Masterclass: Emerging Editors

All writers begin by writing, but what marks the beginning of the editor’s journey? Learn about editorial roles across a range of publications and forms, how to start your own editorial platform, fundamental copyediting skills, and the importance of the Own Voices editorial movement.

10.15am Keynote: The Responsibility of the Editor

Editor and journalist, Bhakthi Puvanenthiran opens with an address and Q&A on the responsibility of editors towards their craft, readership, and ethics. In a context where popular access to reliable information and wide-ranging perspectives are scarce, what are the duties editors can seek to master and uphold? What does editorial accountability to both readers and writers mean today, and how do we build a basis of critical rigour and responsibility in our work?

10.45am Editorial Roles

In this session we are guided through a range of editorial positions across digital and print. We explain the common roles that editors play in reading, critiquing and assisting to refine writers’ work, and consider major differences in editorial positions across various publications and industries. This is a chance to hear directly from practicing editors about an assortment of career trajectories, areas of expertise, and tips for getting there.

With Lana Lopesi (Editor-in Chief The Pantograph Punch), Jacinda Woodhead (Overland), Johannes Jacob (Penguin Random House), Erik Jensen (The Saturday Paper)

11.45am Break

12pm Blak Editing

The Blak Brow’s Bridget Caldwell and Timmah Ball talk us through navigating positionality, language and culture in one’s editorial practice. How can editors of all backgrounds understand the impact of the white gaze on their work, and in what ways can we deconstruct and challenge it?

12.45-1.45pm Break

1.45pm Build Your Own

A conversation about identifying and responding to shortcomings within the publishing sector through creating independent platforms. With insights across print and online publications, these editors give practical advice for managing an editorial platform, maintaining sustainable work habits and structures, and challenging the gaps in representation and dialogue within the wider publishing sector.

With Hella Ibrahim (Djed Press), Winnie Dunn (Sweatshop), Alan Weedon (Swampland), Romy Durrant (LOR Journal)

1.45pm Book Publishing Career Pathways

There are many paths to a position as a book publisher, and no two career trajectories are identical. We’ve asked four experts to discuss the journey to their current publishing roles, detailing the experiences that have been pivotal to their professional development, and the opportunities that emerging editors and publishers can be seeking.

With Robert Watkins (Hachette), Elena Gomez (Penguin Random House), Ian See (The Saturday Paper)

2.45pm Break

3-4pm Grammar with The Good Copy

Nuts-and-bolts punctuation and grammar. Is it gnarly? Yes. Can a li’l structural savvy help writers to tighten their sentences? Also yes. In this one-hour workshop, Penny Modra from The Good Copy offers a primer on syntax, sentence slashing and the grammar ‘rules’ worth worrying about.