From time to time, I’ll post links to articles and blog posts that I think are worth sharing.

Tammy Burns, associate editor, web, at Benefits Canada, on why writers should learn editing skills.

Freelance Folder’s Lexi Rodrigo lists the pros and cons of partnering up with other freelancers.

“Ten Mindful Ways to Use Social Media” from Lori Deschene (@tinybuddha).

Copyediting.com rounds up its nine favourite tips of 2011.

Carol Saller’s guide to quoting people – it’s about more than just accuracy.

Krystal Yee, writer for the Toronto Star’s Moneyville, points out credit card fees you could incur while travelling.

Liberated from the rigours of newsstand rules, the publisher is just having fun with covers. And their audience, who shop at exclusive skateboard shops all over North America, appear to be lapping it up. Brooke claims that his skateshops report a 100% pick up rate, and are clamouring for more copies.  Sounds a little like the “problem” that LCBO’s Food & Drink covers enjoy.

Publisher Michael Brooke appears to be having a lot of fun (see YouTube video) as he continues to publish an incredibly successful magazine. Brooke and co-publisher Rick Tetz recently launched trade mag AXS Longboard Retailer.

Concrete Wave’s tag line is one of the best I have seen in quite a long time:  

Search, spark, stoke

Now, check out the covers below...

1. Have content that people want and can’t get anywhere else, to the extent that they’re willing to pay for it.

2. Ideally, have an audience that can expense or at least write off their payments.

That’s about it — and it’s not easy. For a good example out of Nova Scotia, check out this Nieman Journalism Lab story on AllNovaScotia.com.

Magazines might have a place in our connected future, but they risk losing a generation if they don’t modernize their subscription systems instead of trying to compete with Angry Birds.

Gregory Galant on Paid Content offers an entirely rational look at magazines’ antiquated distribution system – and how making things hard for people will hurt your business.

What’s the difference between copy editing and proofreading? Some people use the terms interchangeably, especially outside the publishing world. Often, people ask for proofreading when they actually need copy editing. (It hardly ever goes the other way around, because few know what a copy editor is.) Who does what?

Let’s rewind. In magazines, the editing process begins with structural or substantive editing, done by a story’s top editor, or handling editor. This is the person who assigns a story to a writer and then works with him or her to shape its content, structure, tone and flow. Any editor who assigns and/or performs structural editing on a story can be called a top/handling editor — this is separate from job titles like senior editor, associate editor, etc.

Next comes copy editing. The copy editor gives the story a deep, line-by-line edit to polish it for publication. Copy editors look for problems with grammar, punctuation, usage and style (including adherence to a magazine’s house style). They also ferret out issues related to consistency, clarity, readability, logic and organization, and flag possible factual errors. If a story needs substantial changes, the copy editor consults the handling editor, who may also check with the writer.

Factchecking is usually handled in conjunction with copy editing — sometimes before the copy edit, sometimes after (I’d say the rougher the copy, the more important it is for the copy editor to review it first). A researcher (staff or freelance) verifies the copy’s accuracy by retracing the writer’s footsteps, then discusses changes with the handling editor or copy editor.

The story, whipped into shape, then goes to the art department for layout. (Graphic designers may also receive an earlier version — often the same one the factchecker gets — so they can plan the layout and order images.) There’s typically back-and-forth between art and copy, or art and the handling editor, to fit the story to the layout, fill in stuff like captions and credits, and clean up the copy flow (gaps, bad breaks, widows, orphans) and design (say, inconsistent leading or missing indentations, drop caps and turn arrows).

Finally, proofreading. When the proofreader (staff or freelance) sees the layouts (or proofs), the final article copy has been flowed in, and the display copy (cover lines, heds, deks, callouts) and other elements (captions, credits, bylines, etc.) are in place. The pages should be as close to perfect as possible, especially since making changes at this stage can be expensive. The proofreader, who ideally is bringing “fresh eyes” to the process, looks for lingering errors and points them out to the copy editor. Corrected proofs become the printed magazine.

The roles of handling editor, copy editor, proofreader and factchecker can overlap, especially at smaller publications. A handling editor on one story might be the copy editor for another, or the whole team might proofread a story. A solo magazine editor might do it all or hire a freelancer to factcheck and copy edit.

These days, there’s a lot of opportunity for freelancers in this process, for both print and web. When I started working at Chatelaine in 2001, the copy department had a copy chief, an associate editor, a freelance copy editor who came in during production, and a full-time factchecker (me). When I left in 2005, we had all that plus another associate copy editor and a second full-time factchecker. Now that many magazines outsource at least some of these roles (recall the cuts at Reader’s Digest in 2010 and more recently at its French-language title Selection), a copy department that big — actually, the existence of a copy department at all — is quickly becoming the stuff of fiction. (In five years, Bright Lights, Big City will read like a fantasy novel.)

Better to outsource these steps than skip them, though. Maybe it’s because I started my career as a factchecker and copy editor, but it makes me nervous when editors go with a “light check” or “light copy edit” rather than the full treatment (especially if we’re talking about print) because they’re pressed for time or money. It’s not often that I see copy free of factual and/or technical errors. The mistakes will inevitably be hiding in the half you don’t check, so bring in fresh eyes if you can!

The short version of my advice to them would be: don’t publish a digital edition of the whole multi-volume set. Instead, distill out an app that’s highly focused on handling some of the in-the-kitchen reference chores and computational wonkery that any modernist chef has to perform.

The Feb/Mar 2012 issue of Canada’s History magazine is one not to be missed.  Both English Language and French Language editions will be published. 

This issue is jam-packed with editorial coverage celebrating Canada’s proud tradition of lending a helping hand around the world.

“We are very proud of this issue, as it marks a major moment for the magazine. For the longest time, the stories in Canada’s History magazine (formerly The Beaver), focused almost exclusively on events that occurred within our borders. With this issue, we look beyond our borders to bring readers the stories of the countless Canadians who have made a difference around the world,” says Mark Reid, Editor.

“As well, our move to the perfect bound format signals our ongoing commitment to improving the overall reader experience. We’re excitied about the change, and we hope our readers will be, too.”

The issue marks a turning point:  this and all future issues of Canada’s History will be perfect bound. The Special issue is priced at $7.99 and goes on sale January 30th, 2012.

Download your free nutrition guide – right after you give us your email address. I’ve seen this used elsewhere and it’s very effective, particularly with a niche market like this. After all, if they want the free training guide, they’ll likely be interested in the running books too.