Most writers and copy editors are best at certain types of text, such as children's books or biographies. Not everyone can work with a text that is highly specialized. Therefore, if you want to produce books about engineering, you need a team that includes an experienced engineering technical writer and editor.
Ideally you would like a person who has a background in engineering. However, not many engineers are great with words. If you can't find someone who can communicate the technical know-how efficiently, it's often better to look for someone with a background in writing and editing instead.
Your chosen author's main skill should be the ability to explain difficult concepts so that anyone could understand these. This is one of the reasons why actual engineers aren't always the best choice. They might rely on jargon and might assume that the reader knows what they're talking about. Someone whose specialty is words, however, will be able to place themselves in the shoes of the reader who knows nothing about the subject and will find the simplest ways to get the message across.
It's very important that the members of your team will know how to do research. Moreover, they should be prepared to do so and be willing to learn something new. They shouldn't just accept what one source says as fact but should cross-check different sources. If they can find ways to understand the different concepts, they'll be better able to explain these concepts in a way that will make it easier for their readers to grasp too.
Of course your team needs to have excellent language skills. While it's not essential for the author to have perfect spelling and grammar, it will certainly help. It will make the editor's job much easier, so that the project can be completed within a shorter time frame.
It's a good idea to include at least one subject specialist in your writing and editing team. This person's job won't be to check spelling, grammar and syntax but rather to double-check facts. For instance, they will check calculations and formulas for accuracy, since this could make the difference between a strong and safe construction and one that will collapse. Your best candidate for being the subject specialist would be an engineer.
There are different ways to find good writers and editors who might have the background needed for your project. These days, a popular method is to look on job sites for freelancers. However, you'll find many people applying for the job and not all of them will be qualified. Therefore, carefully go through their profiles to see what kind of professional experience they have. Ask for short samples of their previous work and check their references.
Finally, it helps to remember that, as with all things in life, you get what you pay for. If you're not offering market-related rates, the good writers and editors won't be interested in working for you. However, pay well and set realistic deadlines and you might have your pick of people who will be a real asset to your project.
Ideally you would like a person who has a background in engineering. However, not many engineers are great with words. If you can't find someone who can communicate the technical know-how efficiently, it's often better to look for someone with a background in writing and editing instead.
Your chosen author's main skill should be the ability to explain difficult concepts so that anyone could understand these. This is one of the reasons why actual engineers aren't always the best choice. They might rely on jargon and might assume that the reader knows what they're talking about. Someone whose specialty is words, however, will be able to place themselves in the shoes of the reader who knows nothing about the subject and will find the simplest ways to get the message across.
It's very important that the members of your team will know how to do research. Moreover, they should be prepared to do so and be willing to learn something new. They shouldn't just accept what one source says as fact but should cross-check different sources. If they can find ways to understand the different concepts, they'll be better able to explain these concepts in a way that will make it easier for their readers to grasp too.
Of course your team needs to have excellent language skills. While it's not essential for the author to have perfect spelling and grammar, it will certainly help. It will make the editor's job much easier, so that the project can be completed within a shorter time frame.
It's a good idea to include at least one subject specialist in your writing and editing team. This person's job won't be to check spelling, grammar and syntax but rather to double-check facts. For instance, they will check calculations and formulas for accuracy, since this could make the difference between a strong and safe construction and one that will collapse. Your best candidate for being the subject specialist would be an engineer.
There are different ways to find good writers and editors who might have the background needed for your project. These days, a popular method is to look on job sites for freelancers. However, you'll find many people applying for the job and not all of them will be qualified. Therefore, carefully go through their profiles to see what kind of professional experience they have. Ask for short samples of their previous work and check their references.
Finally, it helps to remember that, as with all things in life, you get what you pay for. If you're not offering market-related rates, the good writers and editors won't be interested in working for you. However, pay well and set realistic deadlines and you might have your pick of people who will be a real asset to your project.
About the Author:
You can visit www.makenomistake.co for more helpful information about The Characteristics Of A Good Engineering Technical Writer And Editor.
No comments:
Post a Comment