Notes from the September 11, 2006, meeting

Kim Runciman: Copyeditor for Slate

Kim Runciman spoke to members attending the Seattle-area's Northwest Independent Editors Guild on September 11th. She presented a synopsis of her editing and copyediting for Slate, including many of the challenges that come with the territory. She also told about some of her earlier experiences, working for other companies. She is presently employed by Slate, with a background of editing, publication management, and writing for Microsoft (MS), Puget Sound Consumer Co-op (PCC), Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI), and other trade associations. She also teaches classes at the University of Washington and at Discover U. She works remotely for Slate, an online magazine whose offices are in Washington, D.C., and New York City.

When Kim began working for Slate on an extended contract as a copyeditor, Microsoft was the owner. When sold to The Washington Post, Slate lost much of the financial cushion it had with MS, and the demands of working for Slate changed significantly as a result of the new ownership. She said that working for Slate feels less laid back than it did when MS held the reins. This is because there is a much greater urgency to keep this online magazine financially afloat, which wasn't a concern prior to the change in ownership. Now copyeditors receive greater pressure to do their best work in spite of limited financial resources to help support the large quantity of work they edit. Kim described Slate as being an ad driven business because it is on the Web.

Many people working for Slate from the east coast, initially, had a hard time believing that Kim could work remotely and do all that her job requires. She has found this belief to be a major difference between west coast and east coast people.  She said those from the west coast tend to be more familiar with producing work online and don't feel that working with co-workers face-to-face is essential for an acceptable outcome. But over time and seeing what she continuously accomplishes for Slate, this way of doing her job has been accepted. She is still working online and hasn't been asked to relocate to Washington, D.C., or New York City and remains a staff member.

Editing articles is far more demanding, Kim said, than copyediting. This is due to the importance of facts being true as well as the context being acceptable to present. She always keeps track of the steps being taken in the preparation of an article because "it's a linear production."

Working remotely is demanding ­– Kim receives between 300 to 400 emails daily. She says her workday does not allow for a carefree style. No time for taking a leisurely walk with the dog before getting started. She stays engaged in her work practically from the time she wakes up until completing everything that must be sent out by late in the day.

Kim said there are readers who complain about Slate's editing when mistakes are found. This problem can be attributed to the time crunch, causing mistakes to be missed. She said that treating copyeditors respectfully is the key to receiving their concerted effort when editing a writer's work. Insensitivity to the copyeditors and all the demands that are placed on them is common and frustrating. That is why showing appreciation for their efforts can go a long way in receiving their best efforts.

Kim believes that the advantage of publications, such as the PCC newspaper, is that there are deadlines for work to be submitted. But when copyediting for Slate, with only five other copyeditors, she constantly faces meeting end-of-the-day deadlines for the big stories and often receives them at the last minute. The people on the other end have a hard time comprehending that copyediting takes time. They expect her turnaround time to be much shorter than it should be. But they still count on top-quality editing.

One of the advantages of working for Slate is being able to quietly go back and correct missed errors online. This is one of the nice assets when doing this kind of editing. If the writer finds a factual error, a correction will be placed at the bottom of the article with an asterisk.

When asked how many hours a week she works, Kim answered that she doesn't know precisely. Her hours depend upon whether or not it is a critical time, such as when Katrina hit or when Justice Sandra O'Connor resigned. During times such as these, she will work long hours and through entire weekends.

Kim said that editing for an online magazine is very different from the bulk of editing jobs, ones that do not require using web tools.  As an instructor for a University of Washington editing course, she found that many of her students were terrified of the Web. When asked what steps she recommends taking in preparation for Web editing, she offered these suggestions:

1. Read books about web editing.

2. Pester friends who know HTML.

3. Take courses at a community college.

4. UW Women's Center sometimes offers courses in this area.

Kim's arsenal of skills was largely self-taught. This was out of necessity. She spoke about the transition from pasting pages, which she did during the early years of her career, to the time when she began working on a computer at REI, having to figure everything out on her own. She was constantly backed into a corner and forced to learn new skills because of the demands her jobs would unexpectedly present. This learning process has helped Kim expand her areas of expertise as well as strengthen her ability to continue learning at a fast rate, a definite advantage to have in this high-tech age.

Note taker: Patti Bezzo