Timewaster's Guide Archive
Departments => Books => Topic started by: stacer on August 21, 2004, 12:59:26 AM
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Just found this on copyeditor.com. I don't know much about manga, but this would be great for any of you who do who are looking for an editorial position. You have to have quite a bit of experience, though.
Title: Fantasy Fiction Copy Editor
Posted: 8/17/2004
Job Number: 1310
Description: Leading graphic novel (manga) publishing company seeks experience Copy Editor for new novels line. Especially interested in eagle-eye canidates with a serious flair for fiction and firm grasp on dialogue. Must be well-versed in Chicago Manual of Style, and a genius with tense, grammar, and punctuation. Knowledge of Japanese culture/anime/manga a definite plus.
Experience: Requirements:
1. Full-time freelance status
2. Ability to meet tight deadlines
3. Minimum of five years experience copyediting & editing fiction/novels with a listing of published titles.
4. Ability to use Microsoft Word tracking and comment features
5. Do not use the reply function on this Web site (send resume as Word doc or RTF attachment)
On-Site? No
Status: Freelance
Salary:
Contact: Nicole Monastirsky
Email: [email protected]
Phone: n/a
Fax: n/a
Company: Tokyopop
Address: 5900 Wilshire Blvd, St. 2000
City, State: Los Angeles, CA
ZipCode: 90036
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note: this isn't for manga but for the so-called "manga novels." Like Slayers, etc.
Nicole is definitely cool.
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Too bad that's not freelance translator. Oh well.
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Five years with published titles. That'll make it tough for anyone around here, I think.
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Yeah, I'd love the job, but don't think I can make it.
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Yeah, I noticed that. I didn't know if anyone had anything they could make a case for. Oh well.
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Well not all companies are strict on what they advertise in the way of experience. It depends on the company. If it were something I were interested in, I'd apply anyway, because the worst they can do is turn you do.
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I almost kinda sorta qualify--I do have four books that I've worked on that are published. Unfortunately, two are academic, one is religious nonfiction, and the other is poetry. The only fiction I've helped publish is contained in magazine format.
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no, they COULD come by your house and shoot you and your dog in the face.
They're unlikely to do so, but they COULD.
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Brenna, I think I'd apply anyway if I were you. I won't, because I don't have any fiction to speak of, unless you're talking TLE slush, and my books are all either electrical motors or textbooks, none of which I've been a key editor on. But you might be able to make a case for yourself.
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Heh. Peter's the only one with any edited published novels, and he already works for them!
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yeah Brenna I think you might apply anyway, since you've done TLE for so long. If it's something you'd be interested in. I doubt the pay will be very much at all though. Probably $14-15 an hour.
These novels are short. Each one probably has less text than an issue of TLE.
Spriggan: if you have translation stuff you can show as an example, you could still apply for translating even if they're not advertising. Not to Nicole though.
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I talked to Nicole tonight. People who are interested in various stuff should definitely apply. Not just copyeditors but translators and rewriters.
What's a rewriter? Basically someone who takes the literal translation and writes a version that makes a good read in English. I've read some of the raw translations, and though they're grammatical and very faithful to the original, they just are terrible stylistically. The rewriter only gets $2000 though, I believe, for what is basically writing a whole book, though the books are only around 40,000 words or so.
They might just need writers too. Well, TOKYOPOP is going to be doing original fiction. Things are kind of in the air at the moment, but stuff we publish will probably be fantasy. At least the original writers will get paid pretty standardly, though the advance is probably not that great.
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well, maybe I'll apply. I can write 50k original words in a month, I can certainly REwrite 40k in a few weeks as spare time work.
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I\What's a rewriter? Basically someone who takes the literal translation and writes a version that makes a good read in English. I've read some of the raw translations, and though they're grammatical and very faithful to the original, they just are terrible stylistically. The rewriter only gets $2000 though, I believe, for what is basically writing a whole book, though the books are only around 40,000 words or so.
Heck, I'd take $2000
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I wonder if they'd be interested in Blacker Darkness...
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actually...I sort of pitched Blacker Darkness to her. "I've got some friends who have written some books...one of them is like this..." Not very well. But I said it was funny, and she said that was a definite plus.
How many words long is Blacker Darkness? You might
About that $2000, I could be wrong...maybe it's the translator that gets $2000.
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I just did a line-edit for my own book, and it only took about a month (working every-day long hours.) You could probably finish a shorter book that wasn't your own in about the same time, I'd think. So, that makes the two grand not too bad a deal.
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It's about 65,000, give or take. There's nothing very manga-ish about it, in my mind, though it is funny and it does have vampires. I could send out a copy if she (or anyone else) is interested.
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Well, I'm thinking that the Victorian humor might not be targeted at the same audience, but I doubt it would hurt to try. I'd suggest dropping an email asking if she'd be interested in seeing a summary or a few chapters.
Things are really in the planning stages now. They're not really sure WHAT the original "manga novels" are going to involve. The ones they're licensing from Japan are just normal books that were eventually made into manga or anime.
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I read a really amazing story at TLE that would make a great comic or manga series. Should I tell the author that he should talk to Tokyopop?
(and I'm only partially kidding.)
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Thanks for your help, I will email her tomorrow.
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So Ookla what do they want as a tranlsation example? I'm guessing from what you said I have to find my own source.
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I really am not sure about the translation thing. I'll ask.
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thanks. I was thinking about it and was just going to do some newspaper article or something like that. Though I'd perfer to do something more along the lines of what TP does since, as you well know, newspaper artilces can sometimes be overly complicated.
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okay, I asked. Basically it's experience they look for. You don't have to supply any sample yourself, but they may give you a small test.
Just list the stuff you've done in the past (such as...I've translated three novels and ten manga volumes and 26 anime episodes for my own personal enjoyment). I'm sure saying you worked in Japan for two years would help as well.
If you're interested in manga stuff email Jill Freshney (the managing editor) [email protected]
Nicole's just in charge of the novels.
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umm....Well I haven't done anything besides the missionary gig.
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yeah, just knowing Japanese is a good first step, but it doesn't make you a good translator. Like with anything else, practice makes perfect.
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I sent Nicole an email asking if she wants a look at Blacker Darkness. Put in a good word for me.
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Inchoate.
That's a good word. Use that one.
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did you mention me?
Inchoate is indeed a good word.
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I also like specious as a word.
Spectrophotometer and tristimulus colorimeter are just a touch pompous though.
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I like pulchritude, but pulchritudinous is a bit much. I suppose it depends on the situation, though.
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I graded four proficiency tests from 4th graders that used the word pulchritudinous, this April. I can only conclude that they were all in the same class and had good memories. They all used it correctly, too. And most of them were close on spelling.
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see, pulchritudinous is one of those words that to me sounds like it has a meaning opposite of what it actually means. It's just too ugly a word to mean beautiful.
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so it's an ironic word.
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Peter, will Tokyopop have a booth this week?
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No. TOKYOPOP does lots of cons, but I doubt Worldcon is even on their radar.
If I'm still around in 2006 when it comes to Anaheim, I'll work on convincing them.
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2006? Cool, that's something to look forward to, assuming that we're still here then.
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2005: Scotland.
Start saving up.
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Boy do I wish.