Online Discussion Groups for Editors
If you have a question about editing or the editing business but don’t have any colleagues to ask, where do you go? Many professional associations have email discussion lists or forums, but what if you’re not a member or just want a different environment?
Over the years, more than a few places have popped up online to talk shop, get recommendations, or vent frustrations, both publicly and privately. Twitter replacements like Bluesky and Mastodon are popular among editors, but there are also dedicated discussion groups available. If you’re in the market for one, here are a few to consider. All of the groups on this list are free to join as of this writing.
Glenn Carstens-Peters/Unsplash
Copyediting-L
This venerable moderated listserv has been active for more than 30 years and solely owned by Katharine O’Moore-Klopf since 2016. Find job opportunities, hear about editing news, and get your questions answered by the many veteran subscribers.
Editors Lair
Editor Crystal Watanabe created this private group in 2019 and moved it from its original platform to Discord in 2022. It is moderated for both spam and offensive behavior, and the group has a “no politics” rule except when it’s directly related to an editing discussion.
Editors Tea Club
This group, started by Erin Servais, centers women’s experiences and welcomes cis, trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer editors who are comfortable in settings with that focus. The Tea Club organizers run an active Slack space for members and host an hourlong Zoom meetup each month as well as book clubs and other chats. For information on joining, visit the contact page on the ETC website.
Facebook Groups
There are a fair number of editing-related Facebook groups out there—this is not an exhaustive list.
This discussion group, established in 2013, has around 14,000 members. It’s actively moderated, which keeps the group focused and as free of harassment or drama as possible, and no political posts are allowed. The group was originally public, meaning anyone could read the posts whether they were members of the group or not, but it went private in 2021.
In addition to the main group, there are a series of subgroups, including Stickleback Corner (where you can share typos and language peeves, which are banned in the main group) and Business + Professional Development for Editors (where you can discuss training, marketing, rates, running a business, and more).
This space started as the EAE Backroom subgroup under the Editors’ Association of Earth umbrella. It split off from the big group in 2021 with a new name and a new team of moderators.
An official offshoot of the Editors of Color database, this support group is just for editors and proofreaders of color.
Copy Editors and Language Folks
A small group moderated by editor Megan Paolone, former BuzzFeed copy chief, that describes itself as “A place to talk shop, network, argue about dashes, and talk through particularly tangly sentences, among other things.”
Typesetting and Book Typography
Want to learn or ask questions about the art of type? This group’s members include type designers, layout artists, editors, and more.
Just what the name says: a space for comics editors and creators.
LinkEds & Writers
To my knowledge, LinkEds & Writers is the biggest editor/writer group on LinkedIn by far, with around 75,000 members. Being on LinkedIn, the discussion tends more toward business and job postings, but that’s not the exclusive focus. (That said, it’s still not the best place to ask about something like style manual rules.) The group is moderated, but the rules focus on preventing spam and off-topic discussion rather than interpersonal conflict.
With these groups and more to choose from, chances are good you’ll find one that’s a good fit for you.
Is there something you think should be on this list? Let me know!
Note: This is an updated version of a post originally published in 2020.