Freelancing to Freedom

I have accumulated a tremendous number of books throughout the years due to my four years as an English major, but, much to my dismay, my collection of editing reference books is still quite small. The few that I do have, however, have proved to be invaluable in these first few months I’ve spent as a freelancer. I highly recommend that every new freelancer buy the following books:

The Oxford Canadian Dictionary – Second Edition. I probably check this 20 times a day – absolutely necessary for editing Canadian material.

The Chicago Manual of Style – 15th Edition. The bible for editors!!!!

Editing Canadian English – 2nd Edition. Covers major categories such as punctuation, grammar, and spelling, as well as Canadianization, avoiding bias, and legal issues.

The Copyeditors Handbook. Although written by an American editor, Amy Einsohn, most of the information is pertinent for Canadian editors as well. Very easy to navigate, written in easy-to-understand language, and very useful!!

The Forest for the Trees. This book by seasoned editor Betsy Lerner is directed to writers but is very useful for editors who are wishing to build better relationships with their authors. For editors who have never been writers, it provides useful insights regarding the struggles authors face.

My So-Called Freelance Life. The book that got me started! See my post in the category “About Moi.”

Any recommendations?