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The more professional editors talk to other professionals within the editing industry, the more we learn and grow. We learn more about the theories and practices of editing and related industries; how to be more efficient in running our editing business; about ethics, standards and rates. We share information about our knowledge areas to other professionals and by that articulation of what we know, understand it better.

Editors need to network with other editors to:

• learn and share information about industry developments and opportunities
• celebrate achievements and congratulate others on their achievements
• find colleagues with whom we feel safe to talk about professional matters – whether we need to vent, or seek guidance or assistance
• ask for knowledge that is outside our expertise
• share our knowledge of subjects about which we have expertise; e.g. challenges that arise when freelancing, quoting, contracts, copyright, legal issues, insurance, ethics, or theoretical grammatical/punctuation knowledge
• refer clients to suitable professionals, and accept referrals from other editors – that is, benefit from one another’s reach and networks that include writers, businesses and other potential clients.

My networking experience

When I joined the Institute of Professional Editors and, at the same time, the professional editors’ Facebook group, Secret Editors Business (SEB), I started talking to other editors and learning and sharing information on a daily basis.

Like many editors who regularly communicate via an online editors’ network, this professional development has become integrated into and integral to my daily work as a freelance editor.

In addition to SEB, I am a member of Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd) which gives me many opportunities for professional development and new client contacts. I’m also a member of the Gippsland Editors network. Local editors meet  bi-monthly over lunch to talk about their editing businesses and editing issues and challenges.

Meeting on site is a lovely change from my usual method of communication with editors which is mostly online and via telephone, so it was wonderful to attend my first national editors conference in May 2019. IPEd’s Beyond the Page 2019, held at Pulmans on the Park in Melbourne 8 – 10 May, was a fantastic event. Sincere thanks to the committee of volunteers, organisers and presenters who made this conference possible.

As well as providing professional development about dozens of aspects of editing, this conference gave us all the opportunity to spend quality time with other editors who share our the same passion for editing, as well as reading, writing and publications. I finally met face to face with dozens of editors whom I already knew well as a result of our interactions via SEB over the last few years, and was introduced to dozens of new friends in the editing industry.

I’m also a member of Writers Victoria and Life Stories Australia which enable me to keep up-to-date on author issues and in touch with the writings and achievements of members, and attend webinars and on site meetings and workshops about writing creative non-fiction, fiction and memoirs.

Image: Thank you to WOCinTechChat for permission to use this image.