Conferences for Writing, Editing, and Publishing Professionals
Networking online and in person has many benefits for freelance professionals. As a global team, we share job ads, discuss software and manuals, improve professional standards, get sound advice on running an editorial business, and more.
Conference attendance is a great way to:
- Learn about the latest developments in the field (editing tools, training opportunities, trends in the industries, updates to dictionaries and manuals, etc.).
- Meet editors, writers, journalists, literary agents, and other publishing professionals who specialize in various niches and introduce yourself as a specialist for potential collaborations and referrals.
- Build long-term professional relationships with the colleagues whom you already know via online interactions.
- Get to know the association and consider contributing as a volunteer, e-book writer, or presenter in the future.
Some of the highlights of my conference attendance in recent years included presentations about:
- Inclusive language by Sarah Grey
- Editing for the web by Erin Brenner
- PerfectIt functionality by Daniel Heuman
- Editing in PDF by Adrienne Montgomerie
- Pricing and marketing freelance services by Jake Poinier
- Discoverability and the latest publishing trends by Jane Friedman
For this blog post I have selected some of the US, Canadian, and international conferences that are popular among writing and editing professionals. As a specialist in resume writing, editing in the humanities, and writing for businesses, I have left out conferences for life sciences editors and technical writers.
For a list of science-related editing associations as well as other international and local networking groups, please visit: https://bit.ly/2YX1KR6. The page is part of the Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base, curated by medical editor Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, owner of KOK Edit.
Writing and Editing Conferences, Worldwide
Organization: Editors Canada
Website: www.editors.ca
Head office: Toronto, ON, Canada
Conference dates: June
Organization: ACES: The Society for Editing
Website: https://aceseditors.org/
Head office: Gardnerville, NV, USA
Conference dates: April-May
Organization: Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)
Website: https://www.the-efa.org/
Head office: New York, NY, USA
Conference dates: August
Organization: Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP)
Website: https://www.awpwriter.org
Head office: Riverdale Park, MD, USA
Conference dates: March
Organization: Modern Language Association (MLA)
Website: https://www.mla.org
Head office: New York, NY, USA
Conference dates: January
Organization: Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP)
Website: https://www.sfep.org.uk
Head office: London, UK
Conference dates: September
Organization: Mediterranean Editors and Translators (MET)
Website: https://www.metmeetings.org
Head office: Tarragona, Spain
Conference dates: October
Organization: College Art Association (CAA)
Website: https://www.collegeart.org
Head office: New York, NY, USA
Conference dates: February
Organization: Association of Art Editors
Website: https://www.artedit.org
Head office: St. Louis Park, MN, USA
Conference dates: February, at the CAA conference
Organization: Book and Periodical Council (BPC)
Website: http://www.thebpc.ca
Head office: Toronto, ON, Canada
Conference dates: Book Summit, June
Organization: Books, Publishing & Libraries Research Network | Common Ground Research Networks
Website: https://booksandpublishing.com
Head office: Champaign, IL, USA
Conference dates: July
Organization: Writer’s Digest, a division of Active Interest Media
Website: https://writersdigestconference.com/
Head office: Cincinnati, OH, USA
Conference dates: August
Organization: American Booksellers Association
Website: https://www.bookweb.org
Head office: White Plains, NY, USA
Conference dates: BookExpo America, May
Organization: Clarity, an international association promoting plain legal language
Website: https://clarity-international.net
Head office: UK, multiple locations
Conference dates: October
Organization: PLAIN (Plain Language Association International)
Website: http://www.plainlanguagenetwork.org/
Head office: Canada
Conference dates: September
Organization: Association Media & Publishing
Website: http://associationmediaandpublishing.org/
Head office: Washington, DC, USA
Conference dates: June
Organization: Association for Women in Communications (AWC)
Website: http://www.womcom.org/wp/
Head office: USA, multiple locations
Conference dates: September-October
Organization: American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASPBE)
Website: http://www.asbpe.org/
Head office: Wheaton, IL, USA
Conference dates: GenerationB2B Conference, May
Organization: Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW)
Website: http://sabew.org/
Head office: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Conference dates: October and April
Organization: International Association of Business Communicators (IABC)
Website: https://www.iabc.com/
Head office: San Francisco, CA, USA
Conference dates: June
Organization: Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)
Website: http://www.spj.org/
Head office: Indianapolis, IN, USA
Conference dates: International Conference on Journalism & Mass Communication, August
Organization: Society for Scholarly Publishing
Website: https://www.sspnet.org/
Head office: Wheat Ridge, CO, USA
Conference dates: May
Organization: The Institute of Professional Editors Limited (IPEd)
Website: iped-editors.org
Head office: Wynnum, Australia
Conference dates: June
Career Advancement Conferences in Canada
Association: Cannexus
Website: https://cannexus.ca
Head office: Ottawa, ON
Conference dates: January
Association: Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE)
Website: https://www.cacee.com
Head office: Toronto, ON
Conference dates: May-June
Association: Internationally Educated Professionals (IEP)
Website: https://www.iep.ca
Head office: Scarborough, ON
Conference dates: March
Resources for freelancers:
Job Application Process for Freelancers (Editors Canada blog)
Job Search and Application Strategy for Freelancers (ACES blog)
How to Design a Flyer to Advertise Your Services
Summing up 10 Years of Full-Time Freelancing
Top Challenges Freelancers Face & How to Address Them
About the author:
Tanya Mykhaylychenko is a professional resume writer with a background in content writing, university teaching, and IT staffing. She is a member of Editors Canada and Career Professionals of Canada. For more information, please visit https://tm-editorial.com/about/ or contact her at tetyanam@gmail.com to schedule a free introductory consultation.