Dr Linda Nix AE
Profile: Dr Linda Nix AE
In this issue of Gatherings, we profile Accreditation Board Chair Dr Linda Nix AE.
When and why did you join IPEd?
I joined the Society of Editors NSW in 2010 or 2011, not long after going freelance, when a former colleague told me about it — I wasn’t even aware it existed when I worked in-house. I’ve been a professional member of the NSW branch ever since, because I see the value in a professional organisation for editors — especially accreditation.
What is your current and past involvement with IPEd?
I’ve been the NSW branch delegate to the Accreditation Board since April 2017 and also the board’s Chair since January 2019. In 2019 I also chaired the Standing Committee for Professional Development (SCPD), but chairing two committees proved to be too much, so I stood down as SCPD Chair in early 2020 and from the SCPD itself earlier this year. My partner and I ran the conference bookstall in 2019 and I’ve given several workshops and presentations for IPEd branches and at conferences. I’m scheduled to run my grammar refresher workshop again later this year.
Why are you prepared to volunteer your own time to IPEd?
IPEd is only as good as its membership and the work members do collectively to advance the profession, so I think it’s important to get involved and have a say as well as contribute. My volunteering really started, though, when a role came up that I could do remotely — I think that’s been a big game-changer for membership participation.
What is your current job?
I’m an editor, of course! I run a freelance editing and design business, Golden Orb Creative, in partnership with my husband. It’s mainly client jobs, whether just editing, editing plus typesetting, managing the entire publishing process, or something else entirely. What I love most is that each project is different and a new challenge.
Some background on your career path — what led you to editing?
I’ve always been a bookworm — I was the kid sitting in a corner with a book at my own birthday party, the one reading novels under the desk in high school — and my stated ambition was to earn a living from reading books. But not even I thought that was a serious prospect, so I was initially set on something to do with maths, art or biology (spiders). My plan was to do science at uni but I thought I’d do a year of arts first. One random course of Elizabethan poetry and I decided on an English major instead. The editing penny dropped for me at uni when, in looking at textual variations, I realised that books don’t come fully formed — there is this whole drafting and editing and layout process that comes first. That became the focus of my English honours thesis, and then my PhD. On completion I had a brief flirtation with the computer industry before deciding I wanted to work in publishing, and persevered until I landed a job as a book editor for CCH Australia. Since then I’ve worked almost exclusively in publishing; though I’ve been through many job titles, the roles have always involved editing.
If you were not an editor, what would you do?
If I could have my uni time over, I’d probably work in IT — I did a Grad Dip in computing about 10 years ago — or I’d have gone to art school or maybe become an arachnologist. But if the opportunities open to young women today had been an option for me, I’d have focused on a professional football career — any code — before switching to something more academic.
What do you do in your spare time?
What spare time? I do simple things to relax: read (for pleasure), play games and puzzles, watch TV shows, gardening, cooking, exercise. But if I had true spare time I’d enrol in classes that weren’t related to editing, to learn some new skills and indulge in hobbies more seriously.
What sports do you enjoy watching and/or playing?
I took up soccer in my mid-20s and played that until I was about 40, on mixed and women’s teams, but the absence of mature-age teams for women meant I had to give that away. I took up squash instead but that stopped when the gyms closed in the pandemic and I haven’t got back into it yet. Now I swim regularly and enjoy the occasional walk. I enjoy watching all sports that are feats of athleticism and skill, and those that involve good teamwork.
What’s something very few people know about you?
Nothing I would share — I’m a very private person! I also hate being pigeon-holed. But I suspect everyone knows both these things about me.