www.inkthinkerblog.com — I’ve been exploring online freelance opportunities, and I’m seeing over and over again that just like you mentioned in your December 4th blog, knowledge of AMA, Chicago, APA, or AP style guides is a prerequisite to the job. I would describe myself as a pretty strong amateur, but I’m not sure how to become more familiar with these manuals. I’m trying to figure out whether copy editing is something I can learn by myself, or whether I’ll need someone to point out what I’m missing at first. Do you know of any teach-yourself-AP books? Is it best to take a training course, or try to get on-the-job training some place full time where I can be supervised closely in the beginning? Thanks for your help.
– R, who wants to be a freelance editor
Ooo, great question. I’m a big proponent of learning by doing, so long as you’re not hurting anyone else. For example, if you don’t know nuttin’ about AP style, purporting to be an AP expert would just be wrong. However, if you get familiar with the guide and successfully complete the AP style quizzes at Newsroom101.com and Copydesk.org, you’ll be in great shape to start getting some practice with live copy as a proofreader or copyeditor.
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find comparable learning tools for Chicago, AMA, or APA styles, but there are a ton of great resources to help you get the basics. I’ve got a list of them on the Resources page at my academic editing website.
I’ve recommended it before and I’ll recommend it again: Peggy Smith’s Mark My Words: Instruction and Practice in Proofreading
I’d also really encourage you to get your hands on the style guides you’re interested in learning and just read them. It sounds boring and believe me, it is, but the reason hands-on learning is so effective for this stuff is that it forces you to look everything up. Heck, even if you just head over to Borders or B&N or Books-a-Million or whatever you have and sit with the guide for half an hour each time you go, that will help. Ideally you should have your own copy (check Half.com) so you can make notes and add sticky-tabs and dog ear the pages, but something is better than nothing.
You could take a course, but I’d wait until you do this stuff first. Buying the guides and taking free quizzes is way cheaper than taking a class. I’d also hold off on making any major job changes until you familiarize yourself with the source material for this type of work.
Good luck!
www.kristenkingfreelancing.com
Finalist in 2006 Writer’s Digest Best Writer’s Website Contest
Contents Copyright © 2006-2014 Kristen King
Comments on this entry are closed.
LOVE these links, Kristen – thanks for posting them.
The Newsroom 101 link is AWESOME. Thanks for posting.
Alicia and Anon, you guys are so welcome! Thanks for reading.
kk
In addition to the style guides you’ve mentioned, whenever I’m editing one of my own novels, I also re-read THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE from cover to cover, which, to me, is the penultimate of perfection, style-wise. The other style guides are pretenders to that throne.