The schedule is subject to change at any time until the conference programming is finalized. Check back for updated schedules as they are available.
Please note all times noted are local to the event venue.
Presenters: Lisa McLendon
Going far beyond the basics of grammar, this session explores some of the more complicated and less common elements of English, in particular some of the gray areas. The discussion will include synesis, participle placement, possessives vs. attributives, hyperbaton, anthimeria, and others. When you know what things are called and how they work, you know how to fix a sentence, why you may need to, and how to explain the reason behind the change.
Presenter: Lisa McLendon
For new editors or those who want to brush up on the basics, this session tackles some of the most common trouble spots in grammar: agreement, parallelism, misplaced modifiers, subjunctive verbs, subject and object pronouns, plus commonly confused words and a bit of punctuation. We’ll talk through these areas, with examples, and do a little practice too!
Presenter: Maisha Maurant
We’ll take a look at a few unique and emerging editing paths. I will share things like:
- The wealth of opportunities for editors
- The best editing skills to grow and nurture
- The types of training available
- Earning potential
This session is best for mid-level editors who are considering a new path in editing or editors just starting out.
Presenter: Mark Allen
A survey of what should be on an editor’s bookshelf and computer (or phone), with practical information about how to use the resources you may already have. We’ll talk about sources to use and sources to avoid, and he’s hoping to pick up a couple of new ones as we discuss.
Presenter: Melanie Faizer
Publications like 'Tortoise' and 'Delayed Gratification' are luring readers with promises of quality over quantity. But the behaviors of newsrooms, content producers, and audiences are hard to change: most are addicted to a fast environment, where more daily content, and even clickbait, is better. As a consequence, much digital information gets replicated over and over, adding limited value. What role should editors (across platforms) play in helping to de-clutter digital spaces? Could cutting back on content actually help organizations to be more efficient, and help consumers be less overwhelmed?
Presenter: Merrill Perlman
Knowing and following a stylebook are important editing functions. But do you know why that entry is there? Can you decide to ignore it in a particular situation without being struck down by lightning? You can use a decision tree to apply critical thinking skills to better serve that piece of content and your audience. Please send me the style rules you find the most problematic, and we can discuss: meperl@aceseditors.org.
Presenters: Molly McCowan
Suddenly need to make money fast? Don’t panic—think about how you can be helpful. Maybe you’ve had clients cancel contracts or you’ve noticed a slowdown in the amount of leads coming in. Perhaps you’ve suddenly become the primary breadwinner of your family or you just need additional income to cover unforeseen expenses. What can you do ASAP to create more cash flow without resorting to sleazy, salesy tactics? You’ll leave this 90-minute workshop with actionable techniques to find money you’re missing out on, brainstorm easy ways to make money fast, and develop an easy-to-implement plan to boost your freelance business.
Presenter: Molly McCowan
Do you work with independent authors? Do you agonize over estimates or proposals, often knocking the price down because you feel it’s too high? Have you ever accepted a new client only to find out that you’re not a great match? All this comprises a critical process called client onboarding—and when it's done wrong, it creates friction for your clients and extra work for you. This workshop will give you actionable techniques to vet new clients, automate proposals and contracts, and make it easier for clients to pay you. You’ll walk away with an easy-to-manage system for onboarding clients smoothly and efficiently.
Presenter: Neil Holdway
Things go up, things go down — and often people want to know by how much. Hence, percentages are such a common component of informational copy. Yet they’re so easy to calculate incorrectly, and be presented incorrectly, and be manipulated innocently or gratuitously. So we’ll first review how to calculate percentages, and then we’ll consider how they should appear. All in all, we’ll have an eye on the ethical use of numbers.
Presenter: Nick Jungman
Three (!) years ago in Providence, ACES editors collaborated to dream up a "10 Commandments of Editing" (see: bit.ly/aces10comm). Did we get it right? Join this session to participate in revising and extending those commandments for the pandemic era. (Note: This session will involve work in groups and movement around the room. If you'd rather listen than participate, or if you're strictly keeping your distance from others, this might not be the session for you.)
Presenters: Paula Froke and Colleen Newvine
Paula Froke, editor of the AP Stylebook, presents the Stylebook’s annual session on changes to AP style in the last year. AP Stylebook Online is updated throughout the year, and some of these changes will take effect today online, with ACES members being the first to know. They will also appear in the AP Stylebook, 56th Edition, which goes on sale June 1.
Colleen Newvine, AP Stylebook product manager, will show you how to claim your ACES member discount on an AP Stylebook Online subscription. Tweet your style questions to @APStylebook or stop by the AP Stylebook’s sponsor table to get your AP style question to the top of the list.
Presenter: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
The idea of freelancing is attractive and tempting, but being a skilled, experienced editor isn’t enough to be a successful freelance editor. Freelancing takes its own set of skills and techniques to be viable, enjoyable, and profitable. Pick up on tips for how to jumpstart your dream of living the freelance lifestyle: setting up and organizing, finding work, networking, promoting, resources, time management, getting paid, combating isolation, resources, and more. Energize your freelance efforts with practical, upbeat insights into the joys and challenges of freelancing. Even seasoned freelancers will garner new insights and useful suggestions for making their businesses better.
Presenter: Ruth E. Thaler-Carter
It takes more than training, skills, and experience as an editor for a freelance editing business to get established, thrive, and eventually expand. It requires investing in marketing and promoting your business, which can be a challenge for the many editors who are on the introverted side, and even for the extroverts who don't feel comfortable promoting themselves. Learn about ways to get the word out to the world about your business, skills, and services so your freelance editing venture can be its best and brightest.
Presenter: Samantha Enslen
Whether you're an in-house editor or a freelancer, you've likely done work for a company that doesn't have an in-house style guide. Or maybe the company has one, but it's outdated, insufficient, or confusing. This session will teach you how to create a style guide from scratch -- or enhance the one you have. You'll learn how to:
-Decide what to include in your guide -- and what to leave out
-Format your guide for readability and comprehension
-Write instructions that make sense for non-editors
-Get buy-in from your teammates on using the guide
This session is relevant to editors in any industry, from science to science fiction.
