Hello there! This is a rare weekend newsletter just to make some quick announcements of upcoming courses I’m offering that you may be interested in if you’re contemplating a career shift to editing (or if you’re already working as an editor and want to do some professional development).
On Wednesday, April 22, I’m hosting a webinar with the Editorial Freelancer’s Association on the topic of academic developmental editing. This is a 60-minute presentation (+30-minute Q&A) designed to introduce prospective freelance editors to what’s involved in working with academic authors. I’ll be covering what developmental editing is, how it fits into the ecosystem of academic publishing, what developmental editors typically do when they edit books and other texts for clients, the nuts and bolts of executing a job for a client, and how to market yourself and build a client base as you run your own business. There’s a lot packed in there, so it’s a great way to figure out if this is something you’d like to pursue as a career.
As a follow-up to the webinar, I’m also offering an 8-week online course in the fall. It’s the only course of its kind that I’m aware of, and it’s the course I wish I could have enrolled in when I took the leap to start my own editing business after leaving academia. There are other developmental editing courses out there as part of full editing certificate programs, but as far as I know none of them is geared toward academic editing (and they all cost more than this one). I ran it last fall too, and the participants all got a lot out of it I think. Last time it filled to capacity before the start date, so it wouldn’t hurt to enroll early if you know you want to do it. All the materials will be available for asynchronous engagement so even if you end up too busy to do the synchronous elements (forum posts + live Q&A sessions), it’ll still be worthwhile.
And of course there’s the Manuscript Works Book Proposal Accelerator, which is geared toward scholars working on book proposals, but it’s also open to editors who want to educate themselves on the norms and expectations of academic book proposals in order to better serve their clients. I’ve had freelance editors enroll in previous sessions and they’ve enjoyed it. Plus it gives you the chance to see what a group of real prospective authors are going through and what questions they have about the process. The next session starts May 1 and runs through June 18, and it’s likely the last one I’ll be offering this year.
As always, I’m here to answer your questions if you reply to this newsletter or send me a message on Twitter. Hope you’re staying safe, wherever you are.
I can vouch for the 8-week class. I learned so much not only about academic developmental editing (which I had already been doing, but not with confidence) but also about marketing and pricing my services appropriately. I was able to apply this course to my next job just a few week later, and *I* was just as impressed as the author. :)