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.

The definition of a mentor as a “trusted counselor or guide” speaks to the core of what our editing community can offer. Since October 2021, I have been fortunate to mentor 10 editors through the Northwest Editors Guild’s Mentoring Program, and others outside of the Guild. Imagine the collective impact we could have on our community if more of us stepped into a mentoring role. We are supporting our peers by fostering growth while simultaneously strengthening our profession—and, perhaps surprisingly, gaining new perspectives ourselves as well. Curious about becoming a mentor? Let’s explore how you can offer invaluable guidance to your fellow editors.

Have you heard the big news? Jane Friedman will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Red Pencil conference on November 8th in Seattle and online! Save the date for a day of learning and fun.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the publishing landscape, editors face unprecedented questions about their role, their relationships with writers, and the future of literary creation itself. In this keynote address, publishing industry veteran Jane Friedman examines how AI is already transforming the editorial process—from manuscript evaluation to developmental guidance to line editing—while placing these changes within broader industry shifts.

Learn more on our Red Pencil 2025 page, and keep an eye out for registration opening this summer!