By Marufh Bello
Book editors have been urged to be professionally and politely resolute when handling authors and publishers as they further display other editing skills on their job.
The association during the latest edition of the periodic meeting in Ibadan.
This was said recently by Chief Taiwo Tolulope Owoeye, the Executive Officer of Lead City Press and Group of Schools and a trustee at the periodic meeting of the Association of African Professional Book Editors (AAFPRE) held in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
In a lecture titled, The Challenges of Book Editors in the 21st Century, Chief (Mrs) Owoeye urged the editors to be professionally and politely resolute when they had to make changes to the contents of manuscripts, adding that they should always carry along the authors in particular in effecting such alterations.
The president of the association, Mrs Yvonne Olatunbosun, who had earlier delivered her opening address, expressed her happiness for the commendable turn-out of the editors at the event as she charged them to be active members of the association.
Mrs Olatunbosun informed the gathering why the association, which now has Professor F. D. Elaturoti, Dr Kolade O. Mosuro as trustees and Mr C. O. Adejuwon as patron, metamorphosed in name from Association of West African Book Editors (AWABE) to Association of African Professional Editors (AAFPRE) which had been duly registered in Nigeria.
While rolling out the skills and qualities editors must display to be professional, Chief (Mrs) Owoeye said that some authors and publishers might be naughty, editors must, however, display politeness, maturity and wisdom in dealing with such a situation.
She said editors must, inter alia, have eye for and pay attention to details, be observant, good mastery of language, be bold to make suggestions but in a subtle manner in order to be professional while charging them to be wary of the unprofessional push by their employers to cut editorial production processes to save cost as this practice would lead to lack of quality books.
Addressing the poor pay syndrome in the industry, Chief (Mrs) Owoeye admonished editors to think outside the box to access the opportunities that were globally available to them.
In their different speeches, Mr Omotayo Olaoluwa Paul, Treasurer of the association and Mrs Imabong Akande, Financial Secretary, intimated their colleagues of the core objectives of the association and what it took to become a bona fide member, while urging editors and other professionals in the industry to join the association.
