The Tech Editor Hub

Hey there editors, I have been working through updating my own personal editing checklist and was musing on how I got this list in the first place. Somewhat painfully, it was by missing something, and then adding that thing to the list so I wouldn't miss it again. Some of them kind of surprised me when they happened. There were definitely d'oh-face palm moments, but some others were sneaky. Here's 5 things I have checked in my work over the last year that continue to show up regularly in...

Did you know that there is one crucial component of your business as an editor that you must take care of and think about more than any other aspect? It's the most important thing you own. It's not: Tech editor certification, web urls, client lists, social media profiles, your course completions, your resume, your credentials. It's your reputation. Think about this for a minute. We work and move in a small industry. Word gets around. Designers speak to each other, pass names of tech editors,...

Time for another tech editor interview! Last week I interviewed Annie Lin of https://knitabl.com/. Annie provides grading, editing, schematics, and pattern support for knitwear designers. She actually enjoys working in spreadsheets and has personally made more than 50 sweaters! Click below to watch the interview on YouTube or scroll down to read an excerpt from the blog transcript. What made you decide to become a technical editor? When I was doing test knits, I was finding more than the...

I received a great question in my inbox that I wanted to answer here. Q: What's a positive way to go about a price increase -- announce privately to all existing clients and offer a month's notice so if they have anything they want under current pricing it's up to them to get it to me before then? A: First off, congratulations on increasing your rates. This is a much missed strategy for curating a sustainable business. We all have to respond regularly to two things in our business: The fact...

Hey there editors, Why are some people able to build successful tech editing businesses while others are stuck floundering with little client work, discouraged if they should even be a tech editor? Whenever I ask you all about what you struggle with, the top problem is marketing yourself, and many of you say it is maintaining a confident mindset while you do this high-pressure work. Not a small thing. When I first encountered this hurdle of Oh my god, now I have to find someone to give me a...

Starts soon! Wednesday, 8/26 at noon CT through Friday, 8/30FREE interactive workshop to help you assess exactly where your business is and is headed. ~ Know your numbers~ Pay yourself well~ Plan for the next season~ Connect with other editors And get a feel for what our Community is like! REGISTER HERE Time for another tech editor interview! This week I interviewed Whitney Steen of https://wlsmakesstuff.com/. Whitney is both a technical editor and an experienced graphic designer. We had a...

As part of our editing process, we must do a pass where we check the entire pattern for style. Style is the way a pattern is written--how every instruction is presented to the maker. It is how things are capitalized, punctuated, formatted, abbreviated, and worded. It’s all the things that are not specifically “technical” but absolutely influence how the instructions are read and understood. While stitch counts and pattern repeats and measurements and grammar can be right or wrong, style...