11/05/2026

The APA’s Residential Editorial Program (REP) took place in Sydney in April, with 15 mid-career editors participating in the biennial program on the craft of editing.

The editors at REP worked on an unpublished manuscript with mentors Jo Butler, Grace Lucas-Pennington and Brandon VanOver, before coming together at the end of the week to hear from the manuscript’s editor.

They also received presentations from a range of editing experts, including sessions on structural editing with freelance editor Ali Lavou; AI and editing with Sydney University lecturer Agata Mrva-Montoya; and editing for different genres with HarperCollins publisher Roberta Ivers and former Pantera publisher Tom Langshaw, chaired by Hachette Australia Head of Nonfiction and Literary, Vanessa Radnidge.

Sessions on culturally sensitive editing, cultural consultation and editing First Nations Voices were threaded throughout the program, with presentations and discussions led by black&write! managing editor Grace Lucas-Pennington, Magabala publisher Rachel Bin Salleh, Sweatshop Literacy Movement general manager and author Winnie Dunn, and Hardie Grant managing editor Alisa Ahmed.

The final day also featured an enlightening panel on career paths with the multi-talented, multi-hatted Sophie Hamley, Kalhari Jayaweera and Robert Watkins, chaired by Penguin Random House publisher Meredith Curnow.

"Equipped me with the skills and the network to advance my career"

Brisbane-based freelance editor and REP participant Darby Jones shares his reflections on the program:

‘I’d heard many wonderful things about REP. Consequently, I arrived at Q Station with extremely high expectations. And yet, the four days I spent with my peers and mentors managed to exceed those expectations. From conversations with my peers to panels with leading industry professionals and intensive workshops with my mentor, Grace Lucas-Pennington, my experience at REP has equipped me with the skills and the network to advance into the next stage of my career.

‘I particularly enjoyed the session on cultural consultation with Rachel Bin Salleh, Alisa Ahmed and Winne Dunn. As a freelance editor who undertakes a lot of sensitivity reading, I found this trio’s advice to be incredibly affirming and valuable.

‘It was also a pleasure to meet Ali Lavau. Her session on structural editing was highly informative – the resources and examples from her own work were incredibly generous and have equipped me with new skills and approaches.

‘Using everything I’ve learned at REP, I will continue to establish myself in this industry I love.’

HarperCollins senior editor Madeleine James writes: ‘I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to attend REP this year. It was like a wonderfully focused book club where everyone had read the book, had strong opinions and stayed on topic – what a delight!

‘The combination of inhouse and freelance editors meant that we could share experiences, and our conversations were both reassuring and illuminating. And it was brilliant to hear the perspectives of the guest speakers, who brought enormous expertise and generosity to their sessions.

‘The program was meticulously organised and reinvigorating, and I was reminded that respect and curiosity are at the heart of what editors do. If I could go again, I would!’

Further information on REP and its history can be found here.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. It is also supported by the Copyright Agency's Cultural Fund.