From the president

By Stephanie Holt AE (edvic.president@iped-editors.org)

As we shiver through winter, it’s a great time to rug up indoors, and catch up with some reading. I hope you’re able to make time for those cold-weather pleasures and aren’t too pressed by deadlines (or stressed by lack of them – always a risk for those of us who are freelancing). I’ve got some great short fiction keeping me company: collections from Beth Spencer and Josephine Rowe, and speculative fiction in the First Nations anthology This all come back now, edited by Mykaela Saunders. All are recommended.

Of course, July means the Annual Branch Meeting. At our ABM, we not only formalise a committee to steer the branch through its next year, but also share an overview of the past year and outline planned activities. We hope that’s incentive enough to join us on 14 July, but as an added extra, branch members who attend the online ABM can join free for special guest speaker Alice Pung, who follows.

This is also a time to acknowledge and farewell some of the stalwarts of the committee who are stepping down. 

Jane Fitzpatrick has played a crucial role on recent committees. Her leadership has been exceptional. Jane stepped up as acting president when needed, embraced the possibilities of Zoom to support members through tough and uncertain times, and sensitively mentored a new secretary and (this very grateful) president. When the need arose, she added professional development to her vice president work on our current committee. Our member Zoom Cuppas are one of Jane’s legacies. Other contributions range across her editing passions (science editing and the Sci Fliers group), intriguing side-hustles (cryptic crosswords, anyone?), and a commitment to emerging editors (steering our student adviser initiative).

Also retiring from the committee after many years of service is Maryna Mews. Maryna has contributed in a number of ways over the years, most recently as our mentoring officer and prior to that as professional development officer. Maryna’s passion for writing, editing and mentoring, and her appreciation for Editors Victoria’s history and heritage, have enlivened our committee discussions and brought great benefits to members. 

Jane and Maryna, you will be missed.

Of course, farewells also mean welcomes and renewal. Some important roles are opening up. If you have questions about the committee and are thinking about getting involved behind the scenes, we’d love to chat. 

And in the meantime – happy editing!

Stephanie

New members

EdVic is pleased to welcome members who have joined or upgraded since our last newsletter.

Professional member:

Bonnee Crawford

Associate members: 

Chelsea Mullens

Casper Pieters

Vesna Zuban

Student member:

Gabrielle-Lyn Simmonds

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.

Professional development news

By Jane Fitzpatrick, Professional Development Officer (edvic.profdev@iped-editors.org)

“Indexing: adding to the editor’s skillset” with Max McMaster

On Tuesday 24 and Thursday 26 May, Max McMaster provided 20 editors with a thorough grounding in how to index a book. Max’s course began with advice on indexing opportunities for editors, before moving into an overview of what makes a good (and a bad) index.

In the first session, the explanation of the theory was interspersed with a series of short exercises focusing on several different aspects of indexing: choosing appropriate subjects to index, dealing with names, and deciding on headings and subheadings.

Max satisfied attendees’ interest in the conventions for deciding on filing order, with consideration of punctuation, qualifiers, contractions and how to file names.

The course supplied answers to many questions of editorial style, including treatment of initial articles, how page numbers are separated from headings, treatment of page sequences and spans, illustrations, figures, tables, footnotes, and the use of line spacing and header letters.

In the second session, participants practised their new skills by analysing an index for faults, and then broke into small groups with each indexing one short section of a book. The groups discussed how they made their indexing decisions and shared a valuable examination of the merits of alternative approaches.

Feedback on the course included:

“This was a very comprehensive and enjoyable course that gave me confidence to pursue indexing as part of my career.”

“The real strength of this course is Max McMaster’s indexing expertise and breadth of knowledge. It is well pitched as an introductory course for people who have not done any indexing yet and those who have done a little. I would recommend this course in a heartbeat for anyone who wants to learn about indexing or for people working in the field who want to improve their existing indexing skills.”

“An introduction to ebook editing” with Sarah JH Fletcher

On Saturday 4 June and Wednesday 8 June, Sarah Fletcher delivered a well-framed and comprehensive introduction to editing ebooks. Sarah’s passion for the subject shone through and enlivened even the more technical sections of the course.

Participants were guided through common ebook publishing terms, sampled a taste of HTML code and learned to respect the cascading style sheet. Sarah explained examples of common ebook workflow and how the editor fits in. She explored how common ebook errors often come about, and how editors would go about fixing them (or instructing others to do so). She provided a magnificent ebook quality-assurance checklist for participants to use and adapt.

At the end of Saturday’s session, participants were given an error-laden sample ebook to work through for some hands-on practice. We reconvened for a Q&A session on Wednesday 8 June and Sarah demonstrated how to fix the errors. Participants said they appreciated the amount of information covered and the lively delivery.

Feedback on the course included:

“Sarah JH Fletcher presents an excellent overview of ebooks from the perspective of a professional editor.”

“A concise and relevant introduction to ebook editing.”

“Sarah is an extremely articulate presenter whose logical delivery makes learning easy!”

“Grammar in a nutshell”

On 24 June and 1 July, the second run of this condensed grammar course was held with trainers Elizabeth Manning Murphy DE and Ted Briggs AE. See the report in the June newsletter for details of the course coverage.

Participants in the first run of the course had this to say:

“This course beautifully sums up the key components of English grammar in a straightforward manner.”

“A very instructive and helpful course that I would happily recommend to others.”

“Now that I know how exciting, engaging and thought-provoking grammar can be, I will pursue further learning opportunities so that I can explain the reason for editing changes clearly to my clients.”

Seeking fresh blood

At the end of this committee’s term in July, I will be stepping down as Professional Development Officer. If you are interested in professional development and would like to contribute in any way to the program Editors Victoria runs, please contact me with any questions at edvic.profdev@iped-editors.org.

These things work best when several people get involved. Plans are now being made towards the next year of courses, so step up, do your bit and have your say!

Upcoming ABM and speaker event: Alice Pung

Clear your schedule from 6.30 pm on Thursday 14 July!

Annual branch meeting of Editors Victoria

Please make the time to support your organisation and attend our annual branch meeting (ABM), which will be held by Zoom at 6.30 pm on Thursday 14 July. In the lead-up to the ABM you will receive reports detailing what your committee has been doing over the past 12 months.

As you know, Editors Victoria’s activities are guided by a committee of volunteers, most of whom are elected from and by our membership. At the ABM, the next year’s committee is decided.

Volunteering for the committee is a rewarding professional opportunity and gives you the chance to contribute to our organisation’s future direction. We are particularly keen to receive nominations from members interested in the positions of secretary and professional development officer.

We welcome nominations for any position on the executive committee or to serve on one of the subcommittees. Send enquiries to Secretary, Editors Victoria at edvic.secretary@iped-editors.org.

This year’s ABM will once again be held online. After the proceedings, we warmly invite you to stay on to hear author Alice Pung speak; this event is free for all ABM attendees. Enjoy the online company of your edibuddies as we celebrate the end of the committee year.

Register at this booking link.

Speaker event: “Writing and editing across genres” with Alice Pung

Immediately after the ABM, at 7.30 pm on Thursday 14 July, Victorian author Alice Pung will discuss writing and editing across genres, including observations from her varied experiences writing adult, kids’ and YA books and editing an anthology (Growing up Asian in Australia).

Alice was born in Footscray, Victoria, a month after her parents arrived in Australia. Alice’s father, Kuan – a survivor of Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime – named her after Lewis Carroll’s character because after surviving the Killing Fields he thought Australia was a Wonderland.

Alice grew up in Footscray and Braybrook, and changed high schools five times – almost once every year! These experiences have shaped her as a writer because they taught her how to pay attention to the quiet children and young adults whom others might overlook or miss.

Alice is a writer and lawyer who loves teaching. Her books are studied in secondary schools and universities in Australia as well as the United States, and she has taught writing workshops to students from the ages of eight to 80 in Australia, China and the States. Alice is also an Ambassador for the 100 Story Building Project, a social enterprise which helps promote literature and literacy skills to young people in the western suburbs of Melbourne.

Cost: Editors Victoria branch members who attend the ABM will be admitted free of charge, but you must register for both events. IPEd members and reciprocal organisations $10, non-members $15.

Please note: this event will NOT be recorded.

Register at this booking link.

2022 member book campaign

Have you written a book recently?

If you’ve written a recently published (or soon-to-be-published) book, we’d love to include it in our 2022 member book promotion.

Books of any genre for any audience are welcome. We’re mainly interested in books published since the start of 2022, or forthcoming books available to buy or pre-order by the end of the year. However, if you published your book at any time in the last couple of years, it’s still worth sending us some info.

Please provide the following information:

• Title
• Author/s
• Publisher (or equivalent if self-published)
• Format (especially whether paper, ebook, or both)
• Publication date
• ISBN
• Price (member discounts welcome!)
• Broad genre
• Blurb (up to 150 words)
• Cover image if possible
• Link for further information and/or sales.

Please send your book info to Stephanie Holt (edvic.president@iped-editors.org) by 31 July.

Literary events in Victoria – July 2022

Here’s a selection of bookish happenings around the state and online this month. Some of this material is thanks to Editors Victoria member Jillian Langhammer of Literary Listings:

• https://literarylistings.com/
• https://twitter.com/literarylistin3
• https://instagram.com/literary_listings

All weekends in July: Children’s and Young Adult Writers and Illustrators (CYA) Conference Online conference with professional development sessions for new and established writers and illustrators of children’s, young adult and adult stories.

• Thursday 7 July – Saturday 9 July: Melbourne Rare Book Fair
• Saturday 9 July: Ashburton Book Fest Huge second-hand book fair, free upcycling craft activities and a free program of talks.
• Monday 11 July: Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards Entries open until 26 August.
• Thursday 14 –  Sunday 17 July: Mildura Writers Festival
• Thursday 28 – Saturday 30 July: Winter Words Writers’ Festival Online zoom events from the Society of Women Writers Victoria.
• 29 – 31 July: Apollo Bay Word Fest Poetry, a discussion with Victor Steffensen, author of Fire Country, and a community debate.