What Does a Developmental Editor Do
The Ins and Outs of Freelance Editing
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Overview
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1. What does a developmental editor do?
2. The editing process
3. Editing practice test
4. How to get started and find work
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Typical responsibilities of a developmental editor
1. Develop the manuscript with the author.
2. Help establish unit template, design memo, and writing guidelines.
3. Keep to the established schedule and update the publisher about changes.
4. Incorporate feedback from reviewers, consultants, and managing editor.
5. Keep an eye on the global aspects of the book (organization, level, pedagogy, etc.).
6. Establish consistent direction lines and activity types.
7. Check that all tasks and activities will be very transparent to a teacher.
8. Check that all activities work well and that all items are answerable.
9. Edit and revise the audio script, if there is one.
10. Prepare a bookmap and make sure manuscript will fit.
11. Make sure that the manuscript is properly formatted.
12. Edit and revise the art log.
13. Make sure that permissions are obtained for any copyrighted material.
14. Prepare the front and back matter.
15. Prepare all materials to be handed over to production.
Editing Resources
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
Copyediting: Because Language Matters. Phoenix, AZ: McMurry. (a bimonthly newsletter)
Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2006.
Merriam-Webster’s Manual for Writers and Editors. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1998.
Strunk, W., Jr., E.B. White, and Roger Angell. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2000.
Sullivan, K. D., and Merilee Eggleston, The McGraw-Hill Desk Reference for Editors, Writers, and Proofreaders. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2006.
TESOL Materials Writers Interest Section newsletter. Published electronically as a benefit of membership in TESOL and the MWIS. Back issues available free online.
Production
Developmental Editing Test
Comparative Adjectives
You can use comparative adjectives to compare two adjectives.Adjective
My sister is mean. /Comparative Adjective
My brother is meaner.Rules / Examples
a. Add -er or -r to most adjectives. / stronger
larger
b. For most adjectives ending in consonant + vowel + consonant, double the consonant and add -er. / taller
hotter
c. For adjectives ending in y, change the y to i and add -er. / sunny à sunnier
friendly à friendlier
d. For adjectives with two or more syllables that do not end in y, use the word more. / more excited
more interesting
e. Some adjectives have irregular comparative forms. / good à better
bad à worse
1.WRITE. Change each adjective to a comparative adjective.
1. quick _quicker [hw]______2. funny ______
3. difficult ______
4. small ______
5. noisy ______/ 6. good ______
7. far ______
8. noisy ______
9. crowded ______
10. worse ______
[audio icon] 2. Listen. Then read the sentences below and circle True or False
True False
1. Sally's old apartment was bigger than her new one. q q
2. Sally's new apartment is noisier than her old apartment. q q
3. Sally's old neighbors were not as friendly as her new ones. q q
4. Sally's old apartment was closer to work. q q
5. Michelle wants to live in Sally's building. q q
6. Michelle's apartment is smaller than Sally's new apartment. q q
[Audio script:
A: My new apartment is so much bigger than my old one.
B: It's nicer, too, and quieter then your old place. What are the neighbors like?
A: My old neighbors were friendlier, I think.
B: The location is great. You're closer to work now.
A: Yeah, I can get there more quickly. It only takes me fifteen minutes to walk to work. It used to take me half an hour on the train.
B: I think this is the best neighborhood in town. I wouldn't mind living here.
A: You should talk to my apartment manager. I think he has another apartment for rent. It's a little smaller than this one, but it's still a great apartment.]
Developmental Editing Test (continued)
2. Write sentences comparing each pair of items.
1. [Art: an old car and a new car]______/ 2. [Art: a tall woman and a short man]
______
2. [Art: a very excited person, a bored person]
______/ 4. [Art: two cars with price stickers that both read "$15,995."
______
4. Unscramble the words to write sentences with comparative adjectives.
1. taller / my brother / my sister / is / than
______
2. faster / Mike's computer / my computer / than
______
3. chocolate / Tanya likes / cookies / more than
______
4. a better candidate / Barak Obama / is / Hilary Clinton / than
______
5. more tired / Is Jenny / than Linda
______
6. are older / my sister's children / than / my children
______
5. What is your house or apartment like? Talk with a partner.
Where to find work
Go to the website of major ESL publishers and look for job openings.
Call the ESL/ELT office of a major publisher and ask for their inhouse project manager or editorial decision maker on hiring free-lancers.
Look on craigslist. It’s an easy way to find some editing jobs that will allow you to become more familiar with the process.
Major ESL/ELT publishers (right now)
Cambridge University Press www.cup.org
Pearson Longman www.pearsonlongman.com
Thompson-Heinle www.elt.thomson.com/actions/Start
Houghton Mifflin www.hmco.com
McGraw-Hill www.mcgraw-hill.com
Oxford University Press www.oup-usa.org
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