The IPEd Council extends best wishes for 2011 to all members of state and territory societies of editors. As you will see from the activities mentioned below, it will be a busy one for our profession, building on the progress made during 2010 in promoting and raising the profile of our profession at the national level. Highlights of the year included:

• development and launch of a new, attractive, fully functional website
• production of a promotional flyer freely available to all members
• publication of the annual report and distribution of a printed version to key players in the publishing world
• revision of the guidelines for professional editing of research theses and their acceptance by the relevant academic authority
• launch of an IPEd Occasional Papers series to encourage research on topics of contemporary interest to editors.    

A disappointment was that a submission by an IPEd-organised team to work towards development of a new edition of the Australian Government’s Style Manual went no further than the expression-of-interest stage, the project now being in limbo. We can, nevertheless, take some pride in the high calibre of our submission.

Barbara Ramsden Award

IPEd’s 2011 activities are already proceeding with the judging of the 2010 entries submitted by publishers for the Barbara Ramsden Award for excellence in editing, sponsored by IPEd and the Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW). The award, which is one of the National Literary Awards managed by FAW, recognises the author–editor partnership in the creation of a high-quality publication.

The IPEd-appointed judges for the 2010 award are Pamela Hewitt AE, a member of the Canberra Society of Editors and the Society of Editors (NSW) and Craig Munro, author, former publishing manager at the University of Queensland Press, and winner of the Barbara Ramsden Award in 1985. They judged the following three fiction and four non-fiction works:

Night street, by Kristel Thornell, publisher Allen & Unwin, editor Clara Finlay

The old school, by P.M. Newton, publisher Penguin Viking, editor Jo Rosenberg

Utopian man, by Lisa Lang, publisher Allen & Unwin, editor Ali Lavau

Singing saltwater country, by John Bradley with Yanyuwa families, publisher Allen & Unwin, editor Jackie Yowell

One: living as one and loving it, by Victoria Alexander, publisher Murdoch Books, editor Katrina O’Brien

Shoes for the Moscow Circus: scenes from a hidden world. From foundries and flagmakers to stonemasons and taxidermists, by Leta Keens, publisher Pier 9 (Murdoch Books), editor Katrina O’Brien

Still life: inside the Antarctic huts of Scott and Shackleton, by Jane Ussher (photography), Nigel Watson (essays), publisher Murdoch Books, editor Katrina O’Brien.

The judges must report to FAW by the end of January, but the winner of the award will not be announced until the National Literary Awards ceremony later in the year. 

Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellowship

IPEd is now also a sponsor, with the Australian Publishers Association (APA) and Australian publishers, of the Beatrice Davis Editorial Fellowship, which is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council (Literature Board). 

The 12-week fellowship, awarded biennially, allows the successful candidate to undertake a research project attached to the editorial department of one or more US publishing houses or literary agencies for up to 10 weeks. The fellow can thus garner knowledge and expertise in the largest book-publishing market in the English-speaking world. A further two weeks is allocated for professional development events and information sharing opportunities on the fellow’s return.

A call for applications for the 12th fellowship was made on 13 December 2010, with a closing date of Friday 25 March 2011. Interested editors should contact Dee Read, APA Industry Professional Development and Training Manager: phone 02 9281 9788, 0424 603 251; email dee.read@publishers.asn.au. 

An exam year

IPEd will hold its third accreditation exam this year, on Saturday 21 May. Registrations will open in early February. Interested candidates can find information about the exam on the IPEd website, including a sample exam and marking guide. The information on the website will be updated as the IPEd Accreditation Board (AB) finalises specific details of the 2011 exam, so candidates should revisit it regularly.

As were the exams in 2008 and 2009, the 2011 test will be paper and pen. The AB is continuing its research to develop an onscreen version of the exam, but logistical and cost obstacles to achieving this have yet to be overcome.    

A national conference year

All editors are invited to Sydney this year to participate in the fifth IPEd National Conference for Editors, organised on behalf of the national body by the Society of Editors (NSW). The conference will run from Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 September, with the first program item on Wednesday evening. Earlier on Wednesday, a program of pre-conference, professional workshops will be offered. A Style Council meeting will be held on Saturday 10 September.

A call for papers will be made shortly and registrations will open not long thereafter. Keep an eye on the IPEd website for details.

Making training transportable

The IPEd Council, in association with the member societies, will be making a major effort this year to develop and implement a program whereby successful professional development events can be moved between venues on demand. The council has already catalogued the courses and workshops run by the societies over the past 2–3 years, revealing rich resources that could, and should, be shared with editors across the country.

The IPEd councillors, in conjunction with the state society committees, are currently seeking to identify the training topic or topics most in demand by their members. If, for example, members of the Tasmanian society were most interested in training in ‘proofing’ PDF files and the best training in such had been offered in Queensland, IPEd would seek to facilitate the transport of that training between the states. So, if you have a need for training in a particular area, or indeed in several areas, let your committee or councillor know. Just so you know who is your society’s IPEd Councillor, they are: Ted Briggs (Canberra), Pam Peters (NSW), Robin Bennett (Qld), Rosemary Luke (SA), Elizabeth Spiegel (Tas.), Rosemary Noble (Vic.), Anne Surma (WA).

Ed Highley

Secretary