Find a professional editor in your field or genre, or in your language, with our Editors Directory.

IPEd
December 2024
Vol. 5 No. 11 | ISSN: 2652-5836

Welcome to the final issue of Gatherings for 2024.  

We have another jam-packed issue for you but before we jump into that … 

Congratulations to the 38 new Accredited Editors who passed the accreditation exam – a significant and exciting career milestone! After months and months of preparation, the satisfaction (and perhaps the relief!) must be wonderful. 

Speaking of milestones, our feature story this month celebrates IPEd members’ book milestones. The extensive list of books published by IPEd members in 2023 and 2024 includes fiction, nonfiction and poetry. It’s a fantastic starting point if you’re wondering what to read over the holiday period. 

In this issue, the Accreditation Board celebrates our newest Accredited Editors but also offers some fantastic takeaways and tips for those who did not pass the exam and might be wondering, what now? 

We share some highlights from our 2024 member survey – the editor of this newsletter was very pleased to see Gatherings is a valued resource! Unsurprisingly, the valued resources list also includes professional development (PD). Coincidentally, the Standing Committee on Professional Development is recruiting new committee members. Why not take up this opportunity to contribute to the valuable PD developed and delivered by IPEd? 

Also this month, Julie Ganner AE reports on the recent “Right to Read” accessibility conference. We have some event reports to share, including on the “Diversity in the Australian publishing industry” event, which is now available to purchase. We have an update from the Special Interest Group on Academic Editing (SIGAE) on its recent meeting and a list of upcoming meetings into 2025 – be sure to add those to your diary. We’re pleased to share the shortlist of the 2024 Roly Sussex Short Story Competition, named after IPEd Patron Roly Sussex. 

And if you’re looking for a fun way to expand your editing skills, check out the update on the Library and Information Science WikiProject led by the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers (ANZSI).  

Finally, IPEd will close on 20 December for the holidays. We’ll reopen on Monday 6 January. We wish all our members and their loved ones a safe and happy Christmas and New Year and we look forward to a fantastic 2025. 

Happy reading!

Find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X/Twitter.

Conference news

We are pleased to share that the 2025 IPEd Conference will take place from 23 July to 25 July at The University of Adelaide’s city campus in South Australia

As the first in-person conference since 2019, this is an exciting opportunity to connect with your peers and engage in important conversations around editors, editing and the evolution of our profession. 

We hope you’ll join us in Adelaide next year.

Stay tuned for more details on the program and registrations!

Call for papers

The call for papers for the 12th IPEd conference is open. The deadline for abstracts is 28 February 2025. 

Questions about the call for papers? Contact conference@iped-editors.org.

Volunteer at the 2025 Conference

Are you looking for an opportunity to connect and collaborate while contributing to the IPEd Conference? We’d love to hear from you!

Questions about volunteering? Contact conference@iped-editors.org.

IPEd and Writers Victoria

We’re pleased to announce a partnership with Writers Victoria that will allow IPEd members to register for Writers Victoria workshops and events at the same price as Writers Victoria members. Find more information on the member portal. 

Writers Victoria (formerly the Victorian Writers’ Centre) was created in 1989 and supports and connects writers at all stages of development.

Upcoming workshops include grant writing, crime fiction and starting a podcast

Events and workshops

It’s that time again! As summer arrives, beaches, breaks and breathing space beckon. Suddenly the usual editorial preoccupations – deadlines, clients, serial commas – are being replaced by one big question: what will I read?

To help you decide, we reached out to our members for reading inspiration. And it turns out that when not worrying about deadlines, clients and serial commas, many of you are working on your own writing and publishing projects.

The Accreditation Board (AB) is pleased to announce the results of the 2024 accreditation exam held on Monday 12 August. Of the 58 candidates who sat the exam, 38 passed (65.5%). This is the highest pass rate since the 2012 exam.
Most IPEd members live in their state’s capital city and are freelance editors. When it comes to experience, members are a diverse group with anywhere from less than 5 years editing experience to more than 20 years experience. This information comes to us from the April 2024 IPEd members survey.
The following is an edited version of IPEd Chair Stephanie Holt’s address at the 2024 Annual General Meeting.
Do you have a passion for learning, sharing knowledge, and tackling change in our industry? Would you like to help IPEd deliver training workshops to support our members and advance the profession? The Standing Committee on Professional Development (SCPD) is currently recruiting new members and volunteers.
Banner advertisement for Macquarie dictionary.

IPEd members can access a 15% discount for an Macquarie dictionary individual subscription.

Find the discount code in the member portal.

Win a Macquarie dictionary & thesaurus subscription!

We have 2 Macquarie dictionary & thesaurus subscriptions to give away!

These subscriptions provide 12 months access to the dictionary & thesaurus online. To go in the draw to win a subscription, simply email your member number to communication@iped-editors.org with “Macquarie dictionary & thesaurus” in the subject line by Sunday 15 December. Winners will be notified on Monday 16 December. Good luck!

Michèle Drouart is an award-winning author and editor; and an early member of the Society of Editors Western Australia (SOEWA), and the Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd). She was recently awarded Honorary Life Membership (HLM) in recognition of her service to the profession.
The accreditation exam is a huge undertaking. But what if you didn’t receive good news? If that’s the case, we commiserate with you. We know this isn’t the outcome you were hoping for. The good thing is, it wasn’t all for nothing. Below are some positive takeaways, as well as some things you can do between now and the next exam.
At the end of October, Julie Ganner AE and Agata Mrva-Montoya attended the Subregional “Right to Read” Conference for Pacific Island Countries, held in Sydney.
Twenty-two people attended the Special Interest Group on Academic Editing (SIGAE) meeting on Wednesday 16 October 2024 with the icebreaker topic of “artificial intelligence and academic editing”.
“Business planning” is a term that can set even the steeliest nerves jangling. It might seem an onerous task that calls for wide-ranging research and market analysis – not to mention a functioning crystal ball. But a new IPEd workshop with Dr Linda Nix AE has offered us a different perspective.
Editors Victoria’s event on “Diversity in the Australian publishing industry and how can we support under-represented editors” with Dr Radhiah Chowdhury and Susannah Bowen took place on 19 November.
Looking to expand your editing skills? Are you interested in becoming a Wikipedia editor? The Library and Information Science WikiProject is a fun and supportive project led by the Australian and New Zealand Society of Indexers. 
Academic editing is an important source of work for IPEd members. In IPEd’s Editors Directory of approximately 340 professional members, over 200 editors indicate they are available to edit academic theses or articles. 
This month’s crossword solutions include the first two and last two lines of a seasonal poem by the Scottish poet Edwin Morgan.

Links and tips and industry news

EFA’s science editing webinars

On 6 February 2025, data table expert Yateendra Joshi will present “Numbers in formation: reader-friendly organization of numerical data into tables”, a 90-minute webinar that tackles every aspect of copyediting these crucial figures. 

And on 26 February, Kathryn Jepsen launches “Developing effective science communication: lessons from journalism, fiction, and academia”.

The Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) is an affiliate of IPEd so members can access discounted rates for webinars and online training courses.

Reflections on the APA Children’s Editorial Program

Participants in the inaugural Children’s Editorial Program from the Australian Publishers Association (APA) recently shared their reflections from the two-day intensive.