I’m always thankful for yet another solid month of full booking, but whole days have gone by and I have barely left the house. I have gazed for hours out of my home office window at people strolling past in the hot [ read more ]

Since going freelance, it has become harder to justify attending publishing industry conferences – networking and learning opportunities aside, the return on investment has to be pretty much guaranteed before I’ll even consider booking my place, and even then it is the [ read more ]

I have never understood people’s reluctance to use punctuation – correctly or not. It is the scaffolding that supports meaning and intention, and separates sloganeers from communicators. Pairing down punctuation may seem sleek and machine-friendly, but it sacrifices nuance.

Commas seem especially vulnerable, [ read more ]

Very often I find that much of what happens in scholarly publishing floats unnoticed over my head, as I sigh and chase yet another late payment from a company that couldn’t give two hoots about my cashflow.

But lately, there have been blogs [ read more ]

Phew! It’s been a busy month (something I will never complain about) and there’s hardly been a day when I’ve not had to juggle competing client priorities or pivot more times than, er, well, a pivoty thing in a ‘who can pivot [ read more ]

I don’t routinely copyedit books much anymore, but I still care deeply about books, and I think the world needs them now more than ever. My ears always prick up when I hear industry news about publishing, and there’s plenty around to [ read more ]

I think I have discovered a new personal hero – Ellen Jovin, a published grammar and language specialist in the US, decided to do something deceptively simple. She packed up some reference books, a folding chair and table, and a hand-drawn sign [ read more ]

Is anyone else bereft at the thought of losing WHSmith from the high street (https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/article-14380565/WHSmith-shut-branches-new-owner-fears-major-job-losses.html)?

Yes, they have started to look a little tired lately, and nobody would ever think of launching such a business now, but I will sincerely [ read more ]

Urrrrrggghhhh …. January.

I envy animals that can simply hibernate through winter, escaping the relentlessly dull, grey, bone-chillingly damp weather.

Every year, I sigh at the sight of Easter eggs on the shelves from January 2, and the uncomfortably long silence from clients who [ read more ]

I usually don’t bother with New Year resolutions, as I find myself making a new resolution at least once a week throughout the year about something, before gradually backsliding into my usual, shameful, weak-willed routine.

“Stop eating between meals”
(I’m nibbling cheese and crackers [ read more ]