INDIAN COPYEDITORS

FORUM
Connecting Editors, Creating
Opportunities

W ELCOME TO THE I NAUGURAL I SSUE

OF I NDIAN C OPYEDITORS F ORUM ’ S
N EWSLETTER

iEdit
Issue 1, July 2019
I N T HIS I SSUE
◼ A Journey Back in Time by Vivek Kumar
◼ Making the Re(write) Choice by Kushalrani Gulab
◼ Interview with ICF Founder Vivek Kumar by Priya
Talwar
◼ Does Copyediting Matter? Why Do We Do It? by
Abha Thapalyal Gandhi
◼ Extensive Reading: The Only Way to Automate
Error Detection by Yateendra Joshi
◼ Events: Chapter Meetings, Conference,
Workshops
◼ Venkataraman Anantharaman’s The Art of
Copyediting Courses
◼ Editorial Freelancers Association Membership
Benefits
◼ iEdit Crossword #1 by Geethanjali Tanikella
A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME
Vivek Kumar

This inaugural issue of Indian Copyeditors

Forum’s (ICF’s) newsletter, iEdit, goes back in
time and creates a record of the informal Facebook
group’s activities ever since I created the group on
28 June 2015.
In this issue we present some thought-provoking
articles, photos and minutes of chapter meetings
held in 2019, a blog (repost) that captured the spirit
of the 2018 Editors’ Conclave at Chennai, and a
listing of 12 workshops by Yateendra Joshi for you
to choose from.
Then, we have Venkataraman Anantharaman (Dr.
Venkat for short) describing the 25 courses in
copyediting offered by theartofcopyediting.com.
We conclude with a piece describing editing
association membership benefits. There is also a
link to a video discussion of certifications, training,
and association memberships.
This newsletter would not have been possible
without the contributors, who sent in their pieces
at short notice; the reviewers, in particular
Venkataraman Anantharaman, who provided
feedback on the numerous drafts; Anupam
Choudhury, who worked endless hours to make
the newsletter a reality; and Vidya Ravi, who
proofread the newsletter.
You can also visit the group’s website and read
blogs by editors from all over the world. There is a
photo gallery too, visually capturing all our
meetings held since 2015.
Do send in your feedback and suggestions and do
not forget to send in your contributions for the
next issue too. Mail me at hivivek72@yahoo.co.in.

Vivek Kumar
Founder, Indian Copyeditors Forum

1
 MAKING THE (RE)WRITE CHOICE
Kushalrani Gulab
T
here’s a certain irony in how editors of English
language newspapers recruit reporters who may
not be able to speak or write English well.
That’s because to do their news-breaking and
information-gathering jobs well, reporters need to
communicate with the people they speak to in the
languages those people are comfortable with. In India,
English is seldom one of those languages. Reporters
therefore are not recruited for their writing skills. The
fact that their reports are to be published in English
does not matter—that part of the job is handled by
subeditors.
N EW ( S ) TO M E
I learned this the hard way in 1992, when I was a 22-
year-old trainee subeditor at The Telegraph in then
Calcutta. Barely a month into my training—which so
far had consisted of editing wire copy that may have
been dull but was grammatically correct—I found
myself gazing at a typed article written in such poor
English as to be nearly incomprehensible.
“What … what’s this,” I asked my
department’s senior subeditor.
“What am I supposed to do with If you’re sure of your basic
this? I don’t understand it at all!”
skills—honestly, diffidence
“That’s the point,” she said. gets you absolutely
“You’re supposed to make it
nowhere—you can handle
understandable. And readable. any kind of edit.
Suitable for the magazine on
Sunday.”
Me? I was to do that? After just a bit more than three
weeks on the job? How on EARTH?
She just laughed and said: “Try. I’ll take a look at it
when you’re done.”
So, I tried. I mentally closed my ears to the newsroom
noise, pulled my thoughts away from lunch and other
distractions, and read the piece through slowly,
scribbling notes in my journal about what I understood
from it.
It took the whole day, but eventually I had a
comprehensible version of the original piece. Two
problems remained, however. First, to make this piece
both understandable and readable, I had to redo it in
my own words, not the writer’s. That seemed
peculiar—wouldn’t the writer hate me? Second, what if
I had misunderstood the story? What if my version of
it was wrong and the writer, since his byline would
accompany the piece (subeditors being invisible to the
2
public), got the flak? In other words, what right did I
have to rewrite a piece I had not reported myself?
C ONFIDENCE G AME
Going through the rewritten version of the story with
me, the senior subeditor in my department explained
why I should not worry about these issues.
“Don’t worry about the writer’s style,” she said. “The
writer does not have a style. The syntax in this piece, as
you can see, is Bengali. He has directly translated from
the Bengali he was thinking into English on his
typewriter. This is Bonglish, not English. So, rewrites,
in cases like this, have to be in your own words.”
If I worried that I had it wrong, she said, I could simply
ask the writer to go through it and point out errors.
“What if he hates me for it?” I asked, quivering. “He’s
so very senior in the organization, and I am a brand-
new trainee.”
She looked at me and sighed.
Then she asked: “Why do you think you’re here?”
I didn’t know what to reply.
She tried again: “Didn’t you do a
copy test before you were given
your appointment letter?”
I had done the test, I replied, still
puzzled.
“Then our bosses have already
agreed that you’re already good
with comprehension, précis writing, grammar, and
syntax. You’ve used all your skills in this rewrite. The
reporter knows his subject better than you do, true. But
you’re the editor. You communicate better than he
does.”
M IGHTIER T HAN THE P EN
Not all rewrites in journalism are as drastic as the one
I’ve described above. Some reporters may write
perfectly grammatical English, but need to have their
stories restructured in the pyramid style necessary for
news pieces—most important point in the first para,
followed by other information in descending order of
importance so that if a story has to be cut after it’s
placed on the page, it can be cut from the bottom in
the certainty that the crucial parts of it will not be lost.
Then there are reporters—usually trainees—who need
help focusing on the main news point of the story they

are reporting. In this case, if there is time before going
to press, the subeditor will speak to the writer about the
information missing in the story, and what else needs
to be done to it. If there is no time, the subeditor will
simply hand over the piece to a more senior reporter,
trust that all the holes will be noted and filled, and all
that will be left to do at the last minute will be a simple
copyedit.
Then there are self-indulgent writers whose stories
need to be redone because they are overstyled or too
lavishly written for a newspaper that needs direct
communication. Often, the subeditor has to rewrite
paras for the sake of instant clarity even if the original
paras are grammatically sound.
And there are also reporters who have absolutely no
command over the language, but, despite that disability,
have such a unique style of expression that the
subeditor wants more than anything to retain the style
3
iEdit Issue 1, July 2019
even while changing the words. This sounds undoable,
but if you put your mind and a fair amount of time to
it, it can be done.
E DITOR ’ S M ANTRA
If you’re sure of your basic skills—honestly, diffidence
gets you absolutely nowhere—you can handle any kind
of edit. Because there is just one purpose: to make sure
what is presented to the public is correct in content and
syntax, comfortable to read, and engaging. You may
not get a byline for it, but you know neither the reporter
nor the newspaper can do without you. ◼
Freelance editor and writer Kushalrani Gulab has worked in the
newspaper industry for 27 years.
 INTERVIEW WITH ICF FOUNDER
VIVEK KUMAR
Priya Talwar

I discovered the Indian Copyeditors Forum (ICF) a

few months after I had completed a 3-month
developmental editing course online, which
developed in me a newfound and unconditional love
for editing books. The year before, in 2017,
developmental editor Barbara Sjoholm’s book An
Editor’s Guide to Working with Authors had made me
curious about not just editing books but also the
relationship that needs to be built between an author
and an editor to create the best book they both can.
In my enthusiastic endeavor to understand the world
of editing and publishing as an industry, I gained much
useful information and practical experience, thanks to
individuals (like Barbara), bloggers
and freelance editors, and also
organizations such as the Editorial
Freelancers Association (EFA) The absence of a feedback
who have shared so much (for free mechanism makes
as well as paid). And yet I was also
freelancers confident
hugely disappointed.
they are doing a good job
Why was there no EFA in India, I when the reality might
thought, where one could learn
different types of editing accord- actually be otherwise. I
ing to one’s experience, or even would also say that it is a
learn how to set up an editing question of priorities.
business and market it too? Why
was there no ACES: The Society
for Editing where one could attend conferences meant
for all kinds of editors? Why was there no Society for
Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), where one could, as
a member, train others and register to get freelance
jobs?
Maybe I was spoilt and daydreaming. You would
certainly think so if you knew that I was paying a book’s
price for a booklet not even half the size that explained
how I could set my quote as a freelance editor.
In the absence of a unique registered organization for
freelance and even full-time editors (not just
journalists) in India, I was surprised when I discovered
the ICF, which aims to (a) create awareness about
editing in India and (b) bring Indian editorial
freelancers together.
Vivek and I have spoken since 2018, on and off, and
we decided to publish an interview that I conducted
over email and phone in 2018 in the context of the ICF
newsletter. He has been working as a medical journal
copyeditor for almost two decades now and has worked
the last 9 years as a freelance copyeditor. Here he talks
about not just his love for editing but also a general
ignorance about what editors do, a freelancer’s biggest
enemy, and the future of ICF. Excerpts from an edited
version:
P: You have worked as a medical editor for almost
two decades, and you are content with what you do
and what it has given you. Tell us about your
experience and views on (medical) editing.
V: It was a fruitful experience handling medical journals
and books from Wolters Kluwer during my full-time
work with Aptara from 1999 to 2010. I had a brief stint
with SPi in 2007-2008 during which I handled work
from publishers such as Elsevier and Oxford
University Press. In December 2010, I started
freelancing so that I could devote
optimum time to my family. And,
the journey as a freelance medical
editor has been amazing, as I have
been working for a major US
that medical journal publisher. As an
editor, it is an amazing feeling to
contribute to the process of
making an author’s words
meaningful, impactful, and clear
for the lay reader. I would say that
it is great to read about cutting-
edge research as part of my job.
P: In India, there are no registered associations for
editors like ACES: The Society for Editing, EFA,
Editors Canada, SfEP, and the Institute for
Professional Editors. What do you think that says
about the status quo?
V: This reflects the sad state of affairs of Indian
freelance editorial professionals. I do not recall any
effort being made in this direction, and the reason for
that could be that freelancing is not a very old
phenomenon. Editing (outsourcing) came to India in
the late 1980s, and senior editors started freelancing at
the start of the 21st century only after they had worked
in-house for quite some years.
P: Do you think the scenario is changing now?
What about the response ICF is getting? What do
you think changed?
V: The scenario is changing in terms of more freelance
opportunities (including work-from-home
arrangements) being available, which makes it
necessary for freelancers to meet and discuss best
practices and collaborate. ICF has helped editorial
professionals come together both online and offline

4
 iEdit Issue 1, July 2019

and we have had more than 50 meetings in 18+ cities courses offered by theartofcopyediting.com are part of
till now. Our group’s tagline is “Connecting Editors, a WhatsApp Learners’ Group and an email-based
Creating Opportunities” and we have been very Google group. They share and discuss their problem
successful in achieving this objective. We have started sentences first among themselves and then with
offering workshops on different topics (see Venkataraman Ananthraman (Dr. Venkat) in weekly
“Workshops” later in the newsletter for more details), online mentorship sessions. For more details, check out
and we are happy that we have received some support my article “Awesome Sauce.”
from the industry in the form of venue partners.
P: Does ICF intend to cover marketing under its
Abhishek Goel, cofounder of Cactus Communications,
courses? Apart from the copyediting courses, what
Mumbai, offered ICF the use of its conference room
other courses is ICF planning to have?
(even on a Sunday) for conducting workshops-cum-
meetings. We hope that more companies from all over V: Well, our members who are good at marketing are
India come forward and support ICF. welcome to come forward with their proposal, and we
will offer workshops on these topics as well. We are
P: You started the Indian Copyeditors Forum in
also looking at offering workshops on indexing and
June 2015, soon after attending Editing Goes
Alt-Text writing.
Global, the first international conference for
editors held in Toronto, Canada. Would you say P: You say that the aim for ICF is to (a) create
that was a trigger? If so, how? awareness and (b) provide resources. Tell us about
the lack of both—awareness about editing as a
V: Yes, that was definitely a trigger because I met the
skill and editors, the workers who perform the task.
representatives of so many editing societies there and
felt bad that we in India had nothing of that sort. I felt V: There is certainly a lack of awareness about editing
that a freelancer’s biggest enemies are isolation, not as a financially viable career and more so, as many
staying on top of what is editing courses (e.g., those
happening in the industry, lack of conducted by the University of
guidance, and failure to recognize Certification is something Delhi and the Institute of Book
the importance of continuous Publishing) have been discontin-
professional development. I think
that takes time to evolve,
ued (because of a missing aca-
ICF would address all these needs and for the time being we demia–industry link) when there is
as belonging to a group makes offer free vetting, wherein a crying need in the publishing in-
freelancers feel that they have a members can send in their dustry for trained professionals
community to go back to in case who can handle the work that is
samples and get feedback
of any problem. being outsourced to India. India
on what they are doing right, does not have enough skilled free-
P: According to a 2018 survey what they are doing wrong, lance editors, and a solution could
you conducted among ICF
and what they are not doing be for companies to invest some
members on Facebook, most
at all. money in getting not only their in-
freelance editors in India don’t
house freshers but also new
have training and are also not
freelancers trained and then offer
willing to invest in the same.
them freelance projects and work-from-home projects.
Tell us about your views on this.
Even though the rates that companies get from their
V: The absence of a feedback mechanism makes clients have come down, it does not mean they should
freelancers confident that they are doing a good job stop training. They seem to have stopped looking
when the reality might actually be otherwise. I would beyond what they are currently doing. If they continue
also say that it is a question of priorities. Most editors to train, they will be able to create resources that can be
might be happy doing high-volume–low-pay jobs that marketed for getting different types of work. A blog
involve more of styling/mark-up/formatting than real post by Dr. Venkat summarizes the opportunities that
language editing. They do not want to move up the the industry has lost over the past decades—
value chain because that would involve getting out of opportunities that can be pursued even now, with
the comfort zone (change is always painful), getting formal training in the basics.
trained (remember that even trained editors need
P: What kind of resources have you benefited from
refresher training), and looking for global clients (which
as an editor?
would involve marketing, which most editors are bad
at). V: Usage books, dictionaries, newsletters (Editorial Eye
[now discontinued] and Copyediting [now taken over
P: But who will give freelance editors any
by ACES]), association membership, EFA booklets,
feedback? How do you think ICF can fill this gap?
style manuals, blog articles, meeting fellow editors in
V: They can form small groups, post queries on the ICF’s online and offline meetings, online training,
Facebook group and/or on WhatsApp groups, and interacting with foreign editors online and at
meet other editors online or offline and ask for conferences, and finally having a mentor.
feedback. A few ICF members who took some of the

5
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM

P: I so agree! EFA booklets are priceless. (as of 27 May 2019) did something individually and
Mentoring is a huge necessity, and I found several, collectively.
offline and primarily online! Which brings me to
P: You have mentioned that by 2020 you would
the training or certification ICF plans to offer.
want ICF to be registered and also be invited to
V: Regular meetings are being held all over India, and officially represent India at the second
online training in copyediting is available. People keep international conference for editors in Canada.
on asking for a minimum recommended rate chart, Please tell us more about the same.
what to charge, and how to charge, but forget that all
V: Some members have been requesting that the
these questions come into the picture only after they
informal ICF Facebook group should change into a
can ensure a basic quality. The drive for quality should
formal, legal entity so as to be able to represent its
actually come from companies, which in turn is
members in a better way. I still feel that we have a long
possible only with formal training. Also, many
way to go because there is so much more we can do
companies arbitrarily define a page as 300 words
even as an informal group just as the ELT Freelancers
whereas the international standard is a firm 250 words.
community has done. But it would be good if we can
Certification is something that takes time to evolve, and
get registered and are invited to officially represent
for the time being we offer free vetting, wherein
India at the second international conference for editors,
members can send in their samples and get feedback on
which will be held in Canada in 2020.
what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong,
and what they are not doing at all. P: Is ICF thinking of holding its own conference?
P: What kind of samples do you accept? Who vets V: We are certainly looking at possibilities of having
them? ICF’s own conference in India in
late 2019. I’ll be the happiest if I
V: Nilima Vyas and Dr. Venkat
can manage to bring the
had offered to do free vetting but
People keep on asking for a international conference for
we are sorry to say that not
minimum recommended rate editors to India in my lifetime.
enough editors have come for-
ward for this initiative, which is chart, what to charge, and P: Last two questions. Have
sad because I also see quite a few how to charge, but forget you had trouble explaining
freelancers saying that they do not your role to those completely
that all these questions
receive feedback on the samples outside the industry?
that they do for different compa- come into the picture only
nies. A company using freelance after they can ensure a basic V: Yes, I have had trouble all my
editors will be short of staff to life explaining what I do! People
quality. The drive for quality seem to assume that I work either
provide detailed feedback to those should actually come from
who do not fit the bill, which is in a newspaper or in a TV channel
where the vetting can help them companies, which in turn is because these are the places where
know their skill gaps and they can possible only with formal they see editors. To make matters
then address those areas of worse, a lot of people seem to
training.
concern. confuse proofreading with
copyediting.
P: In your opinion, why is it that an editor does not
even get any formal recognition? Writers get P: What are the biggest myths about editing and
awards and grants (they have their struggles I editors?
know) but editors (print) don’t have any awards in V: The biggest myth is that anyone can do this job
India. Comments? sitting at home! ◼
V: There is no national body representing copyeditors,
so who will give/get an award! The Publishing Next
conference is doing its bit by starting some awards for Priya Talwar loves to edit books because she
the publishing industry, but we need something finds it easy to edit than write her own! You
exclusively for editors. On 25 February 2018, can reach her at @priyatalwar24 or
Visalakshy, Founder and CEO of Onpaper Publishing priyatalwar.24@gmail.com.
Solutions Pvt. Ltd., held India’s first conference for
editors in Chennai and the speakers were facilitated. I
also got the first award, Editors’ Champion, of my life.
So, basically, we need more ICF members to get
actively involved in bringing about a positive change.
Imagine what would happen if all 1443 ICF members

6
 DOES COPYEDITING MATTER?
WHY DO WE DO IT?
Abha Thapalyal Gandhi

T he purpose of written work is communication, and

when it is not finalized carefully, confusions and
even idiocies can occur. The harsh reality is that
once a book or article is published, report circulated,
It was fascinating to discover that the two basic types
of tasks that dramaturgs carry out are analogous to the
work of copyeditors and “developmental editors.” One
set of tasks of the dramaturg is connected to the script
brochure distributed, or any written material has left its itself; the focus is on such matters as the progression of
creator, nothing can be done to change it. the story, the effectiveness of the dialogs, as well as
contradictions or repetitions that may have crept in.
Here is an example:
The other set of tasks is wider in range and requires an
Kanhaiya’s statement in a press conference came after understanding of the social, historical, political, or
two of the seven video clips of events at JNU between other background from which a play has originated.
February 9 and 12 were reportedly found to be doctored
by a Hyderabad-based forensic science lab.1 In the performing arts environment, there is much
emotionally charged debate about the outside observer.
The reader can legitimately ask “Who doctored the Some critics believe that the idea promotes the thought
videos, the lab?” that the people im-
mersed in the artistic
S O , WHAT I S THE W ORK OF A process do not have
the intellectual ca-
We find that some
authors are also
C OPYEDITOR ? pacity to assess their
extremely sensitive
own work. As a par-
3
Speaking in broad strokes, one can say that editorial allel we find that about someone
work is concerned with the following: some authors are changing their work.
◼ Language, ensuring that the rules of grammar and also extremely sensi- However, the
logic are followed; tive about someone
changing their work. majority are very
◼ Substance/the content, including its tone and
However, the major- appreciative of the
mood;
◼ Style/the presentation of the content. ity are very apprecia- changes and
tive of the changes suggestions made
A wonderfully picturesque description of what and suggestions
made by editors.
by editors.
copyeditors do was given by a senior journalist and
copyeditor who has been with the New York Times for The point is that the
many years: editor must be nonjudgmental, sympathetic toward the
They untangle twisted prose. They are surgeons, creative process, and ultimately focused on the quality
removing growths of error and irrelevance; they are of the final outcome.
minimalist chefs, straining fat. … The copy editor’s job,
to the extent possible under deadline, is to slow down,
think things through, do the math and ask the irritating T HE L IMITS TO B E R ESPECTED
question.2
The venerable Oxford Dictionary tells us that to edit
means to
“T HE O UTSIDE E YE ” prepare (written material) for publication by correcting,
A very useful concept in relation to the work that condensing, or otherwise modifying it.4
editors do is that of the external observer in the world This definition is categorical and precise. However,
of the theater and other performing arts—the there is a caveat and the careful reader will spot it
“dramaturg,” also known as the “the outside eye.” The immediately. The expression “or otherwise modifying”
dramaturg learns from the insiders what the production provides a clear indicator that discretion is a necessary
is about and what its message is supposed to be. He or part of the process. There is scope for creativity when
she then looks on during the rehearsal process to see if editing, and thus significantly improving the original
the tools and methods being used by the director are writing, but there are boundaries that have to be
achieving their intended purpose. respected.

7
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM
These limits have been clearly identified by Judith
Butcher. Early in the current edition of her famous
book, Butcher’s Copy-editing, is possibly the most
straightforward explanation of the essence of editorial
work:
Copy-editing is invisible: it aims to present the book the
author would have written if he or she had had more
time or experience ─ not as some new copyeditors think,
their own improved version.5
What Copyediting Is Not!
◼ It’s not rewriting or “ghost writing”;
◼ It’s not about making the original writing more
elegant;
◼ It’s not about changing it just because the
changed version sounds better.
At this point, it will be useful to clarify that
“developmental editing,” also known as “substantive
editing” or “content editing,” is completely different
from copyediting. The developmental editor takes a
good hard look at the content itself and also the way it
has been communicated. He or she may well advise
rewriting or a number of other changes, such as
clarification or development of parts or even reworking
of the entire script, the addition of more information,
or providing more context and background. A sensitive
copyeditor may of course raise queries about such
issues, and quite a few do. This kind of alertness can
help young editors to raise their skill level.
S TYLE —T HE T RUSTY A SSISTANT
OF C ONTENT
In the context of writing and editing, style is a tool that
is used in aid of substance, the content. In the editorial
world, the purpose of style is clarity. It has little to do
with the most common connotations of the word—the
fashion of the mo-
ment, what’s “in,”
For communication what’s “out,” and so
on. For communi-
to happen
cation to happen
successfully, words successfully, words
need to be effectively need to be effec-
woven together and tively woven to-
the final matter gether and the final
matter presented in
presented in a way a way that allows it
that allows it to reach to reach the relevant
the relevant audience. As we all
learn at some stage,
audience.
life is complicated.
So even grammati-
cally correct writing on its own is not sufficient for
creating publishable material. “Acquiring a grounding
in grammar is not enough: the finer points of style and
presentation will often make all the difference between
a good and a mediocre publication – between a stodgy
8
leaflet or complex, wordy brochure and one which is
lively and appealing.”6
Consistency: Avoiding
Confusion and Sloppiness
Consistency comes at the top of the list of style issues.
The end product, a book, printed or electronic, a
formal statement, a report, a proposal, an ad copy, any
piece of formal writing, should have consistency in
matters such as the spelling of proper names and other
words, abbreviations, dates, and references.
Consistency is not a minor issue essentially because
when it is not adhered to, the text is confusing and
annoying for readers.
For example, if the names of individuals are spelled
differently on different pages, or other words are
spelled at times with an “s” and other times with a “z,”
if dates are written in many different ways, if
abbreviations are not explained, capitalization occurs in
a haphazard manner, if references are incomplete or
done in different ways, confusion and sloppiness are
the result.
The Importance of Style
Manuals
Publishers of books, magazines, and journals, research
institutions, and other bodies generally develop or
adopt editorial styles. Editors do all concerned a favor
when they study the relevant style manual and follow it
scrupulously.
The Look of the Page: Inviting
the Reader in
The way a page looks is also something to be conscious
about. Long headings and chapter names were perfectly
acceptable in earlier times. The following chapter titles
are from famous published books, one from the 19th
century and the other from the 16th:
Remarks on the Routes by Which an Invading Army
Could Approach the Valley of Nipal 7
Why the Kingdom of Darius, Conquered by Alexander,
Did Not Rebel Against the Successors of Alexander
at His Death 8
Now editorial style is very concerned with the
readability of a page. Chapter names and level
headings, sentences, and paragraphs are very significant
parts of a page and if they are of a disproportionate
length, they have an adverse effect on it and can also
turn off a potential reader. As a general rule, these key
parts of a piece of writing should not be either
excessively long or too short. Clearly, here is an area
where discretion must be used by the editor. However,
it is safe to say that headings containing more than five
to six words or those that require several lines to write
should be examined carefully and edited. Single-word
headings can also border on the meaningless.

Sentences and paragraphs form the essential content of
a piece of writing and have to be dealt with accordingly.
Their length, however, can become a style matter as
well. If, for example, sentences take up a quarter of the
page each and paragraphs take up almost full pages, the
good editor sits up and takes notice and breaks them
up carefully. One of the biggest clues for deciding what
to do if they appear to be disproportionately long and
incomprehensible comes from the identity of the target
audience. I recall feeling really disheartened when I saw
a class 8 civics textbook once. In a discussion about the
institutions of government, every sentence was at least
six to eight lines long. There were even some full
paragraphs that consisted of a single sentence! The
hapless student I was trying to help out did not have
the faintest idea as to what he was supposed to be
learning.
The aim of an editor must be to ensure that the chapter
names/headings/sentences/paragraphs convey the
intended meaning without unnecessary complexity and
in words appropriate for the target reader.
Make no mistake: the role of a copyeditor is a very
important one. Judging by the number of
contemporary businesses looking to hire copyeditors
and writers, full-time, it is safe to conclude that as long
as communication needs to happen, the significance of
editors will only continue to grow. ◼
N OTES
1. News18-CNN-IBN Live, “Rohith Vemula Is My Icon, Not
Afzal Guru, Says JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar,”
https://www.news18.com/news/india/rohith-vemula-is-
my-icon-not-afzal-guru-says-jnusu-president-kanhaiya-
kumar-1211739.html, accessed June 21, 2019.
2. Lawrence Downes, “In a Changing World of News, an
Elegy for Copy Editors,” Opinion, June 16, 2008,
9
iEdit Issue 1, July 2019
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/16/opinion/16mon4.
html, accessed June 4, 2019.
3. Outside Eye/Writer & Editor (blog),
http://www.outsideeyeconsulting.com/blog/, accessed
March 31, 2019; Matthew Spangler, “Dramaturgy in
Dialogue: Matthew Spangler,” Outside Eye (blog), January
15, 2016, https://outsideeyeproject.wordpress.com/,
accessed June 7, 2019.
4. https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/edit,
accessed April 8, 2019.
5. Judith Butcher, Caroline Drake, and Maureen Leach,
Butcher’s Copyediting: The Cambridge Handbook for
Editors, Copy-editors and Proofreaders, 4th Edition (Delhi,
India: Cambridge University Press, 2006/First South Asia
Edition 2007), 32.
6. John Foster, “The Importance of Style,”
https://www.ipra.org/news/itle/the-importance-of-style/,
accessed June 21, 2019.
7. Henry Ambrose Oldfield, Sketches from Nipal, Vol 1
(London: WH Allen & Co., 1880).
8. Nicolo Machiavelli, The Prince, circa 1513.
Abha Thapalyal Gandhi is Publishing
Director, South Asia Press, an independent
academic publishing house that deals in the
full range of subjects in the humanities and
the social sciences. It is her conviction that
editorial work is the heart of the publishing
business. Her earlier roles were Director Commissioning,
LexisNexis India and Senior Commissioning Editor (Law),
OUP India.
 EXTENSIVE READING: THE ONLY
WAY TO AUTOMATE ERROR
DETECTION
Yateendra Joshi

C
opyediting must be the least athletic of
occupations and yet, a line in the book The
Athletic Brain caught my attention because it
said something about how the brain notices
grammatical errors even when the listener or the reader
is not looking out for them. Detecting such errors is an
exercise in pattern matching, something that the human
brain is good at. Tests have confirmed our pattern-
matching abilities even at the subconscious level: in
other words, tests have shown that subjects behave as
though they are aware of a pattern even when they are
unable to articulate it. Every language has its
characteristic patterns, and mastering a language
involves using them correctly.
What has all this to do with copyediting? I argue that if
we are to be good copyeditors, we must be able to spot Reading good books is all the more important to us
grammatical errors and then fix them almost on the because what we read during nearly all our working
fly—and merely studying grammar, whether through hours is English that needs to be copyedited, typically
books or through at- written by L2 writers with expertise in domains other
tending lectures and than English—this places us in a situation similar to
We must read a workshops and so on, that of the Red Queen, who tells Alice that “here we
great deal. More will not give us that must run as fast as we can, just to stay in place. And if
ability. To develop that you wish to go anywhere you must run twice as fast as
specifically, we must ability, to develop a that.” And reading is a time-consuming activity.
read books written sensitive ear, we must Assuming that we can read about 250 words per minute
by good writers read a great deal. More and taking an average nonfiction book to be 60,000
whose first language specifically, we must words long, it will take 4 hours to read it. However, to
read books written by get to the point where we spot grammatical errors
is English: books, good writers whose almost automatically, we need to log in many hundreds
because as products first language is En- of hours (think of the 10,000 hours of practice to be an
they are usually glish: books, because as expert, the number popularized by Malcolm Gladwell
more refined than products they are usu- in his book Outliers).
newspapers and ally more refined than
newspapers and maga- The Extensive Reading Foundation (ERF) offers some
magazines; good zines; good writers be- useful numbers: to attain near-native proficiency,
writers because we cause we would rather according to the ERF website, it takes 370 books and
emulate more compe- 280 hours of systematic reading of progressively
would rather
tent practitioners of the difficult texts. Consider reading as an investment to be
emulate more made over time: in years to come, you will reap the
craft of writing; and L1
competent (which is jargon for dividends. ◼
practitioners of the first language) because
craft of writing. such writing will be Yateendra Joshi has been copyediting
largely error-free with technical and scientific documents for more
respect to two most than 30 years; for more than 15 years, he
common categories of errors made by L2 users, has also been teaching academics and
namely, errors related to prepositions and errors related researchers how to write, publish, and
to articles. present.

10
 EVENTS
C HAPTER M EETINGS
Goa, 5 January 2019
Typesetting
We had a casual “nice-to-meet-you” meet. Michelle and
I were the only ones who met up (there are only 4
members from Goa in ICF). We both started off with
different careers and have recently entered the
copyediting field.
Freelance Copyediting
We discussed how one of us had too much work and
the other not enough. And how the dependence on one
employer is disadvantageous in both cases.
We lamented the lack of guidance and support for
freelancers from mentors. Guidance and support from
mentors would go a long way in improving our editing
skills.
We discussed Dr. Venkat’s theartofcopyediting.com
courses and Michelle spoke about her experience with
the free vetting process.
Both of us mentioned how editing doesn’t pay enough
and how other interests have become side hustles that
keep us positive and afloat financially.
We hope we have a greater number in the next meet.
Minutes by Tanya Rosebud Fernandes; thanks to Michelle for
her inputs.
NCR, 11 January 2019
This meeting was attended by preeditors, typesetters,
indexers, freelance copyeditors, and a professor. Below
is an overview of what was discussed.
Preediting
◼ Subrata began by describing what the process of
preediting entails, the ways in which it makes the
copyeditors’ job easy, and the tools used by
11
preeditors. The copyeditors chimed in with
experiences of editing raw versus preedited texts.
Suggestions were made on how preeditors can
train the copyeditors and/or strive to work
together in teams.
◼ Vivek pointed out existing consistency checkers
and the changes they need in order to maximize
benefit to the copyeditor, and the need to
minimize manual preediting as much as possible.
◼ Typesetters described in detail their process, their
tools, and their challenges while working with
existing tools as well as scope for improvement.
◼ This was followed by a discussion about how
typesetters can take advantage of the new kinds
of services publishers are looking for, and how
typesetters and copyeditors can work together.
◼ Challenges faced by typesetters were detailed by
Saleem, with respect to bringing in work and
managing low rates.
◼ Gaurav then proceeded to detail his experiences
of having worked as an in-house editor with a
team of editors as well as a freelancer, listing the
advantages and disadvantages of both.
◼ Also compared were experiences working with
domestic and international clients, with respect to
rates, working practices, etc.
◼ Vivek talked about why it is ideal that copyeditors
start out in the field by working for a company so
as to become familiar with the entire process of
editing content, instead of just one aspect of the
process.
◼ This was followed by listing out ways in which
freelancers can bag a variety of projects, primarily,
by becoming a member of editing associations
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM
such as the SfEP, BELS, EFA, and Editors
Canada, in addition to regularly refreshing their
skill set by taking courses.
In addition, Gopal Sir described in depth his experience
as a professor of English, a writer, and a translator. We
spoke about how language localization is creating jobs
for translators and toward the end, brainstormed on
venues for the upcoming workshops in Delhi NCR.
Personally, it was my first meet with the group, and I
found that there was a lot to be learned from regularly
attending them. I went back with some amazing
insights and am looking forward to the next meet.
Minutes by Esha Sood.
Pune, 12 January 2019
Speed Networking: Facilitated by Anita
Nagarajan
The idea was to quickly exchange information
regarding developments in our professional lives. We
were short of time, and hence this discussion had to be
earmarked for the next meeting.
Happy to have Anita’s colleague Shanti join us!
The World of Words: Yateendra Joshi
Yateendra introduced us to the books Word by Word
(Kory Stamper) and The Word Detective (John Simpson),
followed by a wonderful discussion on dictionaries and
style guides.
Points Discussed
1. How dictionaries are compiled by lexicographers.
2. How new words enter the dictionary and how
certain words become redundant. Yardsticks say
that the word should be from a published source.
It has to be in use for at least 5 years, should occur
in multiple sources, and should be meaningful.
3. To use or not to use a word—Words are accepted
on the basis of their usage. Being listed in the
dictionary does not always mean they are correct!
4. Style guides are published by:
12
◼ publishers
◼ professional associations such as the APA
◼ newspapers and magazines—Economics SG,
New York Times.
5. Source citations—how citations’ styles vary with
journals and style guides.
Parlez-vous français? Anita Nagarajan
It was fun racking our brains to come up with French
words frequently used in our daily conversations! Anita
also had a list of French words ready for us and
explained how the meanings of these words originated.
Divya joined in with her expertise in the language.
The “rendezvous” turned out to be an interesting one!
An Editor Writes, A Writer Edits. How?
Discussion Led by Nivedita Kar
Points Discussed
◼ The process of writing;
◼ Editing—a part of the entire process of content
creation;
◼ How writers and editors are different from each
other;
◼ Tips to follow while writing and editing;
◼ Can you edit your own work?
This was followed by a discussion on the approaches
adopted by each one of us while writing.
We were introduced to Adobe Experience Manager
(AEM), a web content management system—a topic
that has been set aside for our next meeting.
Q&A with Yateendra Joshi on the Proposed
Training Sessions
We did a run-through of Yateendra’s topics. The
training session could be covered as:
◼ a 3-day program for all 12 topics;
◼ a 1-day program for 4 topics.
Once we notify the topics of interest, we could also
merge the training session with our next meeting.
Key Takeaways from the Session
◼ Writing is a psychomotor skill that can be
acquired.
◼ Read good books extensively to become a better
writer.
◼ Learn a foreign language!
◼ Editors are all-rounders!
Minutes by Kalyani Laddu-Javadekar.

Mumbai, 23 January 2019
Dictionaries and Style Guides
This interactive session conducted by Yateendra Joshi
drove home the point that there is no right or wrong
when it comes to style. Each institution has its own
preference. The role of the editor is to identify the
appropriate style guide and to use it consistently.
Yateendra promised to share the presentation with us,
which included a list of style guides.
My Experience with the Vetting Process
Michelle Pereira shared her experience with the vetting
process in terms of the process itself, the mathematical
rating used for evaluation, and the advantages,
particularly for new editors and freelancers, of getting
yourself vetted. She ended by asking all present to
spread the word and encourage editors to get
themselves vetted. (As an aside, Vivek Kumar has
recommended a blog on this.)
Q&A with Yateendra Joshi on the Proposed
Training Sessions
Data shared by Vivek Kumar showed that five
members from Mumbai had responded with their
preferences, which were shared with Yateendra Joshi,
who will conduct the sessions. The most popular one
so far is “Avoiding Common Errors in written
English.” One observation in the discussion that
followed was that frequent areas of error in
manuscripts are articles, prepositions, and subject-verb
agreement issues.
Planning the Next Mumbai Meeting
It was proposed that we have regular meetings quarterly
and that the next meeting should be held in April 2019.
One definite item on the agenda will be a workshop.
We will use the available time before the next meeting
to spread more awareness of the workshop topics
among Mumbai members so that there is greater
attendance.
13
iEdit Issue 1, July 2019
Other Discussions
◼ Lack of interest in reading in children and young
adults, which affects their mastery over a language
(any language) and their ability to communicate
well once they join the workforce. There were
suggestions and discussions on how to get
children excited about reading. There was an
observation that maybe the sustainability of the
editing profession depends on editors doing their
part to create more readers.
◼ Based on WhatsApp discussions, it appears that
new editors struggle with decision making when
it comes to new assignments. There are questions
on rates at which to take on work, sample edits,
and lack of clarity on other terms. It was decided
that a basic checklist could be created to arm new
editors with information they can use to make
their decisions on new work.
To-Do List
◼ Michelle Pereira will create the checklist for new
editors (mentioned above) by circulating a draft
and asking for inputs from other members on
ICF.
◼ All Mumbai members should regularly spread the
word on ICF, for those interested to select their
preferences for Yateendra Joshi’s workshops and
send them to Vivek Kumar as soon as possible.
Minutes by Michelle Pereira.
Bangalore, 3 March 2019
Happy to share here the minutes of the Bangalore
meet.
On a personal note, I really enjoyed this meet. I was
quite worn-out after a month of intense activity on
personal and professional fronts. And this meet came
as a welcome break. I am not able to exactly say why I
felt so revived after this meet. It feels so cool to meet
the ones of our kind and share our ups and downs.
Just wanted to say this to ICF members:
Don’t ever miss these meets. These would be turning
points in your career lives.
Thanks so much to Vivek for creating such
opportunities.
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM

Key Points
◼ Venkatesh discussed his plans about moving onto
L3 editing, which he felt would be more engaging
for him than line editing. He also shared his
experiences about freelancing for various
companies.
◼ Vihang, who has recently cleared the BELS
examination, shared his experiences on the same
and how he plans to leverage this to rope in new
clients. He also shared his experiences as a
freelancer: what volume of work he does, the level
of editing involved, how he gets paid, etc.
◼ Chitraleka threw light on these areas: working
directly as an editor for journals; new markets
opening up for conversion of technical text into opportunity! We sought his guidance on several topics
layman’s language. such as the importance of style editing. He emphasized
◼ Lavanya discussed about challenges in setting up the need for references’ style for better acceptance in
international journals. On a discussion on plagiarism,
he gave tips on how to rephrase to overcome the issue.
We also touched upon payment issues from individual
authors and how an MS can be locked for sharing. We
spoke about time management and were collectively
amazed at Vivek Kumar’s response time on FB. This is
just an excited recounting of this evening. Will share
more later.

It was coffee table talk with a lot of useful tips, leads,

and insights from Yateendra. Catching up with the
fraternity definitely boosts our confidence levels.
Minutes by Deepali Joshi.

Mumbai, 20 March 2019

an in-house team in Mysore. She also mentioned
that the Karnataka government is ready to set up
courses in copyediting for students. She is looking
for trainers who can help her in such a venture.
◼ Archana, who is a writer and editor of trade
books, shared her freelance experiences at various
companies, how she gets paid, etc.
◼ Anupama shared her experiences about working
as a Technical Writer. She also expressed interest
in exploring other areas.
◼ Elizabeth shared her experiences as a journalist,
and expressed interest in exploring other
opportunities in the editing industry.
◼ Visalakshy shared her experiences on how she
built her team and gave an intro on Alt-Text to
interested members.
Key Points
Minutes by Visalakshy Loganathan.
◼ Issues faced by freelancers and editing
professionals: Often, we need to explain the
Bangalore, 10 March 2019 different levels of editing and the value of each
It was indeed a very fruitful evening. We had a stage to clients. Moreover, it becomes difficult to
freewheeling discussion on preparing for the BELS justify our charges as some domestic clients
certification. Yateendra told us it is a test of copyediting expect a lot of work to be done at reduced rates.
rather that life sciences and what encompasses ◼ Importance of collaboration: We spoke about
Diplomate. We realized that we were in the company the importance of collaboration and how we
of “1 in a million” . . . making him a very rare could help each other by building a community of
personality. Indeed, we are thankful for this freelancers and editing professionals.

14

◼ Code of conduct for WhatsApp groups: The
three of us felt that we should avoid badmouthing
clients on WhatsApp groups. If we want to check
the validity of a particular client, we should
privately message someone who has worked with
that client instead of posting such messages in the
group.
◼ Formalizing ICF: We also felt that it was time
to take some burden off Vivek’s shoulders and
build a core team with representatives from each
chapter of ICF. These representatives would be
responsible for coordinating monthly or quarterly
meetings and organizing professional
development workshops for our members.
◼ Networking and agenda for meetings: During
the meeting, we spoke about the importance of
face-to-face networking and a preplanned agenda
for the meetings so that members would be
prepared and would attend the meetings on a
regular basis.
Minutes by Vidya Ravi.
Mysore, 27 March 2019
It was an honor to have Mr. Yateendra Joshi as chief
guest who provided various inputs related to the editing
field. He shared his vast experiences with regard to
editing.
Key Points
◼ One can undergo BELS exam to get certified in
the field of life sciences editing.
◼ Many other such exams (e.g., IELTS) can be
undertaken. These will test your proficiency in the
English language. There are certain levels of the
exam, which prove your efficiency.
◼ As a vendor, it is always better to work directly
with authors when concerned with rates and
payments. As a matter of fact, a wide gap can be
filled between authors and editors.
◼ Another important point is to make use of tools
such as PerfectIt, which will help editors identify
mechanical inconsistencies, such as different
heading styles, inconsistent spellings, and
undefined abbreviations.
Minutes by Lavanya C.V.
15
iEdit Issue 1, July 2019
Mumbai, 28 April 2019
Here are the minutes of the meeting held on 28 April
2019. We had 11 attendees and 2 speakers. Of the
attendees, 8 were attending their first meeting.
Townhall with Editors: Q&A with Nilima Vyas
This moved quickly from a pure Q&A session to a
discussion with questions, answers, thoughts, and
experiences being shared by all. Here is a list of the
topics discussed:
◼ Demand for editors: There is a demand for
editors, but the supply of editors of quality is
limited. The demand for freelance editors may
not always be cyclic or seasonal. Some companies
need freelance resources all the year round, but
the quality of freelance editors is not up to the
standards required for the work they are being
hired to do.
◼ Training and career paths for beginners:
There are hardly any institutes in India that have
courses in editing (there were some comments
that there are no institutes). Besides the initial
training, a new editor must be mentored and
supervised. It is only with training and mentoring
over 2 to 3 years that you get an editor of quality.
◼ While in-house editors receive training in core
skills and soft skills as well as regular updates and
training related to technology, freelance editors
lose out. Training with international institutes is
expensive for a freelancer to undertake.
◼ Some freelance editors are caught in a cycle of
being paid so inadequately that they are unable to
finance their training. At the same time, without
the training, they cannot improve to meet the
industry standards of quality.
◼ Lack of awareness of editing as a career: Some
of us at the meeting lamented that it was difficult
for us to explain what editors do, even to family
and friends! There is very little general awareness
of editing as a career option though college
campus visits are being undertaken. However, the
slow growth path does not help to attract
students.
◼ English language basics in schools: Although
English language skills play a large part in every
profession, the attention given to it in schools is
cursory. Essay writing is minimal, and reading is
not encouraged or nurtured.
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM

◼ Some solutions mentioned to the issues
mentioned above were a co-branded workshop
and regular online interventions through trainings
and presentations.
Building Your Brand: A Presentation by
Michelle Pereira
This session focused on how understanding and
developing your personal brand could add value to your
work. It began with a discussion on the five factors that
go into creating a personal brand. It then progressed to
how you could apply those five factors to yourself and
come up with your own vision for your personal brand.
Finally, it covered the steps to be taken to build your
brand over time with a practical to-do list.
We were meeting after a fair bit of time (almost 2 years),
and I was apprehensive about the number of people
who will turn up. I was late (as I was stuck in a traffic
jam in Haridwar) by 15 minutes, but the main speaker
(Yateendra Joshi) was delayed by around 45 minutes as
he too got caught up in traffic at two places along the
way from Roorkee.
When I entered the hall, I was happy to see a full hall
(16 editors). They were all (except a couple) in-house
editors from Aptara, MPS, and Sage. There were a fair
bit of females too this time. One had in fact even
brought her young daughter who had passed out from
school a few months back.
I told them about ICF as most of them were in fact not
ICF members. We discussed a lot of other things, and
then we had the workshop “Common Errors in
English” by Yateendra Joshi. A lot of questions were
asked during and after the workshop. After everyone
had tea and snacks, we again sat down to have an
informal discussion in which Yateendra Joshi

Avoiding Common Errors in Written English :

A Workshop by Yateendra Joshi
This workshop took us through various categories of
errors made when writing. We were shown a lot of real-
life examples. The workshop recommended a list of
books to help us improve and ended with a discussion
on common errors that we, the participants, usually
struggle with.
Lucky Draw
The winner of the Lucky Draw was Bijal Barot Mehta
who won the book A Sense of Style by Steven Pinker. To
quote Yateendra Joshi, “Steven Pinker is a cognitive
psychologist who has specialized in the study of
language. He is the author of a number of books
including The Language Instinct, Words and Rules, and The
Stuff of Thought. Being a published writer and a cognitive
scientist, his book on writing and style carries extra
credibility.”
mentioned how they can use CE-L, Chicago Manual of
Style Q&A, audio books, and fiction books to enhance
their knowledge. He also mentioned the IELTS exams
as an option to test one’s knowledge of English. He
also said that freelancers can explore the authors’
market. He also shared how an Indian editor who had
a BELS certification managed to bag an international
contract and how Indian freelancers can use the time
zone difference to their advantage.
The participants expressed their happiness and said
that it was the first time that such a session had been
organized in Dehra Dun and that they would like to
attend more such sessions. We told them that they need
to provide us more inputs on what they want to learn.
This certainly was a meeting with a difference.

Minutes by Michelle Pereira.

Dehra Dun, 1 June 2019

June has started on a promising note, with two events
(one offline [in Dehra Dun] and one online [for
freelancers]) being held on successive days.
The ICF meeting-cum-workshop held in Dehra Dun
on 1 June was different in many ways from the previous
two meetings held in 2017 (both of which were
attended by 5-6 male editors and a lone female editor
[who attended only the first meeting]). The last meeting
was held on 17 September 2017.

16
 iEdit Issue 1, July 2019

The online event held the next day by
theartofcopyediting.com was attended by younger
members. The session was facilitated by Venkataraman
Anantharaman (Dr. Venkat). This was held in response
to a post by Dr. Venkat in which he had asked younger
members whether they would be interested in learning
academic editing. The online session was attended by
members from all over India, and we are sure that this
initiative will bring about a much-needed qualitative
change in how training is perceived by editors. This will
certainly make a big difference.
Minutes by Vivek Kumar. ◼

CALL FOR VENUE PARTNERS!

We have had some great venue partners for our ICF meetings.

❖ Bushra Rashid has been hosting ICF meetings in her husband’s

office in Noida.
❖ Manish Keswani has been offering his Paper True office for ICF
meetings in Pune.
❖ Abhishek Goel has offered to host ICF meetings at the Cactus office
in Andheri East, and our 28 April meeting was held there.
o ICF Mumbai’s next meeting will also be held at Cactus’s office
on 31 August.

We are looking for more venue partners in other cities in general and
for Delhi NCR in particular. Please mail us at hivivek72@yahoo.co.in for
taking this forward.

17
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM
C ONFERENCE
25 February 2018, Chennai
ICF member Visalakshy Loganathan successfully
organized India’s first conference for editors at
Chennai on 25 February 2018. The following blog post
(originally posted by K. Venkatesh on his website and
reproduced here unedited) brings back nostalgic
memories, as it seems to have captured the spirit of the
2018 Editors’ Conclave at Chennai.
Editors’ Conclave in Chennai, India: Let’s
Have More of Them
I was one of the skeptics of the Indian Copyeditors
Forum (ICF) when it began on June 28, 2015. Vivek
Kumar, with whom I have had a brief conversation
eons ago and had conveniently forgotten all about it,
had conceived an idea of bringing together Indian
copyeditors under a Facebook group to converse,
discuss, have debates, and
learn from peers.
Chitralekha Manohar, the
new-age copyeditor and
business owner now, fa-
cilitated the first-ever ICF
meeting in Chennai less
than 2 years ago on April
16, 2016. I had known
Chitra earlier and had met
her at the publishing con-
ference, PubNext, in Goa.
Her mentor, Vinutha
Mallya, is my friend as
well. In a gathering of just
four or five editors that
lasted over a couple of
hours at a quiet corner in a Cafe Coffee Day outlet in
Chennai, I discovered and learned new stuff—tools for
editing. Ashwin Krishnan became a friend from there.
We, the editors from Chennai and Pondy, met a couple
of times again, but the networking was unmatched to
my earlier experiences and I made new friends.
Murugaraj and Arun are the two who still continue to
be friends from the meet at Pondicherry. A vibrant
community has formed thanks to that one step that
Vivek has taken. Thank you, Vivek, for infusing life
into my editing career as a freelancer. I think many
editors would share the same sentiment about ICF.
Visalakshy Loganathan, whom we call Visa for short,
had ventured into copyediting on her own a few years
back. One of my dear colleagues at work, Namami
Ghosh, had once asked me to help Visa out. I had gone
to her office and had met her briefly at Pondicherry.
She was warm, nice, and very pleasant. She gave me a
nice artificial bouquet as a gift. I think it was a very
fancy bouquet made of some wooden stuff or
18
something that always made me remember that only
Pondicherry is known for that craft and somehow, I
connected it to Auroville and the exotic Pondicherry. It
was so nice. It stayed on top of the refrigerator in my
home for long. But when I again met her in Pondy
perhaps a couple of years ago in the ICF meet, she had
forgotten all about it. In fact, I had referred her to a
customer with whom she had struck a great
relationship. I am really happy about it.
Visa spoke passionately about everything concerned
with copyediting—training editors, bringing them
together, seeking new opportunities, challenges in
scaling the business. I used to be amazed at her
business skills and thinking of copyediting as a
business. For me, copyediting is a passion and
humanities books are enough for a lifetime. Now I
want to go into unexplored territories thanks to the
Editors’ Conclave.
Visa had called me to discuss the idea of a conference
somewhere in November or December 2017 and
started to make plans for it. She told me that Apex
Covantage, in which I have good friends like Siva,
Ezhil, and Sathya Dalton, is willing to financially back
it. We discussed the format and there was silence
afterward. I was thinking she would have postponed it
and may announce it sooner or later. Perhaps a month
ago, the frenzy began and she asked me for some leads
and ideas. And then nothing. Maybe a week ago, she
was raring to go. She had completed the work quietly
behind, having enlisted speakers and finalizing the
venue. She had stuck to her guns and kept her promise
of holding it in February much against Vivek’s advice,
who wanted it to be held in June when editor mothers
will be free from exam hassles of their children and
more wannabe editors will join the conference. I have
always found her to be very good at executing and at
thinking big.
Visit http://editorsconclave.com/index.html to know
more about the conference. I am hoping it will be
updated with pictures and videos soon.

When I stepped into the conference on Sunday
morning, I was really awestruck. Visa has gone a step
further than Vivek. She had physically brought editors
from all over the country together under one roof in a
charged atmosphere. She always reminds me of the
cricket umpire Steve Bucknor. He was called the silent
killer. Stephen Brenkley wrote on Bucknor:
To be given out by Steve Bucknor is death by torture.
First the appeal, loud, prolonged, imploring. And then
nothing. Only a tense stillness. Time is suspended.
Packed stadiums freeze. The bowler grimaces in hope,
the batsman tries not to look.
Bucknor’s brain computes. Where did the ball pitch,
how much did it move? Or could it have taken the edge?
Was there a noise? Or a deviation? You can hear the cogs
turn. He betrays no emotion. And then the slow nod.
Usually, it is just one movement. Slowly comes the final
blow, the raising, almost reluctantly, of the index finger
as if to say: “This is hurting me far more than it’s hurting
you. But sadly I have no choice.”
If you have ever seen Visa, she is quiet, talks almost in
whispers, and gives the impression of easily getting
scared. But she is a storm if you would have known her
a bit more. She silently accomplishes and executes. She
is not the silent killer variety, but a methodical go-getter
and very decisive like Steve Bucknor.
Manish had already rolled out an infectiously
enthusiastic video preconference. The cofounder of
PaperTrue revealed in his keynote how he accidentally
stumbled upon a business opportunity in editing and
proofreading. His keynote pushed editors to aim for
the sky. He was funny, encouraging, and very delightful
in conveying his message.
Then came Yateendra Joshi, whom I was seeing for the
first time. He reminded me of a headmaster about
whom I had read in a book. When that headmaster
wanted to retire, none of the students were willing to
let him go. A very methodical editor that Yateendra is,
it came through in his presentation. How should you
19
iEdit Issue 1, July 2019
go for certification was succinctly explained by him step
by step. It was one of the best presentations of the day.
I have only heard about Dr. Venkat. He gave an in-
depth presentation on how to sift a manuscript into
components to look for where the slip happens. He
gave an insight into the stages of an editor’s life. He
harbors ambitions of training an army of copyeditors
and wants to improve the copyediting quality of the
country as a whole. For that, he has started an elaborate
website (The Art of Copyediting), which has 22 courses
[now 25] offered online.
I was always looking forward to meeting Surit Das. If
someone really represented the Bengali intellect to me,
it is Surit. He was funny and held the audience in splits
when he showed a slide simply named “Pubic Woks
Deportment.” I am sure a Bengali wrote it. When he
got into copyediting, his first copy almost drove him
out of the profession. He explained how an editor’s life
goes, with a great sense of humor. There were many
useful tips. But Surit didn’t let out the secrets of saving
money. He went on saying how much investment was
needed.
Arpana Shandilya, after a lunch that is sure to drive us
to drowsiness, gave a presentation on social media for
copyeditors. I missed a part of it, but she gave some
useful information when I joined the talk a few minutes
later.
Then came Bushra Rashid, a very polished and hep
copyeditor. Bushra and I were colleagues in two
organizations. She is as nice and as warm as she has
always been. She gave a forceful presentation on why
you should become a member of various editor
associations [see “Editorial Freelancers Association
Membership Benefits” toward the end of the
newsletter] and the benefits you get out of it. It was the
most useful presentation of the day for me.
Nilima Vyas would have made a great teacher if she
took up that profession. In the Alt-Text presentation
she gave, I almost went back to
a classroom in my university.
She was clear and succinct, and
illustrated the concept very well.
I really enjoyed her presentation,
which was without a hiccup and
very free flowing. If you ever get
a chance, watch that video and
you’ll know what I am talking
about.
My colleague at a previous
organization, Selvin, came up to
give a keynote after Nilima. I
didn’t recognize him as he is
now sporting spectacles. Selvin’s
hair has grayed a bit, but his
manner has not dimmed in the
last nine years we haven’t met. I
didn’t know he knew so much
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM
philosophy. He gave a clarion call to all the editors to
unite against the practice of undercutting prices. Many
editors fondly remember his training at Integra where
he was the chief.
The sweet Chitralekha, whom I have always admired
for her approach to copyediting, told the stunned
audience how she gradually built a business out of
copyediting. Many were gaping at her presentation,
wondering how they missed doing what she was doing.
Many best wishes to her to go further. She was
perceptible enough not to fall into the trap of fast
editing and competitive pricing (competitive is a
euphemism here). She went for niche work and she is
now building her business gradually.
Then I, Eashwar, Ujwala, and Lakshmi had a panel
discussion on in-house and freelance copyeditors.
Eashwar and I had met almost a decade ago when I had
started out as a freelancer. He told the story of his
starting up, Ujwala was interested in knowing how the
freelancers “manage” their work, and Lakshmi gave an
overview of how she chooses freelance editors for
work. After Ujwala revealed how things go awry when
editors miss deadlines, I feel we have to turn a lot
professional in our ways. One common concern was
lack of talent although enough work is available. I think
that is another issue we need to address.
There are capable Indian copyeditors, but as Bushra
lamented, we are not visible outside. We need to get out
there and tell the world. I think after the publishing
markets in the West, we have made a beginning as a
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services market to come together and raise our stocks.
We need to continue this journey.
One final thought about a discussion that happened.
Will automation eliminate copyeditors, or will artificial
intelligence change the way we work? I think the future
is getting invented now. I learned on-screen
copyediting 20 years ago. And it has bettered editing in
many ways. I am sure artificial intelligence will disrupt
to the extent whatever is mechanical will go to the
machines. But till the Chinese and Japanese learn to
write good English and as long as the nonnative world
keeps writing more English, we are in demand. Let me
say more power to the East European authors as well.
This is not to demean them, but because they are not
native speakers lacking knowledge about the intricacies
and nuances of English, we are there to help them.
They will hopefully keep us in business.
My take is that the demographics are shifting. We are
likely to have more nonnative speakers writing
academic content. There will not be enough native
speakers to handle the volume of content, although
they are now preferred. We need to equip ourselves to
take this opportunity and make the most out of it. We
need to become better editors and better professionals.
We need to think global. And the demand for
copyediting will exist. The Western population is
getting older and our population is getting younger.
The demographics favor us as of now. As Nandan
Nilekani said, we need to tap into this advantage by
bringing more editors into the business. Those who
don’t read Chetan Bhagat. ◼
 iEdit Issue 1, July 2019

WORKSHOPS
Would you like to attend face-to-face workshops conducted by Yateendra Joshi on one or more of the
following topics? You can choose any four topics for a 1-day program. Send Vivek an e-mail at
hivivek72@yahoo.co.in and he will get back to you.
Choose from the following topics:
1. Searching the Internet More
Efficiently
The Internet has brought to our doorstep oceans of
information that only a decade ago was not available
even in well-stocked libraries. But, as consumers, we
need to know how to navigate these waters and tap the
treasures hidden in deeper recesses of the Internet.
The session on searching offers tips on getting the best
out of both the Internet and printed information
sources by answering these and similar questions.
◼ How do I make my Internet searches more
efficient?
◼ Is there life beyond Google?
◼ What should we look for in judging a website’s
authenticity?
◼ How long should I wait after submission to
enquire about the paper’s fate?
3. Reporting Numbers and
Quantities in Text
Counting and measuring set science apart from other
pursuits. Yet, techniques of communicating
quantitative information are often ignored in programs
on writing skills. Although 2017 marks 60 years of
metrication in India, the precise conventions of the SI
system (Système International d’Unités) are often
violated by writers of research papers.
The session on numbers offers answers to these and
similar questions.
◼ How should multidigit numbers be printed
(123,000 or 123 000 or 1,23,000)?
◼ Which is the recommended symbol for the liter,
L or l?
◼ When should data be rounded off drastically and
when not at all?

4. Organizing Quantitative Data

into Tables
Generating first-hand data from your own experiments
is the heart of research. These numbers, produced so
painstakingly, must be presented effectively so that
readers can understand the implications of those
numbers.
The session on numbers discusses the details of style
2. Publishing Research Papers in and format that govern numbers when they form part
of narrative text, whereas this session on tables answers
High-Impact-Factor Journals these and similar questions.
Research papers published in peer-reviewed journals
remain the single most often used criterion to evaluate ◼ How can I make tables more compact?
scientists. ◼ What is the correct alignment for numbers in a
column?
These days, this is often supplemented with citation ◼ How do I indicate missing data?
counts and impact factors. Publishing papers can be a
game of snakes and ladders, but a well-prepared
manuscript submitted to an appropriately chosen
journal will find more ladders and fewer snakes in its
path.
The session seeks to explain the detailed instructions
journals expect their authors to follow and shows how
to win the game by answering these and similar
questions.
◼ How do I select the right journal for my paper?
◼ What are the most common reasons for a paper
being rejected without a review?

21
INDIAN COPYEDITORS FORUM
5. Handling Illustrations
A botanist may count the number of petals in a flower
and measure their length, but such details are no match
for a good photograph of the flower in communicating
what it looks like. No directions based on words alone
will match a map as a way-finding tool. Then there are
charts and graphs, and they have a language of their
own.
The session on charts, graphs, and other illustrations
addresses these and similar questions.
◼ How do I choose an appropriate chart type (line,
bar, pie, etc.)?
◼ Why does a photo look fine on a web page but
blurry when printed?
◼ What patterns work best for charts to be printed
in black-and-white and photocopied?
6. Handling Citations and
References
Most researchers detest the chore of formatting
references: the task is tedious and seems such a waste
of a researcher’s time. Besides, many researchers see no
difference in their version and the model seen in a
recent issue of their target journal.
The session on citations and references will show you
how to manage this task more efficiently and answers
these and similar questions.
◼ When do I use et al. in citations?
◼ What is the difference between references and a
bibliography?
◼ How do I cite web pages and other electronic
documents?
7. Delivering Effective
Presentations
From defending a doctoral thesis to presenting a
project proposal, today’s research increasingly depends
on presentations at meetings and conferences as a
means of communication. The costs of travel,
accommodation and food, and venue make the
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presentations an expensive affair—and only effective
presentations can truly justify the costs.
The session on presentations offers proven techniques
to get technical information across to a live audience,
and answers these and similar questions.
◼ Is there a formula to calculate the right font size?
◼ How do I know whether I am speaking too fast
or too slowly?
◼ How long should I hold each slide of text for the
audience to read it?
8. Designing User-Friendly
Technical Documents
Although word-processing software and laser printers
offer ample opportunities to play with document
design, getting the design right calls for informed
choices. Well-designed documents get their readers to
start reading and keep reading: poorly designed ones
can deter potential readers from even attempting to
read. Effective design brings out the underlying
structure of a document, highlights the more important
parts, and helps readers to find information quickly.
The session on document design seeks to turn writers
into designers by addressing these and similar
questions.
◼ What info should headers and footers provide?
◼ What are the pros and cons of using italic and
bold fonts?
◼ Is there a limit to the levels in numbered headings
(1, 1.1, 1.1.1, and so on)?
9. Avoiding Common Errors in
Written English
Sloppy spelling, shaky grammar, and erratic
punctuation often make readers assume that your
research too is substandard—an assumption hard to
justify but equally hard to avoid.
The session on avoiding common errors tackles these
and similar questions.
◼ How to make spell-checkers work for you?
◼ What are the tell-tale marks of Indian English?
◼ Which are the most frequent errors in using the
comma?

10. Becoming a More
Competent Writer
Scientists are required to write not only research papers
but also project proposals and reports, and even articles
for magazines. Good writing is not merely error-free
writing but effective writing—writing that gets you the
results that you want. Yet, writing is not often taught as
a skill that can be acquired with practice.
The session presents a systematic approach to
becoming a more effective writer and answers these
and similar questions.
◼ What are the characteristics of effective prose?
◼ How long will it take me to be a better writer?
◼ What strategies do good writers use to explain
hard-to-follow concepts?
11. Writing Effective Emails, Fax
Messages, and Letters
Although researchers read and write papers, listen to
and deliver presentations, and visit laboratories and
field sites, these activities are facilitated through emails,
faxes, and letters.
In this session, you will find answers to these and
similar questions.
◼ How can I prevent junk characters from
appearing in my emails?
◼ Which font works best for faxes?
◼ Will “Dear Sir” do when I am not sure whether I
am writing to a man or a woman?
12. Using Microsoft Word More
Effectively
Microsoft Word continues to be the most commonly
used word-processing application.
23
iEdit Issue 1, July 2019
Over the years, many useful features have been added
to the package. Yet, most researchers are simply
unaware of those features that can save a great deal of
time and are easy to use.
The session answers these and similar questions.
◼ How can I quickly generate a list of all
abbreviations used in a document?
◼ How can I add some commonly used technical
words to the spell-checker?
◼ How do I change the default paper size to A4
from US Letter?
About the Trainer
Yateendra Joshi has been editing technical documents
for nearly 30 years, a career change he made after
working for a decade as a scientist with the Indian
Council of Agricultural Research (1978–1988).
He was with TERI (The Energy and Resources
Institute) in New Delhi for 15 years, moved to Pune to
work with WISE (World Institute of Sustainable
Energy) in 2005, and has been on his own since 2007,
dividing his time between freelance copyediting and
teaching.
He has copyedited more than 400 papers in the past
few years for an international agency.
He is an accredited editor with Diplomate status
certified by the Board of Editors in Life Sciences, USA.
Diplomate status is awarded only to those who
demonstrate exceptional editorial proficiency
(currently, only 30 editors worldwide have the
diplomate status, and Yateendra is the only one in
India). ◼
 VENKATARAMAN
ANANTHARAMAN’S THE ART OF
COPYEDITING COURSES
Imagine the following:
◼ Access to course videos for self-paced study from
the convenience of your homes;
◼ Replay videos any number of times;
◼ A facility to nevertheless interact with course
participants and the course instructor via course
comments on every course module;
◼ World-class training at affordable prices, which
can also be paid as part-payments (imagine a 27%
reduction from current pricing and also part-
payments for that reduced pricing);
◼ The courses can be taken up by anyone—
students, freelancers, and full-time employees.
Does it sound too good to be true?
I’m happy that God has helped me to serve you better
In January 2018 I founded The Art of Copyediting with by making this a reality! At the bottom of this piece is
the sole aim of providing editorial training for the a link that will give you all the details you may want and
publishing industry. The only things I knew well were also help you to choose your options for the first course
the subject itself and the art of teaching/training. that I’m offering in this format.
Being new to social media, I felt it might be safest to You guessed it right: I’m offering the most popular
start off with live webinars, as I simply had to use a course, Basic Course on Writing/Editing (rechristened
platform such as Zoom to see, connect, and talk with Essentials of Written English) as the first course in this
my audience. new format.
My interactions with people over the months gave me The second course is on Article Use in the English
indications of some clear patterns: language. And slowly, over months, all the 25 courses
offered by The Art of
◼ People want to grow in their careers and are
Copyediting will be put
willing to put in effort, but time is always an issue,
up one by one. Assessments,
more so because of the unpredictable demands of
modern life. Assessments, assign- assignments, and
◼ And when we have a webinar, the timing is fixed; ments, and certifica- certifications will all
what suits one doesn’t suit another; and even tions will all come in
when people opt in, some are not able to attend come in gradually,
gradually, over time.
on some days because of some urgency and want The simple truth is that over time. The
to know if they can access these sessions as a all these won’t mean simple truth is that
recording. anything if a person all these won’t
◼ And even if all these complexities are somehow has not had formal mean anything if a
factored in, a live webinar is still a pricey affair training and developed
because it implies the presence of the a certain skill set. I’ll
person has not had
instructor/expert all through the sessions. write more of this later. formal training and
◼ And the more detailed the training—I’m a firm developed a certain
believer of this—the longer the sessions, and the To sum up, all limiting
factors have been
skill set. I’ll write
costlier the course becomes for an average Indian
writer/editor. I’ve been thinking of all these removed, and every- more of this later.
repeatedly and have finally found a way to address one—students, free-
ALL your concerns—yes, I repeat: I have taken lancers, and full-time
an approach that will address ALL YOUR employees—can get
NEEDS. trained, perform well, and grow in their careers!

24
 iEdit Issue 1, July 2019

first step! Also, do share this post with every social

With all limitations removed, I expect most of you to
take this training and surge ahead to become specialists
in your own fields. Have a look at the link and take the
media group you are a member of so that this post
reaches every nook and corner of India.
Just remember that this is, as before, only for resident
Indians. So, share it only within Indian groups. There
is a possibility that we may have a dot-in website for
Indians alone and the current dot-com website will
serve the rest of the world.
The link for the course on writing/editing is here:
https://www.theartofcopyediting.com/lp-ri-courses-
available. ◼

CERTIFICATIONS
Online Zoom Session on Editing Certifications, Training, and Editing
Association Memberships

Here is the link for the recording of the online Zoom session on
editing certifications, training, and editing association memberships.
Listen to the views of Bushra Rashid, Yateendra Joshi, and
Venkataraman Anantharaman on these topics.

25
 EDITORIAL FREELANCERS
ASSOCIATION MEMBERSHIP
BENEFITS
I f you want to become a professional editor, then you
need to be serious about continuous professional
development and consider taking on the
membership of an editing association.
Whether you are just starting out, are coming back to
editing after a long break, or are transitioning from
another career, membership of an editing association
(the Editorial Freelancers Association [USA], the
Society for Editors and Proofreaders [UK], Editors
Canada [Canada], the Institute of Professional Editors
[Australia], the Council for Science Editors [USA], the
Board of Editors in Life Sciences [USA], the American
Copy Editors Society [ACES], etc.) will provide you all
the support and resources you need.
If five or more members from a particular city start a
chapter of an association, for example, Editorial Free-
lancers Association, then the
benefits multiply. India
(NCR Delhi) was the first
country to have a chapter of
Editorial Freelancers Asso-
ciation outside the United
States. Perhaps, it is time to
revive the chapter. Any tak-
ers considering all the bene-
fits listed below?
1. Job Board (clients’ requirements straight in your
inbox).
2. Members Directory (helps people from your area
contact you directly).
3. Newsletter (great articles): Guest members get
access to the newsletter.
4. Discounts on EFA courses.
5. Discounts on attending conferences of other
associations.
6. Opportunity to write articles for EFA newsletter
The Freelancer. You retain the copyright and can
print your article elsewhere also by providing a
credit line mentioning that the article was first
published in EFA newsletter.
7. Access to EFA newsletter archives.
8. Opportunity to volunteer for various tasks (you
can volunteer to bring out the newsletter, etc.).
9. EFA Email group (post your doubts, queries,
suggestions, and so on): You might even get a
client through the email list if an EFA member
decides to use another freelancer in case of more
work than he or she can handle or in case there is
a medical emergency.
26
10. EFA Logo: You can use it in your email signature
line.
11. EFA Facebook group: Join and get connected
with other EFA members.
12. EFA LinkedIn group: Join and find out who the
other EFA members are.
13. EFA Twitter chats: Another way to get advice.
14. EFA webinars: Still another way to learn.
15. EFA booths: Be a volunteer at EFA booths at
other associations’ conferences.
16. Group benefits: EFA offers group medical
insurance, car rental benefit, and so forth in the
United States to its members.
17. EFA publications: EFA brings out a lot of
informative booklets on issues of importance to a
freelancer. EFA members of a chapter get access
to these booklets.
18. Trainer for EFA courses: EFA is always looking
for good trainers for its
courses.
19. Networking hub:
Provides a great networking
community.
20. EFA booklets
writer: EFA offers you a
chance to write small
booklets on topics of interest to freelancers. You
are free to suggest a topic of your choice.
21. Annual conferences: EFA annual conferences are
a great way to mingle with like-minded folks and
get some hands-on practical training as well. The
third annual conference was held in 2016 in New
York.
22. EFA Website: The EFA website is a great
resource in itself.
23. Rates: You get information about rates from the
EFA website and from the rates mentioned by
clients on the EFA Job Board.
24. Skill sets: The EFA Job board provides an insight
into what skills are in demand in the market so
that you can upgrade your skill set.
25. Points when applying for SfEP membership: You
get points toward fulfilling SfEP membership
requirements if you are a member of an editing
association.
26. Possibilities of putting up the EFA booth at book
fairs, literature festivals, writers’ events, and
colleges/schools/universities to bring writers
(clients) and editors face to face. ◼
 iEDIT CROSSWORD #1
Geethanjali Tanikella

1 2 3 4

7 8 9

10

11

12 13

14

Down
1. Clipped from elsewhere, not part of running text, usually with a left indent
3. __-ed, is that from a newspaper?
4. Commonly found in Spanish or Portuguese, more or less
6. Simple declarative sentence with one verb
8. Is that the second footnote?
9. Make them lean
10. Position, w.r.t. margins
13 down, 14 across The stroke that separates the equals

Across
2. I missed the point above, in code
5. Points to part of the document
6. The boss ordered to remove it
7. The version boundary, colored
11. I slogged like a slave for the first proof
12. Killer comma debate

For solutions, please visit ICF website at https://indiancopyeditors.wixsite.com/copyeditor/newsletter.

Geethanjali Tanikella is the VP Corporate Communication at Mapmygenome, where her core domains of focus include
media relations, content development, and publishing. She has 15+ years of experience in various domains such as
STM publishing, journalism, technical communication, and corporate communication. She has worked as a technical
writer, content developer, and copyeditor. She has a master’s degree in Chemical Sciences from Pondicherry University,
Diploma in Web Content Development from ContentEd New Zealand, and Diploma in Media & Advertising
Management from WE School.

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