Michael Pershan is a high-school maths teacher and writer with an interest in pedagogy. In this post, he draws on academic research and his own experience to consider how writers, editors and publishers can create textbooks that students find easier to learn from. I recently opened the latest edition of a college-level meteorology textbook. Each [...] The post Creating textbooks that help students to learn appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

Rules are often made to be ‘flexible’, and one such case is agreeing subjects with verbs. In this interesting and informative post, Dan Beardshaw breaks it down. Subject–verb agreement involves matching the singular or plural form of a sentence’s subject (either a noun or a pronoun) with the form of the verb that follows it. [...] The post A finer point: Subject–verb agreement appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

In ‘Flying solo’ this time around, Sue Littleford sets out why we should always consider training and CPD a vital cog to keep the wheels of our business turning. Huh? A business asset? Training and continuing professional development? Well, yes, that’s exactly what it is. And as with the acquisition of any asset for your [...] The post Flying solo: Training and CPD as a business asset appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

Editor and project manager Derek Philip-Xu shares with us the ins and outs of his varied week in the world of English language teaching (ELT) editing, where he focuses on producing digital content for publishers. My route into publishing I’ve been involved in ELT and publishing for over 20 years now, but I initially started [...] The post A week in the life of an ELT editor and project manager appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

A key part of any training and CPD we undertake is taking notes that we can look back on for reference. But which is best: good old pen and paper, or modern apps? Andy Coulson contrasts and compares. I am an unashamed paper note-taker. There is something about using paper and a pen or pencil [...] The post Talking tech: Note-taking appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

We asked five editors to give us their views on how they think AI might affect their work in the future (while acknowledging that none of them owns a crystal ball). Here are their thoughts… Hazel Bird Back in January, I wrote on The Wordstitch Blog that I don’t believe AI will ever replace human [...] The post What might the future of AI mean for editors and proofreaders? appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

In many ways, proofreading books for children isn’t that different from proofreading any other material … but there are a few extra things to look out for, especially in highly illustrated titles. In this refreshed post, originally from 2016, Liz Dalby provides some pointers. Mind the flaps! Many children’s books, especially non-fiction titles, feature interactive [...] The post Tips for proofreading children’s books appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

Welcome to another round-up of resources compiled by the CIEP. This time, we look at children’s books. It focuses on fiction but some of the links are also relevant to non-fiction for young readers. We have divided our picks into: CIEP guides and resources Getting to know the market Support for writers, editors and publishers [...] The post Resources round-up: Children’s books appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

Picture books may have some of the shortest word counts of any books, but that doesn’t make editing them straightforward. Lisa Davis explains what editors and authors need to consider when using the format of the book itself to build the story. When initially editing a manuscript without illustrations, it’s important to consider what the [...] The post The importance of page turns in picture books appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more

It’s easier than ever for first-time authors to self-publish children’s books but the process can still be confusing. Annie Deakins demystifies her role as an editor, explains how she can support authors in other ways and offers some tips to both prospective writers and editors. The email begins, ‘Hello, I found your website and see [...] The post How editors can help self-publishing children’s book authors appeared first on CIEP blog ..read more