Settle in for some updates from October! I did two podcast interviews about copyediting for indie authors. They’re not published yet, but stay tuned. It might not seem like a big deal, but I can assure you that the “anticipatory anxiety” leading up to them was something to behold. Luckily, one of my superpowers is that nobody can tell when I’m nervous. 😛

​The first podcast appearance I ever did, back in March, I nearly turned down because it felt really vulnerable to be seen, especially because I was talking about how perfectionism has blocked my creativity. I pushed through to make it happen, and I pushed through again this month with these appearances… And you know what? It’s getting a bit easier every time.

I can’t wait to share the next two with you in the coming months.

Over at House of Zolo, we wrapped up our part of the VR Forward project, a collaboration with the BBMC, a transdisciplinary artists collective, that brought to life three of our published poems into virtual reality and Second Life. The poetry installations launched this week, alongside other fabulous digital art, in Second Life. Check out this blog post for more about the project and how to access all the VR Forward installations.

And we're working towards launching volume 4 (AI edition) of the HOZ Journal of Speculative Literature by early December.

On the Blog

How Copyediting Is More than Just Checking Spelling and Grammar​
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There’s a much wider scope to copyediting, and it serves a crucial role in the publishing process. Plus, most good editors are experienced enough to know when to apply the rules and when to let them go. That is, they’ve developed a flexible mindset that allows them to make sure the manuscript is up to professional standards while maintaining the author’s voice and vision. Yes, we follow the Chicago Manual of Style as fiction editors, but there are lots of times when the author’s preferences can and should take precedence, especially in SFF manuscripts with unique languages and word choices.

Resource Round-Up

Here are a few resources I found interesting this month:
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• ​Writing the Other: Great articles on how to write characters that are different from you sensitively and convincingly.
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• ​How to Sell Books Direct: The Kindlepreneur has a great article on how to approach this. I know a lot of indie authors and publishers are exploring these options.
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• ​AI for Authors: Practical and Ethical Guidelines: This Alliance of Independent Authors article from July has some good starting points for thinking about AI in the context of indie publishing.

What I'm Reading

Nearly done Bit Rot, an indie cyberpunk debut novel by a local author I met at the Waterloo Bookfest last month. It’s set a hundred years in the future, with a high-tech plot, illegal AI, and cool action scenes in virtual reality. Really enjoying this sci-fi thriller!

Art of the Month

I scanned more of my collages into another flipbook! If you've never tried collage, it's awesome. ​

That’s it for this month. Let me know what you’re working on and how your end of year is shaping up.

Erika
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P.S. I’m not taking on any more novel-length manuscripts in 2023, but if you have a short story or novella that needs editing, get in touch! If you write science fiction, horror, or other speculative subgenres and need a copyeditor, I’d love to be part of your publishing team.

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