A Note from Julie, the Greenhouse Curator: |
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This week, I made a small shift with one of my plants. I rotated my Painted Lady philodendron 180 degrees. One side had been facing my office window, soaking up the light and growing happily. The other side, facing the room, was doing fine, but it wasn’t positioned to grow in the same way. When I turned the pot to face the opposite direction, I was surprised to see how healthy those big leaves, hidden behind my computer monitor, actually were. Leaves naturally lean toward what helps them grow, and without a little adjustment, growth can become uneven. |
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As a proofreader or editor, do you sometimes feel like that “unseen” side of the plant? It's likely not because you lack skill or effort. It may be that parts of your work just haven't been facing the light. Here are a few small “turns” you could try: - Turn one strength toward the light. Think of your proofreading or editing strengths. Maybe it’s spotting homonym errors, catching inconsistencies, or keeping style and formatting clean. If that strength usually stays private, turn it toward the light by adding it to one place where clients will actually see it: your website, a proposal, or how you describe your work to a client.
- Turn your smile file toward the light. Save testimonials, kind comments, or client emails that made you smile. When your work feels heavy or thankless, that file can remind you that your work is noticed and valued. If you’re new to the idea of a smile file, you can learn more here.
- Turn your reference habits toward the light. Think about the style guides, grammar books, or notes you leaned on during your training but don’t always pull out now. Try spending some time each week reviewing a rule or topic that slows you down. That refresher can make you feel more confident in your work.
As you reflect on 2025 and look forward to 2026, maybe you don’t need to add anything. You may just need to turn toward what hasn’t been facing the light yet. ☀️ |
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Favorite LinkedIn Posts This Week: |
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Here are three posts I enjoyed reading on LinkedIn recently. Click the links below to read them. |
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When I first spotted this error, I knew “pixelated” was the correct spelling, but I didn’t realize “pixilated” was an actual word until I looked it up. Pixelated: blocky or blurry from too few digital pixels
Pixilated: mildly eccentric; somewhat mentally unsound Catch of the Week screenshots come from my transcript proofreading. I can't change what a person said, but I can make sure words are spelled correctly and punctuation marks are in the right spots. If you're interested in learning more about transcript proofreading, I wrote an article about it here. |
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This Week's Featured Proofreader or Editor: |
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The Proofreader Greenhouse asked: - What type of content do you proofread or edit?
Trade fiction and nonfiction books for most of the major publishing houses in NYC.
- Did you complete training for proofreading or editing?
I majored in English in college. I've also taken the Copyediting and Fact-Checking course at NYU School of Professional Studies.
- What's your favorite thing about your proofreading or editing work?
I love my work! I have been freelancing for over twenty-five years. It enabled me to stay at home while I raised my daughter. I was also part of the inaugural Editorial Services team at HarperCollins, the first in-house team of proofreaders for the company. I worked there for eight years as the Senior Manager of the department. It was a wonderful experience.
I prefer freelancing because it offers me the opportunity to choose the books I want to work on and set my own schedule. I have developed many contacts and friends throughout my years of freelancing and working in-house at HarperCollins. The variety of books is amazing, opening my eyes to books that I would otherwise never have read.
- What's the most challenging part of your work?
The varying style guides and markup for each book and each production editor. It gets confusing sometimes!
- What tip(s) can you share with other proofreaders or editors?
Being organized is key. Time management too!
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I love having two types of philodendron (heartleaf and cream splash) growing together in the same pot. They have similar care needs but completely different looks.
This reminds me that even though readers of The Leaflet might do different types of work, we grow better when we’re rooted in the same community and supported along the way. 🪴 |
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Let's keep growing together! |
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