Today is a contemplative day for me, but I did receive some good news: A book I edited is on the NY Times list and the USA Today list. The author is wonderful to work with, and I know she’s got to be over the moon about this. Yay!
been a while
I know it’s been a while since I posted, so if anyone actually reads this, hello! Happy to see you!
This week was the single biggest confluence of deadlines I’ve had since I was at university and had to deal with final exams and papers. I have learned not to procrastinate and I work well under pressure, but at some point the sheer volume of work can be a bit overwhelming.
I don’t know if anybody’s interested, but when I have multiple ongoing projects, I do this:
Figure out deadlines for everything and count the number of days I have to work on each project (one is due in ten days, one fifteen, one three, etc.)
Break each project down and determine how much I want to do per day. For example, fifty pages per day on project one, thirty pages per day on project two, seventy pages per day on project three.
Work a little bit on the active projects every day (I’m happiest with three, but I can juggle more than that if necessary).
Try to build in “rest days” for each project, so that I have a couple of days to a week between the first and second passes on a manuscript. That way I’m looking at it with fresh eyes.
Vary the type of work I do. I like to do some editing, some proofreading, and some typesetting, to keep myself alert and focused.
I find that if I spend too much time on a single project per day, I can lose my focus. Sometimes I find that I’m reading rather than editing, and that’s not fair to anybody. Another benefit of working on multiple projects simultaneously is that if I miss a day, it’s easier to make it up. I’ve not lost a full day on any one project, so I can spread out the extra over the next few days. Or if I get a rush job and need to divert all my time to that project, I won’t be completely behind on everything else because I’ll have started work on each project ahead of its deadline.
Finally, if I work a little bit on a few projects every day, it makes the whole thing less stressful for me because I know I’m accomplishing something. Instead of looking at the big picture and hyperventilating, I can look at the goals I’ve set for the day, and if I reach those I know the big picture is coming together.
more glee
The book I mentioned last week has made the New York Times list of best sellers! Huge congratulations to the author.
ETA: It’s on the USA Today and Publishers Weekly lists too. Yay!
by way of my flist
Is this little gem:
Inside the Twisted Mind of a Copy Editor
By: Marie Force
June 10, 2008
Joy!
Book four in a series I’ve been editing was just released, and it’s on the USA Today bestseller list. Hooray! I’ve really enjoyed this series, and I’m thrilled for the author.
Useful Article
In the wake of the Cassie Edwards plagiarism scandal, the good people at Dear Author have posted this article called “The Proper Application of Fair Use.”
It’s easy to read, not overly laden with legal jargon, and I found it quit interesting and useful.
Weekend
Joy, for it is Saturday. Fingers crossed that my boys play well tomorrow 
First the way cool news: Book three in a series I’ve been editing has just been released, and it’s on the NY Times bestsellers list! How cool is that?
Second: Reporting of the Cassie Edwards plagiarism “incident” is gaining steam; there’s an article about it in The New York Times.
I would like to see this turn into the catalyst for discussion among readers of what plagiarism is and why it’s wrong. Unfortunately, from what I’ve seen, many readers are choosing instead to attack Nora Roberts for speaking out, saying that since she’s not involved in this she should have kept her mouth shut.
Sidebar: Quite frankly this astonishes me, because Nora Roberts has herself been a victim of plagiarism (Google Nora Roberts Janet Dailey plagiarism if you’re not familiar with this). Cassie Edwards’s publisher had initially issued a statement brushing off the plagiarism claims; it was not until Nora Roberts went public that the publisher backed off and announced it was going to review all books by Edwards. Why is this important? Because Edwards and Roberts have the same publisher, and you can’t have it both ways: it can’t be plagiarism when someone steals from your author, but fair use when your author steals from someone else.
But yes, I think it would be wonderful if more readers were aware of what plagiarism is and why it’s wrong. So many readers seem to think it’s perfectly okay to quote nonfiction sources verbatim without attribution because “it’s just saying a fact.” The irony here is that while most of these people seem to think that using an academic source without attribution in a work of fiction is fine, academia is the setting where plagiarism is perhaps the worst possible sin.
Editing
Somehow I managed to finish the massive editing project without skipping sleep or too many meals. Go me!
In a typical month, I do a variety of projects. Usually I’ll have a proofread or two, a nonfiction project, and some novels. Each project is different, obviously, but the requirements of my job vary depending on the type of project I’m working on.
Buried
I’m working on the single most challenging editing project I’ve ever undertaken. It’s challenging not so much because it’s difficult, but because it’s huge and it’s all detail work, and there’s very little time in which to do the job. So I’ve pretty much been working on it 10-12 hours a day every day. Luckily I should be done just in time to head out for a visit to DC!
zomgYAY!
The book reviewers for an Australian newspaper have listed their favorite books for the year, and a romance novel I worked on made the list! Whee!