Laughing Gaffs

Read the following aloud: We will asses the situation.
If you auto-corrected, read again.
Through all the focus on nuances of punctuation, all the griping about rates, this proofreader aims to stop words such as public, assess, or annal print misspelled.
Thanks to my PM for the extra set of eyes during bluelines.

Latent Print Learns HTML

In this previous post, a couple of links open two pages simultaneously. To do this, I use an onclick code: [open angle bracket]a href="URL" target="_blank" onclick="window.open('URL', 'newwin')">anchor[open angle bracket]/a[close angle bracket].
What do you think, blogosphere? Also, any advice on writing code as an example and not having blogger pick it up?

Let's Everyday, Yes

Today, as a century ago, the Berkshires provide retreat for artists and city slickers. On the recent holiday, I joined extended family in that setting thanks to host sisters DePorte.
At a point the old farmhouse includes a range of publishing types—two newsroom retirees; a book author formerly with the Department of State; a craftsman of bronze municipal signs; a pair of travel editors; a freelance startup, me; and a recent multimedia journalism Emerson grad. Besides being excellent Parker Brothers Balderdash competitors, members of the crew provide an inspirational nudge.
From the company of extended family, as from area landscapes and history, my holiday weekend in the Berkshires educes verve. The emotion that gushes from within after time in a place with mountains, hills, forests, farms, family is astounding. I've yet to recover.

En Dash Compounds

Latent Print presents Styleguide Wednesday, a post each Wednesday featuring an editorial convention from the world of styleguides. View previous Latent Print moments of stylebook study and reflection here. This week features en dash punctuation of compound modifiers.

Styleguide Wednesday is as much for readers as it is for copyeditors, proofreaders, designers, and publishers. Each party benefits from an illustration of the conventions of print.
The en dash, in the following examples, joins open compounds to form the single-thought modifier: the Tony Award–winning director or grandmother's post–World War II stories. From the examples we see that a hyphen would be insufficient.
Readers should know not to be puzzled when the en dash appears to function as a hyphen. Editors should know when to use it and when not to trouble their designers; designers and publishers should engage when editors insist there's a difference between a hyphen and an en dash besides length.
For more on the en dash as hyphen check out Amy Einsohn's The Copyeditor's Handbook, p. 108; Chicago 6.85; or The Gregg Reference Manual 424 and 819.

Conventional, Reckless

Since this Monday post, I've wanted to emphasize for readers that the post is about learning fitness. Efficient use of our busy designers' time is paramount. It's unfair to our project manager to be critical of procedure. The caryatid-like figure props this place up for the thousands, who likely toss our product in the trash, er, recycling.
The lesson reminds me of a recent freelance proofreading assignment here. Deadline approaches, budgets are waning, and designers are running out of coffee—patience—the PM drops the latest route on my desk. Go easy on us, she says. No production team can succeed for long with a recklessly conventional proofreader. The mark is to save us all from inefficiency and embarrassment and to get us to print.
One of the fun things about editing in publishing is its resemblance to my interpretation of evolution. The production team aims not for a superlative document through small, formal mutations; rather, the team produces a fit document by shifting efficiencies. Besides, we don't want a perfect product. That leaves little room for the appearance of improvement next season.

Billable Hours

As the season here winds to a close, the production manager sees I need more to do. She invites me to work on other freelance projects while on the clock.
While on-site, I bill hours to the client. What to do, if I'm expected to stick around but have no work to do?
This has happened before. While freelance proofreading here for a week, I filled down time by reading this book.
Corporate proofreading gigs can't be all the same. My first freelance proofreading gig here allowed little downtime. I guess retail has stricter production schedules.
Anyway, I'll focus when the job hits the desk. Let me say it takes effort to combat the billing-and-hours-equity paranoia, but on-site, I bill. Clients, the flat rate, it's an advantage.
As always, Latent Print welcomes your comments.

Breaking Email, URL

Latent Print presents Styleguide Wednesday, a post each Wednesday featuring an editorial convention from the world of styleguides. View previous Latent Print moments of stylebook study and reflection here. This week features how to break a URL or email address.

The AP offers simple guidance on the issue: When it doesn't fit, break it. Add no new elements.
Chicago goes a step further to rescue readers from possible ambiguities arising at the break. Verse 6.17 asks us to break URLs before periods. Verse 7.44 instructs likewise for URLs and email addresses and advises, as does AP, not to hyphenate the break and to not break at a hyphen.
The first edition of Wired Style explains hyphen-aided breaks in email addresses: "This makes it unclear whether the hyphen is part of the address." On the email @, Chicago and Wired disagree. Chicago above, Wired below.
To facilitate the clean break, we're to look between elements of the URL or email address but can break syllables with a soft return if necessary. For Chicago's summary of the convention turn to verse 17.11.
The logic aims to not invite confusion at the line break. These are conventions, break as you please. Any clever line breakers out there want to comment?

Consistency, Call It

I'm walkin a tightrope. If I mark up, I hold up production; if I don't mark up, I allow errors to print. I anticipate the attentive client's needs in the name of consistency.
I concede that I've introduced liberal changes too late in production. I also admit that my work is not error free. (I'm to let client introduced errors stand?) But when we ignore markup, make no record of it, and throw away the backups, the errors are procedural, not individual. If we do the minimum now, we risk losing the client in the future.
I want good teamwork, and it's difficult to keep emotion out of the work—they've got a great product. Here's an example from last year.

Cyber-Schraepfer Expansions

News of online freelance marketplaces Guru and Elance comes to Latent Print today. Thanks to office colleague, designer George Hagler, for the tip.
After I enroll, the two sites will allow me to bid on jobs. I'm glad to have additional presence online. Maybe finding work with these sites will prove more effective than the community bulletin board method here and the who-d'ya-know driven connections here.
Oh, yeah, remind me to get my website up to the plate.

Styleguide Wednesday

Latent Print presents Styleguide Wednesday, a post each Wednesday featuring an editorial convention from the world of styleguides. Whether a book, a spiral-bound manual, a stack of stapled 8½ x 11s, or a work-in-progress project stylesheet, these guides are the conversation on which the work of editors and other publishing professionals is based. View previous Latent Print moments of stylebook study and reflection here. This week features capitalization of generic nouns in plural uses.

Chicago 8.57 inspires the following example: Bays Chesapeake and Delaware but the Chesapeake and Delaware bays. The entry tells us, “When the generic term comes second and applies to two or more names, it is usually lowercased.”
But, in the AP Stylebook, “Lowercase the common noun elements of names in all plural uses.”
Why the distinction? As always, Latent Print is open for your comments.

Editor Itself

I've been working here long enough to see some of my mistakes route back to me. Today, two appeared on one document.
Though I wasn't guilty of Amy Einsohn's second commandment of copyediting, I had allowed two errors to pass to penultimate stages. I'm thankful for other's eyes.

Amy's four commandments are listed at the bottom of this page from her A Copyeditor's Handbook. Happy browsing, but don't forget to buy this excellent resource.
More on the origins of the first edition, and the editorial model I aspire to, here.

Hold the Page

Two email communications reach Latent Print today. One, from the address of this equity and venture capital firm's Chief Marketing Officer, invites me to introduce my proofreading services. Delighted to.
Two, from this creative and marketing placement agency's Senior Career Advocate in Boston, likes my online portfolio and wants to connect.
I'm eager to follow up. Email one makes a generic salutation (maybe because I have two last names?), yet reports that the contact comes via referral. I aim to find out how the referrer heard of me. I'll call here tomorrow morning to find out which of my marketing efforts gathers the unsolicited attention.
The agency staffer in email two announces that he found me here.
I've been contacted through that online portfolio before. Cindy Elmore, Ph.D., at this North Carolina university's School of Communications, had a grad student crawl this site for email addresses. She sent to mine a request for "consent to participate in a study that focuses on the work, perceptions, and characteristics of freelance journalists," the original email begins.
I'm glad to be found this way, because I subscribe monthly to hold the page.

Talent Commodity

Agency posts abound on Latent Print. If you've just tuned in, catch up to speed here.
Regular LP readers also read by now—I hope—blog The Urban Muse, who asks LP by email about creative firms in Boston. I respond that agencies sell talent at a steep markup. "The sense that they are making money off of me is tangible," I say. Yet, I benefit, I work, because the agency markets and networks for me. And, we hope, their motives don't trump the placement of good talent.
In the email I share the following anecdote: "I interviewed for a post, with good review, but didn't get the assignment. Two months goes by. [Agency] calls me because their posted talent turned out to be a dud. My temp-boss now tells me that he only went with the dud on agency recommendations. Translation: [Agency] could make larger margins on the dud, so they placed the dud. Parable: Don't lower rates just for the job."
So, I'm on an agency assignment here until June. The twin proprietors are happy to have me. When they shop for talent, they want a great product. I provide a positive attitude and the ability to get quickly up to speed on assignment.
My experience with creative firms shows me the worth of my talent. Heck, I'm great for their brand. Now, if I could just get a few gigs on my own.

Chicago 6.50

Thinking to name a business? Do us Chicago proofeaders a favor; exclude the comma from your company name. Can someone inform Latent Print where the , Inc. trend got a foothold?
Forego Inc with the extra character, I think not. Yet, Chicago instructs, if the comma must appear, place the mark fore and aft.
To make a thorough job of it, better get on the phone with the business's press agent for official guidance. One can't Chicago the whole world.

Here's a blog about erroneous business signage.
And here's Lynne Truss's best-selling book supporting proper punctuation as a cause. (Worth trumping deadline, really?) My aunt (quoted here), a British Literature specialist and English teacher at this Delaware high school, recommends the book, another for my library queue.

Agency Talent, Sometimes

Since I arrived in Boston, this agency has provided the majority of my freelance assignments. Though they've helped me, a transplanted freelancer, make new business contacts and stay fresh in the field, agency work can be only part of the pie.
More about being an agency talent comes to Latent Print through recent full-time freelancer and distant blogosphere colleague The Urban Muse. Her post here links to the post by freelancer Lori at blog Words on the Page.
Latent Print stresses one of Lori's points in the piece: "If you work your heart out for the temp agency and maintain a professional demeanor at their client's location, you'll not lack for work."
The notion sounds to Latent Print like an approach to all jobs, life in general, or a mashed up version of Lake Wobegon Lutheranism.

Latent Print in Earshot Jazz

For a gander at the latest magazine piece by Latent Print blogger Schraepfer, surf on over to the online version of this Seattle jazz publication. My profile of singer Kendra Shank begins on page 10.

Dumb or Smart Marks

Deadline pressures often demand the proofreader allow erroneous punctuation make it to print. Examples include a terminal colon on an incomplete sentence introducing a list and smart and dumb apostrophes, on adjacent lines no less.
For more on introducing a vertical list, open your Chicago Manual of Style to verse 6.127 or visit the manual's online Q+A on the subject. Or, a subscription would beat lugging the book about on-site. Anyone want to sponsor mine?
I think the curvy apostrophe and quote marks disappear somewhere in the trading of pdf files. It's probably the most frequent change I make in documents; though, on some projects getting to print takes precedence. Curving a bunch of straight marks makes me look cocky anyway. The docs can't all be perfect.

Comma Quiz

Multiple Choice Comma Placement Quiz

This is an interpretive quiz. Tell me how you notice the comma placement changing the meaning of the following sentences:

a) As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals, in some cases, radioactive material, and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

b) As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals, and, in some cases, radioactive material, and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

c) As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

d) As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material and substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity.

I'll post the sentence I chose for these annual water quality reports in comments.