Paid Resources for Upskilling
In our feature for Issue 5, we covered many free resources for upskilling, so for this issue we thought we would present paid options that can also be useful for this purpose. They could be good to increase your knowledge. However, they are not a requirement for an entry-level role so don’t feel like you have to do them, or are positioned at a detriment by not having done them.
The Publishing Training Centre
One of the well-known training providers whose qualifications are recognised by publishing houses. Their courses can be expensive, but they are extensive and you learn a lot. They cover many areas, from editorial to marketing, people management, project management and rights management. Their in-person courses have moved online for remote learning (e.g. ‘Introduction to Marketing’), and they also have a number of online correspondence courses (e.g. ’Essential Proofreading’). Additionally, there are a number of shorter self-study e-learning courses; once enrolled, you have access for eight months. The cheaper introductory courses worth mentioning are ‘What is Proofreading?’ and ‘What is Copy-Editing?’; these are only £29! The Society of Young Publishers offers discounts in collaboration with them.
The Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading
The CIEP is a non-profit organisation that provides training and a support network for editorial professionals. With a strong reputation in the publishing industry, their courses cover a huge range of topics for new entrants to the field and experts alike. As well as proofreading and copy-editing training, they offer more general ways to upskill (e.g. Getting to Grips with Grammar and Punctuation (£170 for members) and Practical Mark-up of Pdfs (£92 for members)). These are taught through webinars, self-study with personal tutors, live in-person workshops and in-house training (workshops and in-house training are on hold for now).
UCL
University College London hosts a variety of courses (now online), including their popular four-day course ‘Get Into Publishing’ (£250). This year’s course has ended but keep your eyes peeled for next year’s one, as well as other courses more tailored to Editorial (October 3rd) and Marketing (Oct 17th). All events are booked through EventBrite and if you are a student you may be eligible for funding.
University of the Arts London Short Courses
The short courses provided by University of the Arts London are another immensely useful resource for those in need of sharpening their skills and gaining accreditation from various industry recognised bodies and organisations. Notable courses include their three-day Digital Marketing course, four-week Graphic Design course and six-week Confident Copywriting course.
BookMachine
BookMachine has two membership options – community membership (£5/month), which gives 20% discounts on virtual events and 50% off online training courses, and Community and Event membership (£10/month), which includes free entry to BookMachine virtual events, alongside the community bonus of 50% off online training courses. They offer many publishing-industry specific courses (e.g. ‘Practical Publicity to Strengthen Your Next Campaign’),alongside the opportunity to network with fellow members in assigned groups.
I know we have mentioned this one a lot, but as it is a paid service (if you’re not a university student), you would have to pay for LinkedIn Learning and Lynda on a monthly basis. Access to a range of courses on design and Microsoft Office applications and completion certificates can be transferred to your LinkedIn profile. A few courses to keep in mind are Learning Metadata for Publishing, Learning Excel 2019 and Learning E-Book Publishing.
The Bookseller
The Bookseller is another extremely useful resource that offers student discounts (£39 for the standard service and £60 for the premium service which includes print copies), for both their digital and physical copy packages. We highly recommend these for keeping up-to-date with industry news for those interested in understanding the business at a professional level. Additionally, signing up to the website allows subscribers to apply for jobs directly through the company.
Chapterhouse
If you are entertaining the option of going down a freelance route, Chapterhouse do paid courses and seminars on proofreading and copy-editing.
Reed
This platform is one that is not directly linked to publishing, but some publishing hopefuls have done proofreading courses on Reed. It also has courses on how to self-publish and to learn more about Amazon Kindle publishing!
Centre of Excellence
I also know some publishing hopefuls have completed courses from this provider because it is less expensive. They usually do discount codes to do courses for £29. You can find these on their Facebook page, or by subscribing to their mailing list. An example course relevant to publishing is their ‘Proofreading and Editing’ Diploma. These can be done at your own pace and last forever.