From the vice-president
I hope you are keeping well and busy. It has been a relief to see the slight relaxation of the rules around socialising, with the hope of further changes soon. As many people have remarked, there have been some good outcomes from the changes forced by the COVID-19 public health measures. As we edge back towards more normal conditions, we plan to keep the beneficial aspects of how our operations have changed by maintaining a more active program of online activities.
Our Annual Branch Meeting is fast approaching: save the date of Thursday 16 July. This meeting will be held via Zoom and we hope as many members as possible will attend. More details will be published in the July newsletter.
If you are looking for a new endeavour, why not consider the professional and personal advantages of joining the branch committee? You will gain the opportunity to build your profile, network with a huge range of professionals and contribute to deciding the directions Editors Victoria will take in the next year. If you are interested in nominating for the committee, please contact us.
When immersed in work, I find it can be dangerously easy to ignore the clock and stay seated for hours on end. I am planning to change my habits – shimmy those shoulders! – following our custom-designed online activity with a difference, ‘Stretching for editors’, to be held on 2 June. I am now looking forward to travelling to a galaxy far, far away with Kate Cuthbert’s exploration of genre fiction on 25 June.
The last month has seen the continuation of our online networking events, and they have been a welcome source of practical information and collegial support to those attending. Student advisors Rebecca Fletcher and Clare Millar have hosted three student networking events, and these have met with keen interest from the editing student population. As well as meeting a need in themselves, these events have provided some interesting leads on how to support and develop the editors of tomorrow.
Stay well.
Jane Fitzpatrick
edvic.vicepres@iped-editors.org
New members
We are pleased to welcome the members who have joined or upgraded since our last edition:
Associates: Ian Alistair Gray and Jennifer Zabinskas
Student: Jonathan Worthen.
We look forward to seeing you at our workshops and events and encourage you to make the most of IPEd’s networks for news and support.
Introducing the new Victorian Accreditation Board delegate
by Katie Lawry AE
After two fruitful years on the Accreditation Board as the Victorian delegate, I am stepping down in May 2020. I have greatly enjoyed my time on the board and as a member of the Editors Victoria committee, working with fellow editors and even getting to meet the Accreditation Board members in person at the 2019 IPEd conference (no mean feat, given that we are literally all over the country!).
I would like to introduce Adam Finlay AE as the new Victorian delegate to the Accreditation Board, taking on the role in May. An IPEd Accredited Editor since 2011, Adam has been working as an editor and writer for around 25 years. He works with a range of corporate, government and university clients and runs his freelance business, Writefish Professional Writing & Editing.
I know that the Accreditation Board and Editors Victoria committee will make Adam very welcome in his new role and I wish him all the best.
Adam can be contacted using the Victorian Accreditation Board email address: edvic.ab@iped-editors.org.
Katie Lawry is a freelance editor and self-employed and was EdVic’s immediate past Accreditation Board representative.
Position available: Student Adviser to Editors Victoria branch committee by
Jane Fitzpatrick AE
In 2019, Editors Victoria established an ex-officio, non-voting position for a student member of IPEd to advise the branch committee. In July, our current student advisers will complete their terms, so student members are invited to apply for the role for the 2020–2021 committee. The Student Adviser will receive the benefits of learning how our professional organisation works, making contact with experienced professional editors and receiving informal mentoring and support from committee members. In return, the branch will ensure it has a student perspective on its activities and priorities. For more information and a position description, contact edvic.vicepres@editors-iped.org.
Applications will close at COB on 30 June 2020.
Zoom networking events
Editors Victoria’s series of online networking events has continued in the last month, with virtual gatherings held on 7, 14, 19 and 28 May. These events provide an informal way for members to communicate as a group and share experiences and resources. It has been great to connect with rural members and to reconnect with others who have been unengaged with IPEd for a while. Participants have discussed the impact of the pandemic on their workflow and the value of mentoring, marketing and professional development as activities that can profitably be done while work is slow.
The question of whether to record these events has been discussed, but in this instance, we feel this could interfere with the benefits of having a relaxed forum that is more akin to a face-to-face exchange, so we will not be recording these events. If you have suggestions for genres and for preferred times for sessions, please let us know. Further dates will be advertised by email.
Jane Fitzpatrick,
Vice-president at edvic.vicepres@iped-editors.org
Susan Pierotti,
Freelance Affairs Officer at edvic.freelanceaffairs@iped-editors.org
Student networking events
by Clare Millar
Throughout May, Rebecca Fletcher and I have run three student networking meetings over Zoom. These chats have been a fantastic way for students to meet each other – cross-university events are rare or are dependent on being in Melbourne. The Zoom format has allowed for students anywhere to participate and has been a lovely way to feel less isolated. Attendees have been from Melbourne University, Monash, RMIT and Swinburne. We have had everyone from first-year undergraduate students to recent graduates, postgraduate students and emerging freelance editors; and some have come to editing as a career change.
Current concerns are, of course, about the viability of the books, publishing and editing industries following the pandemic. While it has demonstrated that we can work from anywhere and do not have to be in large cities, there is still concern over finding in-house jobs or enough freelance work. Students have noted that practical experience is hard to come by – almost exclusively in teaching presses, student media or unpaid internships.
There is hope, however, and these kinds of chats have really let that shine. Students are optimistic that the industry is changing towards more flexible work and they are excited to find and explore the exact kind of editing they are interested in – we have spoken to people who enjoy academic editing, some who want to be in trade fiction and nonfiction, others working with businesses, etc. There is no limit to how we can be editors or what kind of content we might work on.
Five of these students have also signed up as members. Welcome! Editors Victoria will be using the concerns raised in these Zoom meetings to plan a future student event.
Clare Millar at edvic.studentadvisor@iped-editors.org
Rebecca Fletcher at edvic.studentadvisor1@iped-editors.org
Accreditation update from EdVic delegate
by Adam Finlay AE
The 2020 IPEd accreditation exam remains affected by the huge challenges currently facing society.
Specific plans remain on hold, but the latest Accreditation Board meeting in May reiterated that exam planning would likely resume once physical distancing restrictions in Australia are lifted to permit gatherings of up to 30 people. The exam is going ahead this year in one form or another.
From the time of that announcement, our intention is that the exam takes place about three months later. That said, the Accreditation Board is aware that to announce an official date and then face a subsequent lockdown will be equally difficult for potential candidates and organisers.
So, we ask that you bear with us, and we will keep you posted as events unfold. We will provide plenty of notice for the exam itself and associated information sessions, workshops and any other relevant events.
See the official Accreditation Board announcement regarding the 2020 Accreditation exam planning for more information.
For queries about the accreditation scheme or exam, you are always welcome to contact me at edvic.ab@iped-editors.org or explore the helpful IPEd website.
Adam Finlay is the new EdVic delegate for the Accreditation Board.