Our latest blog post looks at the University of Chicago’s latest editing reference, Medical Editing: A Guide to Learning the Craft and Building Your Career, by award-winning editor Barbara Gastel.

On Saturday, November 8, over 300 editors gathered in Lynnwood and online for the Northwest Editors Guild’s 2025 Red Pencil Conference! This year’s hybrid event, Framing our Futures: Perspectives on a Changing Industry, drew 185 in-person attendees, 131 online attendees, and 24 panelists and speakers (11 of whom were Guild members). The program included 15 empowering sessions exploring everything from working with authors to AI to freelancing. “This conference was the boost I needed to re-energize and refocus,” wrote one happy attendee. “I have so many notes and ideas to think through. The professional development from this day is going to help me be a better editor.”

Read more about the conference highlights in our latest blog post!

Psst… the Red Pencil Conference is just three weeks away! Whether you’re joining us online or in person at the Lynnwood Event Center, we’ve got an exciting conference planned for you on Saturday, November 8!

No matter which type of ticket you choose, all of this year’s conference attendees get to start the day with an inspiring keynote by publishing expert Jane Friedman, who will discuss how AI is already transforming the editorial process and offer a clear-eyed assessment of both the opportunities and threats that AI presents to editors and writers alike. This thoughtful take by an industry veteran will begin at 9:30 a.m. PST at the Lynnwood Event Center, where it will also be livestreamed and recorded for virtual attendees.

Don’t miss out on Jane’s full keynote address at this year’s Red Pencil Conference on Saturday, November 8, 2025! You’ll also be able to buy a copy of her book, The Business of Being a Writer, at the Third Place Books table at the conference. Read more about it on our blog!

Want to wear your conference spirit on your sleeve? In addition to our StetPet and Guild logo gear, we’re now offering t-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, totes and more with the 2025 conference logo. Order soon to be sure that you’ll have your gear before November 8th!

Did you miss our September 22nd meeting, The Basics of Sensitivity Reading - Editor Edition, with Brittany Yost? Don’t worry: you can now watch the video on our website! It will be accessible to the public until November 24th, and then available only to Guild members.

Sensitivity reading is a service that’s evolved significantly over the past 5 years and is still growing. In this session, we’ll take a quick look at how the practice has developed, where it stands presently (including the effects of the ongoing pushback around DEI), and what best practices are coming to the forefront. Our presenter, Brittany Yost, will cover how to speak with authors about needing a sensitivity reader, how to approach a sensitivity reader, and what pitfalls to avoid through both the freelance and acquisition editor's perspective.

Have you signed up for the 2025 Red Pencil Conference? Early bird registration has been extended by one week. Save $40 by registering by September 22!

Red Pencil Conference 2025 | Framing Our Future: Perspectives on a Changing Industry
November 8, 2025
Lynnwood Event Center and online
Register now!

Join us for a full day of sessions exploring editing and publishing trends, finding clients, growing your editorial business, navigating the promise and peril of AI, and much more! Find out everything you can look forward to on our conference page.

Along with an action-packed lineup of breakout sessions led by experts in our field, the Guild’s signature event will include structured networking opportunities, lively panels, a buffet lunch, and an empowering keynote by publishing expert Jane Friedman. The full program can be found on our website.

Whether you’re brand-new to editing or have thirty years of experience, Red Pencil 2025 has been designed for all kinds of editors. This year’s conference—taking place on Saturday, November 8, at the Lynnwood Event Center and online—will offer inspired and empowering sessions for editors at every stage of their career. Check out our suggestions for five sessions that experienced editors won’t want to miss, and another five sessions that will give new editors a great grounding in the industry.

The Northwest Editors Guild blog team had the fabulous opportunity to chat recently with Aisha “Ash P” Panjwaneey, owner of Ash P Reads Editing Services. Aisha has two decades of experience in editing across diverse genres and online content. Known among peers as "the book surgeon," she specializes in safe-for-work nonfiction and fiction for all ages. We’re excited to share with you everything we learned from that discussion and her experiences.

Did you miss our July 14th meeting, Sharpen Your Editing Skills by Studying Fiction with Kristen Tate? Don’t worry: you can now watch the video and download the presentation slides on our website! It will be accessible to the public for one month starting from today, and then available only to Guild members.

Experienced fiction editor Kristen Tate will share the concepts and strategies she developed while writing her book Novel Study: Decoding the Secrets and Structures of Contemporary Fiction. At the story level, she’ll show how tools like intensity mapping and tracking story questions can help you diagnose plot problems and identify where a manuscript needs more juice.

Did you miss our June 16th meeting, The Editor’s Edge Marketing Marketing Workshop | Elevate Your Editing Biz with Rosilynn Yoon? Never fear, the video is now available! It will be accessible to the public for one month starting from today, and then available only to Guild members.

In this marketing workshop made for freelance editors, Rosilynn Yoon—a full-time digital marketing freelancer—will help you to stand out in a saturated market, how to go beyond your services, how to speak (and find) the right people, and how to amplify your work online and offline.