1994 | In the beginning
Almost since its inception, the Professional Editors’ Guild (PEG) has been committed to keeping its members updated and informed through publications. PEG’s first newsletter was a five-page paper document that highlighted events and news relevant to editors. The second official newsletter was published in November 1994 with the name ‘Professional Editors’ Group Newsletter,’ and it looked like this:

Professional Editors’ Group Newsletter 1994
PEG’s newsletter was printed and mailed to everyone – indeed, for two decades at least, members relied on the physical delivery of hard-copy newsletters to each and every member. What a long way we’ve come! The newsletter was named PEGboard in March 1995 – a name that has stood the test of time. Even the members’ directory was typed up annually and posted to subscribers.
2008 | The halfway mark
PEG’s website was launched in 2003, which opened avenues for increased exposure to and sharing of information with its members. Around 2008, one of PEG’s (now) honorary members, Hester von Wielligh, took over the PEGboard reins and encouraged the organisation’s move to a digital publication. Along with an upgraded website, PEG moved online with as many of its services as possible. PEGboard became accessible to all members in a shorter period of time than before, at a reduced cost to the organisation and with greater surety than postal services could guarantee.
From 2009, the newsletter was made available to members on the website accompanied by interim snippets of information gathered and disseminated by Lia Marus, titled the P-zine. It ran for about two years, updating members between issues of PEGboard.
Under the guidance of another of our stalwart (and honorary) members, John Linnegar, PEG was positioned to become recognised as a formal organisation that actively pursued professionalism and development within the sector. Along with this came the ever-increasing expansion of PEG publications, starting with the slim Consistency, consistency, consistency. Our records suggest that it was between 2008 and 2009 that a portfolio dedicated to publications was created.
2023 | PEG publications 30 years on
As PEG continued to grow, so did the range of publications made available to PEG members and members of the public. In 2009, the first of PEG’s guides was published: Consistency, consistency, consistency: The PEG guide to style guides. This has been followed by four subsequent guides, all of which are now available in hard copy and PDF. Other shorter e-guides are freely available to PEG members.
Our most recent addition to PEG’s publication space is PEGblog. Launched in 2021, our blog posts cover a range of editing-related topics. Many have a slightly more conversational style, which offers a quick, informative read and a welcome break in the middle of our busy editing days.
Here’s a short list of some of the publications PEG now boasts in its 30 years of existence (all accessible on the website but some with access restricted to members only):
- PEG guides: Consistency, consistency, consistency (2009), The business of editing (2011), Marketing your freelance services (2015), The PEG guide to grammar and punctuation (2018), Editing fiction (2021)
- PEG e-guides: Legislation, Hulpbronne vir Teksredigering and Resources for Text Editing (2020)
- Backdated copies of PEGboard
- Copy-editing academic texts: Guidelines for students and authors (2022)
- The basics of academic referencing (2023)
- PEGblog at https://editors.org.za/category/PEGblog
So the postman (or should that be ‘post person’) may have left our ranks, but PEG has leveraged the digital age to ensure it continues to promote excellence in editing. It’s a happy birthday indeed!
With thanks to John Linnegar and Alison Downie for ensuring accuracy of content.
PEG celebrated 30 years of existence in 2023 and we hosted our first online conference on 31 May and 1 June 2023.
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