Anita Coryell
Job: owner, A.L. Copyediting Services
ACES member since: 2022
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
ACES involvement: I have attended Webcasts. I cannot attend the conference (financially not possible). No other involvement, but I plan to take the Advanced Editing certificate course in 2024.
Why did you join ACES: I had been a member of EFA for years and wanted a change. I like the job board and the Editors for Hire listings at ACES, and the platform is more user-friendly for me.
What you like about editing: I love working with each new project. It's like putting together a puzzle. I love to see it come together as I go through it. I also love academics and enjoy working with the authors; often, the authors I work with are not native English speakers, and I like working with them on language, word choice, and syntax.
How you knew you were an editor: I am also a writer and an English teacher. I have always self-edited. My first job out of grad school was at Westview Press in Boulder, Colorado, in editorial production. I wanted to be an academic editor and they were a scholarly publication. Unfortunately, I left after only one year for various reasons, a choice I try not to regret but often do. Among other wonderful editors, I worked with Alice Levine, who is well-known in the editing field.
Favorite editing resource: Scribbr
Favorite editing catch: Facts/word presentations (such as a historic event, incorrect book title, or misused word) that are inaccurate or unclear. I enjoy the research/fact-checking aspect of copyediting.
When you're not editing: Aside from reading history, gardening, and exercising with Tilly, my Jack Russel Terrier mix, I am working on some book publications.