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Celebrate National Grammar Day by Debunking Some Common Grammar Myths
March 4th marks National Grammar Day in the United States. Started by author Martha Brockenbrough, the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, National Grammar Day was officially recognized by George W. Bush in 2008, and has been celebrated annually...
A Crash Course on the Public Domain Care of Mickey Mouse
After 95 years of perhaps the strictest copyright protection this side of bulletproof glass, Mickey Mouse is now entering the public domain – sort of. The original “Steamboat Willy” version of Walt Disney’s crown jewel of intellectual property officially enters the...
Closing the Gap, One Step at a Time
February 11, 2024 marks the ninth annual U.N. General Assembly’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Now, more than ever, girls’ horizons are expanding, allowing them to make their marks in fields in which they have historically been underrepresented....
What Does ChatGPT Bring to the Editorial World?
On March 16, 2023, ACES, The Society for Editing, hosted a webinar on ChatGPT, calling on the expertise of Samantha Enslen (former ACES board member and writer) and Corinne Jorgenson, COO of Redpoint AI Engineering and Consulting. Enslen and Jorgenson gave a general,...
Getting the Word Out: Social Media Tips and Tricks for Authors
Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that in today’s world, social media is an integral part of how information is spread across society—and that very much includes authors who are looking to share their work with an audience. This opens the door for a...
Hardbacks or Paperbacks: What’s the Right Choice for You?
While the common consensus is that publishing is moving further and further into the ebook market, physical media is still alive. Sales of physical books saw increases in 2020 and 2021 thanks to the pandemic lockdown, and while sales were overall down 6.5 percent in...
How Long Should My Novel Be?
When you set out to write anything for publication, one of the key things you should ask yourself is “how long should this be?” There are several things that factor into answering this question, from age demographic to genre to narrative form. No matter what you’re...
How to Procure a Cover Designer for Your Book
You should never judge a book by its cover, but that won’t prevent potential readers from passing over your book if they don’t like its cover artwork and design. So how can you commission a book cover that both attracts readers’ attention and accurately communicates...
Before You Start Writing Your Book: Twenty Things to Consider About Your Story
Are you considering writing a book? Maybe you have a vague idea of a story you’d like to tell, but you aren’t quite sure, or maybe you have a solid idea of what you want to write, but … What might you be missing? When I started writing my (still unfinished) book a few...
Technically Speaking – Part 2
Part I of this two-part post focused on the five major steps to successfully approaching a technical writing project without a technical background. Now, in this second installment, we’ll focus on the list of 10 tips and tricks to successfully making that project...
Word Count in Novels: Is It Important?
Word count — it’s a simple enough thing — write the words and count them. But do word counts really matter when you are writing your novel, and is book length an important thing to consider before publishing? Although there’s no absolute answer, and there’s always an...
What does PLOS ONE’s decline mean for open access?
Open access has been one of the biggest talking points in the publishing industry for the last decade—and it’s not hard to see why. Open access articles seem to be viewed more often than articles available behind subscription paywalls. In fact, the Wellcome Trust reports that open access articles are downloaded 89 percent more than articles in subscription...
Get to Know the Technica Staff: Chris Moffitt
Each month, we will interview one employee to get their opinions on the publishing industry, hear what it’s like to work at Technica, and learn a little bit about them. This month we are interviewing Chris Moffitt, an associate editor and the blog supervisor here at Technica Editorial. He’s a UNC graduate currently finishing his master’s in library...
A Copy Editor’s Nightmare: Five of the Most Common Mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes, even copy editors. If you’re submitting a manuscript or paper, though, you should make every effort to check your work and, if possible, have someone else check it, too. While it’s not always true that a clean manuscript is a good manuscript, you’re making a first impression on anyone who reads the file so, just as you would dress...
#WhyImThankful to Work in the Publishing Industry
To celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday this year, some of the staff at Technica Editorial would like to share why they are thankful to work in the publishing industry. As a member of the publishing industry, I will always be thankful for the opportunities to meet and establish ongoing relationships with a variety of different editors and authors from all...
Some Helpful Tips for Effectively Training New Editors
As an editorial assistant, you may find yourself frequently training new editors. The tips provided here can help ease a scholar’s transition into an editor role as well as reinvigorate already established relationships to ensure lasting success. Establish Your Role as an Editorial Assistant This starts with an introductory call, perhaps with screen...
“Making Peer Reviews More Sensitive and Meaningful to Authors”: #WhatILearned
Although reviewers are aware of the time and energy authors spend preparing their work, factors such as stress and impatience sometimes lead to less than ideal commentary. Kakoli Majumder, a Senior Writer and Editor at Editage Insights, has studied this issue and presents some helpful tips in her Peer Review Week webinar, “Making Peer Reviews More...
Technica Editorial and Other Editors Say Thank You #PeerRevWk2016
In order to celebrate Peer Review Week and recognize the contributions and importance of peer review, Technica Editorial has collected comments from authors, editors and reviewers about the importance of the process. Here are just a few comments about peer review’s integral role in science publishing: “Peer review is critical to the work. None of us can be...
Everything You Need to Know About Rightslink
Are you an author who needs permission to reuse or adapt text, figures, or tables from a pre-existing publication? Are you on a deadline and worried that the process will take too much time to complete? Are you tired of the messy envelopes and painful paper cuts that come with mailing copyright requests? Are you confused and unsure of how to pay for...
Journal Tools to Reduce an Author’s Stress
Producing a scholarly manuscript is hard work. The process includes researching, editing, finding the right journal, finding the right document format that can allow for collaborative editing, and ultimately getting people to actually read your research and track its impact. Just thinking about all of those steps is already giving me a migraine. I mean I’m...
There’s an “I” in “Edit” But Not in “Team”
When folks outside the publishing industry hear the words “editor” or “proofreader,” they often think of one single person making corrections to a paper or book. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth; editing is a group effort. I’ve always thought of the different editorial employees as players at different positions on a sports team. Although...