On March 1 a new era began for the Society for Editors & Proofreaders (SfEP) as it attained chartered status and adopted its new name – The Chartered Institute of Editing & Proofreading or CIEP. What does attaining chartered status mean for the former society, its members, and potential clients?
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Let’s consider the title of this post for a moment: perfection and proofreading. You might imagine that these two would have a good relationship with each other. In fact, a pretty close one, wouldn’t you think? Look, there they go now, walking down the street, hand in hand. They’re such a good match … hell, they’re made for each other!
‘ … when it’s a proof-edit!’
(tumbleweed blows across stage, wind whistles, proofreader and would-be comedian exits stage left to sound of audience shifting uncomfortably in their seats … )
In part I of What is a Style Guide? we looked at the different types of style guide or style sheet and why they are important for publishers, independent authors and editing professionals alike. In this post, we’ll explore what a style sheet consists of and how one might be put together.
So … you’re a first-time independent author and, after several drafts and redrafts, you’ve completed your novel – a far-fetched, dystopian thriller about a reality TV-star turned president of the U.S.A. Now you’ve wisely decided to have your manuscript edited and proofread by a professional editor and/or proofreader before choosing to have it self-published.
The question above, or variations of it, was fairly typical of the reaction I encountered when telling friends and acquaintances that I was taking a proofreading course.