First-ever committee holds first-ever ABM
by Caroline Simpson
Kia ora,
We are about to clock up another first for our branch: our first-ever Annual Branch Meeting (ABM) will be on Tuesday 22 September on Zoom. Most people would rather have their teeth pulled than come to an AGM-type meeting. They think they will be press-ganged onto the committee if they turn up. But before you head for the hills screaming at the thought of it, stop and think. Yes, the ABM is where our committee is elected for the following year, but no one is going to force the king’s shilling into your hands and march you off to a life of servitude. Nominations for committee members for the next year are submitted well before the meeting. If we have sufficient nominations for the committee, then those people will simply be confirmed as the committee for the year. Too many and we would have an election on the night. Too few and anyone who is interested could ask questions before putting their hand up.
The ABM isn’t just about the committee. It’s about making information on the running of the branch available to you. I’ll be giving a short (I promise) talk on our year as a branch, and then, unless there are other agenda items, we will be done. So please consider coming along and taking part.
As we reach the end of the committee year, I would like to acknowledge the volunteers who have worked for us all over the past 15 months. All bar one of our current committee have said they are willing to stand again. That one person will still be helping in the background, giving their knowledge and spare time to help us. This committee has been a joy to work with. Each member has worked hard and with good grace. As a group we have been driven by the desire to set up a branch that will provide a great future for editing and editors in New Zealand. Our goal has been to get this branch running and set up a framework that will benefit future committees. We’re well on our way.
Kia ora mai,
Caroline Simpson is the EdANZ Branch President and can be contacted at edanz.president@iped-editors.org.
New members
We are pleased to welcome new Associate Member Helen McNaught and Professional Member Claire Davis.
EdANZ Zoom catch-up for editors of self-publishing writers
by Marja Stack
Fourteen Kiwi and Australian editors who work predominantly with self-publishing writers met for an informal catch-up. We discussed formatting requirements in Word to prepare for conversion to e-books and hardcopy, ensuring we have a contract and how to stick to it, making sure we charge for any scope creep, comparing the different style guides in New Zealand and Australia and which to use for fiction, and the issues around dealing with needy clients and vicarious trauma when editing traumatic content.
I found the discussion very useful, with some good tips to use in our businesses, but it was also just lovely to chat to like-minded editors who have similar clients and therefore similar issues to deal with. Thanks all.
Marja Stack is the EdANZ Branch Social Media Coordinator. Contact her at edanz.socialmedia@iped-editors.org.
Editors who work with government departments, businesses and NGOs
by Helen Bradford
Ten Kiwis and Australians joined EdANZ’s catch-up for editors who work with government departments, businesses and NGOs.
The main topics we discussed were marketing strategies, value of accreditation, pricing models and managing different styles and voices in one document.
I scribbled down lots of tips and reminders such as the importance of investing time in nurturing and maintaining relationships with clients; the impact that ‘doing a good job’ has on marketing your business (and that ‘doing a good job’ covers more than your editing skills); the effect that accreditation can have on your confidence to charge more for your work; and the importance of good SEO if you rely on your website to find clients.
The consensus was that the catch-up was a great idea and people were keen to do it again in a few months.
Helen Bradford can be contacted at edanz.ab@iped-editors.org.
Catch-up for editors working with trade publishers
by Susi Bailey
As someone who lives and works in a remote spot in Aotearoa New Zealand, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to catch-up with other editors across the country and in Australia via the July EdANZ Zoom series.
The catch-up for editors working with trade publishers on 22 July was a small affair, but that meant the introverts among us felt comfortable enough to join in and everyone had the chance to say their piece. We covered the ever-popular issue of pay rates, comparing the rates paid by trade publishers in New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the USA, and rates paid by individual authors. We also discussed the pros and cons of editing tools, including a recent Facebook post about the merits of using Word’s Read Aloud function to improve accuracy while checking proofs. Finally, we shared experiences on making connections with publishing houses and the pros and cons of working with them.
I came away with plenty of food for thought and ideas on how I can improve my business. And I hugely enjoyed getting to know some new, supportive colleagues.
Susi Bailey is the EdANZ Branch Training Coordinator. Contact her at edanz.training@iped-editors.org.
New Editors Q&A
by Susi Bailey
Learning the ropes of a new job is hard enough when you are working in-house and have colleagues around you to answer your questions. But when you set up as a freelance editor and proofreader, who do you turn to for help?
Having ourselves learnt from the wisdom of others over the years, we decided to pay that forward with a Q&A session for new editors. Our five panellists brought to the table a diverse range of knowledge and experiences, from in-house publishing and training to working with academics and government departments, and tackling developmental fiction editing. And between them they tackled a huge variety of questions put to them by the attendees.
What are your favourite books on editing? Is there any training that is specific to New Zealand editing work? Where can you go for advice online? Do you use macros or other tools? How do you read a document to ‘see’ the mistakes? What are the best ways to advertise your services? How do you charge for your services? Do you need a ‘terms and conditions’ section on your website?
Answers to these and many more questions filled a very interesting 75 minutes. Luckily for those listening who missed an answer or for anyone who couldn’t make the event, the
session was recorded. It is available for purchase from the Events page of the IPEd website for the next couple of months.
Thank you to all our panellists, especially Odessa Owens, Senior Tutor, Publishing at Whitireia, and Judy L Mohr of Black Wolf Editorial Services.
Susi Bailey is the EdANZ Branch Training Coordinator. Contact her at edanz.training@iped-editors.org.
EdANZ Zoom meeting for those in academic editing
by Joan Gladwyn
The first of the meeting for specialists was for those in academic editing. Like others in the series, the meeting was oversubscribed. We started with the issue of editing student theses and the IPEd guidelines. New legislation is intended to target the contract cheating providers and not those who follow the IPEd guidelines. We discussed, too, how editing a thesis by publication can throw up great variations in style from chapter to chapter, depending on where the text had been published. Discussion also covered plagiarism and the current lack of supervisor advice to some students.
Joan Gladwyn is the EdANZ Branch Website Coordinator. Contact her at edanz.website@iped-editors.org.
Future events/meetings/training
Annual Branch Meeting
Tuesday 22 September 2020
7.30pm on Zoom
No cost
Book here.
We Invite you to come along and be part of our Annual Branch Meeting (ABM). We will vote in the new committee for the 2020/21 year, and hope to appoint a new board director, too. There will be a short report on the past year.
Volunteering for the committee or the board is a rewarding professional opportunity and gives you the chance to contribute to our organisation’s future direction. Please contact Caroline Simpson at edanz.president@iped-editors.org if you need more information.
Nominations for the committee or for our board director can be sent to Nicole Mathers at secretary@iped-editors.org. They can be made by financial voting members of the branch (professional members and accredited editors) and must be signed by the member being nominated. The nomination form will be sent out separately.
Agenda items can be sent to Bella Mae at edanz.secretary@iped-editors.org.
We hope to see you there.
Caroline Simpson is the EdANZ Branch President. Contact her at edanz.president@iped-editors.org.