0. (Mr. Kasich, feel free to call me.)

*John Kasich gets to work as Ohio's governor January 10, 2011

The ABCs of Customer Newsletters

26 Things a Customer Newsletter Can - or Shouldn't - Do 

Advertise a sale, of course
Bring in referral business
Collect customer data
---Go beyond demographics - find out where your customers buy related products, and use the info to partner with other businesses. Do it right and you'll both be able to increase sales!)
Deliver something extra
---What that is depends on your business model and your clientele. It doesn't have to be much, but you better figure it out, or no one will read past your first newsletter.
Erase misconceptions 
--A local restaurant owner I know casually has said to me about five times in the past five years, "Everybody thinks we're more expensive than (competitor), but we're not." To which I reply, "I know; you've told me. Why don't you tell all of your customers?" A newsletter could do it. I hope he gets the message before the place goes out of business... 
Fix a problem
Go green. 
---Paper isn't totally passe, but if you can deliver electronically, do it.
Help others
---Highlighting a (deserving) charitable organization or cause can not only improve your business's reputation, it can actually help others. Pretty nice feeling, isn't it?
Increase repeat visits
Jokes... are something you should leave out of your newsletter.
Kill 'em with kindness. 
---Let's hope you and your employees do this in person, on the phone, and every chance you get. Just in case, though, it's wise to take a really, really courteous tone in your newsletter.
List all of your products and services. 
---Even your most loyal customers probably don't take advantage of all you offer because they really don't know about everything you offer. 
Mold customer expectations
Name your products. See 'list' above.
Open new lines of communications
Prepare customers for what's next
Q & A sections are easy to read and are a great way to train customers so they can better use your store and your services. They can also help reduce confusion (and increase satisfaction) at purchase time.
Reward customers for reading
Surprise employees!
-----What better way to get them to read than to slip in a little personal recognition?
Thank your customers
----Offer a no-exceptions $10 off a minimum order coupon, or something even better. They're your customers. They're worth it.
Urge action 
---Successful newsletters do what successful salespeople do. They ask for the sale.
Validate customer concerns
Weed your list 
---Always provide an obvious, easy way for customers to opt out of the communications loop.
Xtra, xtra
---Even if your newsletter is delivered electronically, keep some (paper) copies on hand for new customers, employees who don't read it, or anyone who might send new business your way.
Yield to the demands of business, and the rest of life, if need be.
---You know your business better than anyone. If a legal complication or personal health crisis demands your attention, you can hand off the next issue to someone you trust, or just skip a newsletter. Return to your publication schedule as soon as you can.
Zoom in on your core competencies and position them well, making it oh-so-obvious that your organization is the best at what it does.

----Hey, if you don't do it, who will?

Want to get your message out to customers old and new? 
 Let's get started on your 2011 newsletter, on your schedule, within your budget. 

DOH! Catholics Deserve Better PR

Newsflash: Homer and Bart Simpson are Catholic, according to the Vatican, yesterday.

Which begs the question, so what?

Media and religion analysts have stated it's an attempt to make Catholicism more relevant. The Vatican's press release further suggested The Simpsons is good family entertainment. And from there it grew even...less relevant.

Sorry, folks (especially Catholic folks) PR should do a lot better than that. Maybe the Vatican needs a refresher course in public relations. A list of do's and don't's or better yet, a "Doh!" list.  Here's mine:

• The conversation cited as "evidence" Homer and Bart are Catholic occurred in a 2005 episode. 

Doh! Any high school journalism student knows press releases are supposed to be confused with news. (News that's five years old is called recent history.)

• Homer and Bart talked about religion in general, and broached the subject of converting to Catholicism, but didn't. 

Doh! Jumping to the conclusion that they are now Catholic, based on a single scene in a single episode is called faulty logic. Or unclear evidence. Or a weak argument. Until now I thought the Vatican was really into fact-checking. Didn't it take the Catholic powers-that-be more than a few years to come to the conclusion that yes, in fact, the Holocaust actually happened and was a really, really bad thing?

• "Few people know it and he does everything to hide it but it is true: Homer J. Simpson is Catholic," according to the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano. 

Doh! Repeat after me: it's OK to lead with a quote, if it's a really good quote. IF we're going to ignore the fact this little gem is five years old, IF we're going to buy the argument that the Simpsons are Catholic, and IF we're going to accept the idea that the Simpsons being Catholic is good or that it matters at all, can we at least get a better quote? IF I were considering converting because Homer and Bart did (if they did) well, sorry L'Osservatore, you lost me at "...he does everything to hide it..."

Hey, I'm all for churches using PR. And I believe (to some extent) that "any publicity is good publicity." Unfortunately, this isn't. It's getting lots of airplay but none that really furthers the faith, good news, thoughtful dialog about religion. In other words, doh!

I'd love to see an effective PR effort  - like (pick a denomination) saying "God said meet me on Facebook!" or something even more relevant. Facebook may have had its 15 minutes...but the Simpsons,  converting to Catholicism? That's so 2005.

Recommended reading: Anything by David Ogilvy, a dead guy who's still relevant, or about him, like this:
http://www.copyblogger.com/the-david-ogilvy-playbook-for-business-blogging/

Short, sweet monthly caption contest

National Wildlife Federation editors post an image each month from the previous year's photo contest. Your mission, if you choose to accept it: write the winning caption. For rules and this month's inspiring photo, visit http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/PhotoZone/Archives/2010/caption-contest-2010-enter.aspx   
- and good luck! 

From National Wildlife Federation - credit Hira U Punjabi

Punctuality and Punctuation Take the Cake

So many articles have been written for writers about time management that no more should be written. Ever. Here's what you need to know: An effective writer finishes on deadline. The very, very rare writer finishes ahead of deadline. Too many ignore deadlines altogether; they are the ones that give all writers a bad name.

Earlier this week I finished a fairly large project - the completely updated, second edition of a 220-page nonfiction book. I finished about 90 minutes ahead of deadline. (Whew) I am sure it's not perfect; I hope there are more punctuation errors than spelling or factual ones; and I am grateful I'll have both an editor and a chance to proofread the book before it goes to press!

Luckily, this hilarious blog entry came my way just after I met my latest deadline, when I could truly appreciate it. If there's one thing bakers and writers can agree on, it's probably that deadlines AND punctuation "really!" do matter.

Enjoy!

Book recommendation for little grammarians

Punctuation Takes a Vacation 

by Robin Pulver