BECOME A BOOK EDITOR

Get the lay of the land. We’ll walk through how the course runs, what you’ll learn, and what’s expected, so you’re all clear on the roadmap.

• Instructor intro
• General housekeeping
• Roadmap for the course
• Assignment & projects overview
• Publishing quiz

Get the full picture of how publishing works — from Big 5 boardrooms to indie disruptors, from first idea to bookshop shelf. Break down who does what, explore fiction vs. non-fiction, formats, and specialties. Leave knowing how a book becomes a business.

• The current publishing landscape: The Big 5 & emerging publishers
• How a book comes to life: Idea to marketplace
• Roles & departments: Editor role & book editing specialties
• Book formats: Print & digital books
• Fiction vs. non-fiction
• Case Studies: When We Ruled by Paula Akpan & All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker

Figure out why some books fly off the shelves while others quietly disappear. Break down readers, markets, pitches, and competitive titles — and learn how to balance creative instinct with commercial reality so your projects sell well.

• Target markets & target audience: Genres, tastes, buying habits
• The importance of the pitch
• Competitive titles & why we need them
• Publishing as a business
• Effective marketing strategies & campaigns
• Workshop: Writing marketing copy

Assignment #1: Go to a bookshop. Pick up three different books, analyse their target audience and their appeal for the reader.

Read like an editor, spot potential, and give feedback that matters. Learn how manuscripts make it to acquisitions, what separates a promising book from a forgettable one, and practice evaluating a real piece of writing.

• How manuscripts reach editors: Submissions & acquisitions
• What makes a book good enough
• Reading like an editor
• Selecting a manuscript: Evaluation criteria
• Feedback
• Workshop: Manuscript assessment

Assignment #2: Get ready to pitch a book idea & write your short elevator pitch.

Learn how to craft, deliver, and refine acquisitions pitches, negotiate terms, and understand what makes a winning offer — all while getting real-time feedback and practical insights from case studies.

• Pitch at Acquisition
• Pitching to authors
• Creating a costing
• Auction acquiring
• Case Study: Negotiations & offer memo

Get hands-on with different editing approaches, understand why each matters, and start figuring out which style fits you best. Learn how to communicate edits clearly to authors, whether through notes, calls, or annotated manuscripts.

• Importance of editing
• The relationship with authors & ghostwriters
• Developmental & structural editing
• Editorial letters, in-text edits, over the phone communication
• Editing non-fiction vs. fiction
• Guest Speaker: Professional editor on editing preferences

Learn to spot structural hiccups, tighten plots, and give feedback that helps authors improve their work. Balance critique with encouragement, shape strong characters and arguments, and turn editorial notes into a constructive conversation that moves the story forward.

• Structural & developmental editorial skills
• Editorial critiques & constructive feedback
• Editing as a conversation
• How to approach developmental & content editing
• Finding inconsistencies
• Workshop: Editorial letter

Assignment #3: Draft editorial feedback on a sample short story text.

Spot the errors, smooth the flow, and polish text until it reads effortlessly. Sharpen your eye for consistency, pacing, and clarity, while keeping the author’s voice intact.

• Style, author’s voice, consistency
• Cutting text: Word choice, wordiness, clarity
• Pacing: Purpose, tension, chapter endings
• Target audience perspective
• Copyediting vs. proofreading: Grammar mishaps, mechanical errors, style guides
• Grammar quiz

Get your hands dirty with real editing — from line edits to sensitivity checks — while learning how to navigate the legal and ethical side of publishing. Collaborate, critique, and polish texts, and leave with practical skills you can put straight into your portfolio.

• The legal bit
• Content awareness, warnings, sensitivity readers
• Demo: Line editing
• Working with other editors & freelancers
• Workshop: Line editing & copyediting

Assignment #4: Pick out the cover of a book you really love and explain why.

Learn to brief designers, critique concepts, and translate author vision into covers that sell. Hear from a pro guest designer and see what makes a cover really work in the market.

• Good cover design
• Case Study: Effective covers
• Workshop: Cover design brief
• Liaising between cover designer & author
• Guest speaker: Cover Designer

Get a full view of how a book comes to life — from editorial handoffs to production timelines, digital formats, and rights opportunities. Learn to coordinate teams, meet deadlines, and spot ways a book can earn before it even hits shelves with insider tips.

• In-house process management
• Demo: Managing production timelines & critical path
• Team collaboration & deadlines
• E-books & audiobooks production
• Rights: Sub-rights, translation, book-to-movie adaptations
• Guest Speaker: Industry expert

See how publicity, marketing, and sales get books into readers’ hands. You’ll learn to navigate media, retailers, and international channels, and craft winning communications plans. See how to make a book visible, desirable, and sellable.

• Publicity vs. marketing strategy
• Media & author management: Press coverage, book tours, award nominations
• The retail ecosystem, export, special sales
• Pitching & sales tools
• Workshop: Developing a communications plan
• Guest Speaker: Publicity & sales expert

Plot your next moves in publishing. Learn how to network with authors and editors, build a portfolio that gets noticed, pitch freelance projects, and prepare for interviews — all while getting your questions answered live.

• Career paths & guidance
• Networking essentials
• Creating a professional portfolio & cover letter
• Freelance opportunities & freelance business
• Interview prep
• Final Q&A

Final Project: Editorial Letter & Vision
Part 1: Write an editorial letter to an author based on a sample text, offering a short developmental edit.
Part 2: Create an editorial vision to include book description, potential author, sales and comms points, competitor titles, and a cover brief.