An Editor’s First Academic Conference

In the first week of 2025, historians swarmed Midtown Manhattan for the annual meeting of the American Historical Association (AHA), one of the largest associations of historians in the world. 

While I hold a master’s in modern European history, I’m a relatively new freelance proofreader and copyeditor. I attended the conference hoping to learn more about the field and make some connections.

The conference was enormous—one organizer mentioned that it was the largest AHA meeting yet. There were over 400 events (panels, receptions, etc.), approximately 3,800 attendees, and more than 50 affiliated organizations. These included groups such as the Conference on Latin American History, the LGBTQ+ History Association, and Chinese Historians in the United States. 

The whole thing was so large had to be split between two hotels—though these were only a block apart.

A broad range of content

While the events represented a broad range of topics, there were common themes. 

Most sessions centered on topics relating to historiography, particularly hot topics of discussion today. For example, I noticed a lot of panels dealing with queer, feminist, racial and colonial themes (e.g., “Histories of Queer Censorship in the Late 20th-Century US and Canada” and “Mining Women in Europe and the Americas 1500–1800”). 

These tended to follow a similar format: a group of professors would sequentially present their work, a moderator would facilitate a discussion to tie the strands together and the panel would take questions from the audience. 

An editor among the historians

Even though the panels weren’t written with editors in mind, there was still plenty to glean! Some panels reflected on the state of the historiographical market, issues currently facing historians and potential difficulties in the future. Others focused on teaching historians how to write for op-eds, trade books and the like. These insights will be great for guiding clients.

I found the “Writing Narrative History for Fun and Profit” panel particularly insightful. The panelists recommended that historians take their narrative cues from fiction, finding a central story around which the historical narrative turns. Writers were also advised to steer clear of “great man” narratives, or to include some humanizing details to bring those Great Men back down to earth (the panelist cited a letter from Niccolò Machiavelli in which the Italian philosopher complained about having to eat vegetables). 

Above all, the panel reminded attendees that the person reading a trade book is probably going to be a hobbyist. They’re motivated to read the book and doing so for pleasure, so authors shouldn’t shy away from presenting complex topics! However, plain language and short paragraphs and chapters can give readers space to digest the narrative.

Beyond the panel presentations

I swung by the busy exhibit hall whenever I had the time, but I got the impression that most of the publishers were looking to chat with prospective authors. However, I did get a helpful brief on various organizations’ employment policies for editors (e.g., freelance vs. in-house) and an email for the relevant managing or production editor. 

The AHA also included some brilliant smaller events, such as a space for fiber craftspeople. As a knitter, I was grateful for a quiet moment to work on some socks alongside my co-hobbyists. There were also convivial luncheons and receptions every day. 

Overall impressions

For all my praise, I must confess that I feel like I missed out on something. By trying to do a little of everything, I ran myself ragged for not enough gain. I think this was from lack of experience on my part. 

I imagine the ideal editor for this conference as someone who already has some clientele and is familiar with the current state of historiography, perhaps specializing in supporting historians specifically or humanities researchers more broadly. 

Do I plan to attend AHA 2026? I doubt it. I don’t think I’ll be at the right stage of my professional career by then. But I look forward to coming back sometime in the future, once I’ve got a stronger idea of what I’m looking for. I certainly don’t regret going. 

If you’re an editor with a grounding in history—and if it wouldn’t be too expensive for you to travel to an academic conference—you may find an academic conference well worth your time!

Volunteer Opportunity at Congress 2025

If a client-facing academic conference sounds like a good fit for you, consider representing Editors Canada at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences (or just “Congress”), the largest academic gathering in Canada. The Academic Editing Special Interest Group is looking for volunteers to take shifts at Editors Canada’s expo booth.

This year, Congress will take place at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario, from May 30 to June 6.

If you’re interested in joining fellow academic editors to raise the profile of our profession and build connections with potential clients (and attend any of the association conference sessions!), please complete this Google Form by Monday, March 24 at 11:59 pm ET. Selected volunteers will be notified by March 28, 2025. 

Need more reasons to volunteer? Read this post from last year’s call for volunteers!

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The Editors’ Weekly is the official blog of Editors Canada. Contact us.