Personal development
Extending skills was the challenge most frequently cited...followed by keeping abreast of technology and maintaining and extending networks.
~ Institute of professional Editors
(2007 Fourth national survey of editors)Members of smaller societies would like access to more training opportunities.
~ institute of professional editors (2009 member survey)
At Lexi Publishing Services we are passionate about the possibilities for editing and publishing in Queensland. In the near future, Lexi will host professional development seminars and courses to give editors the skills that they need and Queensland employers demand.
Each year, new graduates pour out of editing courses at Queensland universities and TAFEs. Many move to Sydney and Melbourne to start careers in the traditional book publishing industry. But the paths of those who stay in Queensland are quite different.
Despite learning so much about the traditional book publishing process during their courses, many graduates actually end up editing in corporate positions, government departments and the education sector. And despite the supposed brass ring that is fiction editing, many Queensland editors actually become corporate and non-fiction editors.
The need for training
In several surveys over the years, editors have bemoaned the lack of training and networking opportunities (see the quotes on the right). Many graduates of editing courses are failing editing tests at jobs interviews and believe they still need training in the basics. Why is this happening?
Total immersion
Part of the problem is that it takes practice to become a great editor. Publishers used to provide in-house training. They threw editors into the deep end of a 300-page manuscript and told them to swim for their lives. Editors learned through total immersion.
Getting this practice through a university course a few hours a week is almost impossible. Yet the question remains of how new editors can become great (and employable) editors when employers have neither the time nor willingness to train. They want editors who can hit the ground running.
Lexi's commitment to Queensland editors
We believe it's time to fill the hole left by theory-based or publishing-focused university courses and time-poor employers. Over the coming months and years, we will hold several professional development seminars for editors.
We will also develop a course that gives editors the practical editing skills that they feel they currently lack. We expect that, in time, employers will highly consider course graduates.
Watch out for more information in coming months!
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