Ask the Editing Experts Roundtable, an ACES in-person workshop

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
Kim Cragg has been with the federal government for almost 15 years, and her experience includes correspondence management, strategic plans, policy writing, award nominations, and long-form audit reports. These different kinds of writing require different skill sets and follow different approval processes. In addition to sharing her experience with various government writing styles, Kim can provide guidance on how to identify and pursue the kind of government writing and editing job that best suits your interest and skills.

Bio
Kim Cragg started copyediting in elementary school, when she picked up a family member’s novel and marked it through for errors. Since then, Kim studied public relations and became a communications specialist for the federal government. She wrote and edited IT policy for the Department of Transportation, then became an editor for VA audit reports. Kim focuses on in-house editing as customer service and believes that teaching good writing fundamentals is the best way to help writers grow and be confident.

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
When it comes to editing and developing educational materials over a long range, Nadia can explain the best methods for adhering to (and developing) an in-house style guide, the nuanced nature of working with subject matter experts, and how to handle client expectations. She can explain the editorial process for digital assets, which can include anything from complex, interactive infographics to testing and proofreading the functionality of training materials. Participants may gain a better perspective on what it takes to handle multi-volume textbooks with peer-reviewed content and learn some best practices for managing and tracking the progress of accompanying visuals.

Bio
Nadia Geagea Pupa, co-founder and CEO of Pique Publishing, Inc., can tackle all types of publishing projects from ideation to distribution. She views her role as a partnership in developing content for various digital and print projects for authors and corporate clients. In July 2023 she was named a winner of the 40 Next Top Business Leaders Under 40, and in November of 2023, she was the winner of Business Women of the Year (small companies category) by the San Diego Business Journal. She is also the podcast host of The Editor’s Half Hour, a monthly podcast that focuses on the craft of editing, industry trends, and editorial resources for advanced editors. When she’s not editing, designing, or recording episodes of the podcast, she enjoys being outdoors with her husband, Phil, and her two little ones, Teddy and Niko.

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
On the subject of how to network successfully as an editor, author, and editor, Linda Ruggeri can provide guidance on how to attend an event with purpose and confidence, how to introduce yourself, how to identify potential clients and networking opportunities, and how to build strong, professional relationships that start with those first encounters. Networking can seem like an overwhelming task, but you can create a successful network based on your goals, your personal communication style, and your everyday activities.

Bio
Linda Ruggeri is a freelance nonfiction editor, writer, and award-winning author with a degree in communications and fine arts from Loyola Marymount University. Born to immigrant parents in Los Angeles, Linda is Latinx and a first-generation American. She loves to travel and has lived in Córdoba (Argentina), Naples and Salerno (Italy), Windsor (Canada), Green Lake (Wisconsin), and Torrance (California). Linda runs the Welcome Program for the EFA and The Networking Studio with Brittany Dowdle. Besides being an editor, Linda is an avid urban gardener and baker, a writer and a mom, and would gladly trade any night out for a good nonfiction book and sleeping bag in her treehouse.

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
Erin Servais shows editors why they should embrace AI in their work and lean into the technological revolution to be more efficient and effective and maintain a competitive edge. She also offers practical advice on integrating AI throughout the editorial workflow and strategies for communicating the benefits of AI to clients and employers while underscoring the vital role of human editorial judgment.

Bio
Erin Servais is an editor, educator, and coach. She serves on the Board of Directors for ACES: The Society for Editing, teaches copyediting for the University of California, San Diego, and is the founder of the Editors Tea Club. Erin has presented about editing, entrepreneurship, and artificial intelligence for the Professional Editors Network, the Editorial Freelancers Association, Editors Canada, the Northwest Editors Guild, and ACES, and she has been a guest lecturer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Media. Erin trains editors to upskill using artificial intelligence. She teaches the AI for Editors course and blogs about AI editing tips at AIforEditors.com.

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
On the topic of querying, Christine Steele can provide tips and guidance for successfully working as a coach with a writer or author. On careers for copyeditors, Christine has been in numerous industries as a corporate copyeditor and can provide suggestions for career paths. If interested in adjunct teaching as a side gig, participants can receive insight into how to get started and what it entails.

Bio
Christine Steele is an editor and writer with more than 25 years of experience, 12 of them in financial services. She’s launched 100+-page corporate style guides and edited books on historical fiction, retirement, and sculptor art. She has also freelanced as Steele Editing & Writing. She is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, San Diego Professional Editors Network (SD/PEN), and is a lifetime member and past Board member of ACES: The Society for Editing. She has a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; a combined certificate in print/broadcast journalism from UCLA Extension; a certificate in teaching online from UC San Diego Extended Studies; and a certificate in critical thinking from Cornell University. She is a co-lead instructor for the UC San Diego Copyediting Certificate Program and teaches Copyediting I, Copyediting II, and The Business of Copyediting.

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
Regarding developmental editing, Tiffany Vakilian will give you real-time understanding of the main, secondary, and perhaps missing arcs in your story. Not only that, she will give clear direction for where to start and which direction to go so you can finish your manuscript with polish. She will be able to discuss various themes, tropes, and lessons for both fiction and nonfiction.

Bio
Tiffany Vakilian, CEO of Speak Fire Publishing, has her master’s (and certification) in transformative language arts (TLA), along with EFA, IBPA, and SDPEN memberships. She is a bestseller and an award-winning, melanated speaker of fire. Tiffany’s goal is to help people move from holding stories inside to selling them globally. As a bestselling author, an award-winning speaker, and a publishing editor of bestsellers, she excels in book evaluations and developmental editing. With experience from children’s books to cookbooks, fantasy to memoirs, Tiffany believes in the profound power of language to forge universal connections. She is the creator of the “Manuscript to Market Process,” designed to help authors transform their stories from words on a page to publications that are ready for the world. Her mission is to help individuals share their stories and promote positive change. Tiffany Vakilian is the quintessential Renaissance Gal.

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
On the subject of conscious language, Karen Yin can provide guidance on identifying potential bias in storytelling, contextualizing sensitive language, crafting queries to writers, developing a consultation sequence for reference works, and getting clients, coworkers, and communities on board.

Bio
Karen Yin is the author of "The Conscious Style Guide: A Flexible Approach to Language That Includes, Respects, and Empowers," and the founder of Conscious Style Guide, the Editors of Color Database, and AP vs. Chicago. Winner of the ACES Robinson Prize in 2017, Karen serves on the advisory board of The Chicago Manual of Style and has contributed to the Associated Press Stylebook.

What would a participant get out of talking with this expert?
On the subject of accessibility, Griffin Zimmerman can provide guidance on gaining buy-in from stakeholders, understanding documentation factors that affect accessibility, incorporating accessibility into style guides, procedures, and documentation design, and selecting, navigating, and employing accessibility tools and checkers. Griffin can also support specific accessibility project questions such as specifics of WCAG/Section 504 compliance, creating accessible PDFs, remediating documentation for accessibility, and adopting or creating accessible language guidelines.

Bio
Griffin Zimmerman (they/he) presents this session as a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals, having achieved recognition as a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies and an Accessible Document Specialist. Griffin holds a PhD in rhetoric, composition, and the teaching of English from the University of Arizona. They are a trans, spoonie, and neuroqueer scholar who specializes in critical disability studies, specifically focusing on neurodiversity and pedagogical praxis. As an editor, Griffin specializes as an accessibility consultant, assisting clients with understanding WCAG 2.0, WebAIM, Section 508, and ADA documentation compliance, as well as extending beyond compliance to develop adaptive plans to empower disabled and neurodivergent workforces.