From Editors Victoria
On Sunday 8 September 2024, IPEd was at the Emerging Writers’ Festival, which ran from 5 to 15 September at the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne. Volunteers from Editors Victoria were on hand to promote IPEd and the important role editors play.
It was a great opportunity to introduce new and emerging writers to IPEd and the process of working with an editor. There were also several budding editors in attendance who were keen to learn about the benefits of an IPEd membership. We had natty bookmarks to give away; these had QR codes for useful links on the IPEd website, such as the Editors Directory. They proved very popular (as did the IPEd “Keep Calm and Call Your Editor” stickers). There was much interest in the Editors Directory and how it works.
We were lucky enough to watch and listen to the interesting and informative sessions running on the day. The topics included self-publishing and working with independent publishers, submitting work to literary prizes and journals, and – of particular interest to the Editors Victoria crew – the editor–writer relationship. In this last session, Dr Renée Otmar DE and Irma Gold (both editors and authors) spoke about the ethics of editing and forging a working relationship with an author. Renée emphasised the critical importance of preserving an author’s voice.
Overall, it was a fruitful day of meeting authors, students and other editors and talking about the role of IPEd and editors. We thank the team behind the Emerging Writers’ Festival and hope that IPEd and the festival can enjoy a mutually rewarding association in the future.
Above: Amanda, Sophia and Margaret at The Emerging Writers Festival. Image: Supplied.