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INTRODUCTION
(from Summer 2003)
We have taken the format of last year's highly successful training and courses feature and brought in the complementary subject of career development.
Over the next four months we will include contributions from all the major training/course providers as well as articles from recruitment professionals plus a regular column from Suzanne Collier on career development.

Cartoons tailor-made for books, sensible@screaming.net

OFFERING A HELPING HAND

Suzanne Collier

Q. What does a career development consultant do?
A. A career development consultant helps people overcome all kinds of challenges that they may face in their career, from assisting with their CVs, interview techniques, putting together a job-search programme, when they feel stale in a role, or help them to overcome the effects of redundancy and other work-placed related issues, such as bullying.
Do people use career development consultants at specific times in their careers?
These days it is pretty standard at all times of their career. In the past, the only time one may have met a career development consultant was just after graduation or if being made redundant from a company after many years’ service. But now, with industry and markets changing rapidly and people wanting to change their careers for the better, we are very much in demand.
At bookcareers.com, over the past year we have seen people from every level: those seeking their first job; executives; managers; freelancers; company directors; as well as those working outside the industry who want to transfer their skills.
That is a very broad range. Have you managed to help them all?
As we pre-screen all clients, we don’t take people on that we feel we can’t help. We have had good testimonials from previous clients, but unfortunately, because of the high level of confidentiality that we offer, we can’t name names.
To what extent will a career development consultant work with, or compete
with a recruitment agency?
Career development is completely different from recruitment. If you see a career development consultant it doesn’t mean you are looking to change jobs or employers. Career development is about looking after the needs and wants of the individual during times of personal and professional change. We do stay in contact with agencies and employers that have vacancies in order to keep in touch with current market trends. We also continue our own personal development by regular training and networking with consultants from other industries.
What fees are involved? How long does it take?
An individual consultation usually costs £95, lasts approximately an hour and a half and includes three weeks’ e-mail support. Clients usually need only one consultation. When we offer outplacement, the level of service we give depends on the requirement of the company, and fees start from £150. We can offer longer periods of e-mail support or “coaching gym” if required. This means that someone who has a long period of redundancy notice can have non-stop access to a consultant while they are looking for a new job.
Will employers find out or be notified in any way that an employee has seen a consultant?
Unless the consultation has been booked via an employer (as part of outplacement or work based assessment) then the answer is NO. We offer all clients the highest level of confidentiality; we do not discuss our work or our clients with anyone.
What is unique about bookcareers.com?
We only see people who want to remain in or enter the book industry. We believe that working with books is a vocation and that particularly those in creative roles need to see a consultant who understands the personal input that goes into every project or book.
© Suzanne Collier / bookcareers.com 2003
bookcareers.com PO Box 1441, Ilford, Essex, IG4 5DD. Tel: 020 8550 8023 E-mail: suzanne@bookcareers.com

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POSTGRADUATE PUBLISHING COURSES
The Aberdeen Business School The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, offers a variety of postgraduate courses and modules in publishing.
The PgCert/PgDip/MSc in Publishing Studies is offered on a full-time (one year) or part-time, distance-learning (three years) basis. It is aimed at graduates looking to start a career in the publishing industry or those who are at the beginning of their careers in the industry. The full-time course includes a four-week placement period.
The part-time course is delivered by distance learning and all course modules are available over the Internet on the University’s Virtual Campus. Essential textbooks are supplied and support is delivered via the Virtual Campus. Modules from the course are also now available on an individual, continuing professional development basis.
The School also offers a PgCert/PgDip/MSc in Electronic Publishing. This course is intended for graduates in any discipline and is designed to provide an educational preparation for those who are looking to commence a career in the industry. The course aims to develop an understanding of the characteristics of the publishing industry and expertise in the development, management and use of electronic media systems. The full-time course includes a four-week placement period. Again, the course is also offered as a part-time distance-learning course.
The school also offers two undergraduate programmes: BA(Hons) in Publishing and a BA(Hons) in Publishing with Journalism.
For further details please contact Sarah Pedersen s.pedersen@rgu.ac.uk, Aberdeen Business School, Management Building, The Robert Gordon University, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen AB10 7QE Tel: +44 (0)1224 26-3900 Fax: +44 (0)1224 26-3939
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LCP LAUNCHES ONLINE DEGREE
The London College of Printing has launched a Foundation Degree (FdA) in Printing and Publishing that is delivered via the Internet. The FdA is a new qualification, initiated by the government that allows successful candidates to progress directly to the third year of a BA (Hons)
If you are in employment, why waste valuable time travelling to college when you can study online for a Foundation degree in Printing and Publishing Production. There is no need to take a day off from work or give up two evenings a week when you can learn online anytime or anywhere.
The course will particularly benefit people outside London who would find it difficult or impossible to travel in each week, or who have no access to a similar programme.
Workplace experiences can be recognised as part of the assessment criteria, as part of the qualification the assignments you will carry out are based on your working environment.
Subjects looked at will include:
Print Media Production – This unit focuses on the diverse range of production processes currently available and examines the contribution of new technology to cost effective production for both traditional and new media. Issues will be raised relating to systems, processes and materials inherent in the context of the printing and publishing industries.
The Publishing Environment - This unit focuses on the principle business aspects of printing and publishing industries. It will enable you to understand the competitive nature and characteristics of these important sectors of the communications media industry. The unit will focus on the key operations of content creation, editorial practice and production management, and workflow. The unit will also deal with the functional relationship between marketing, sales and distribution within the book and magazine sectors of the industry. The inter-relationships between the publisher and the printer will also be explored.Material Technology - This unit focuses on the diverse range of production processes currently available and examines the contribution of new technology to cost-effective production for both traditional and new media. Issues will be raised relating to systems, processes and materials inherent in the context of the printing and publishing industries.
Why not join us as an e-student?.This is only one of a number of courses currently available via lcp<direct>.They vary from short programmes to our FdA and more are coming soon. With over 40 programmes already online, lcp<direct is recognised by the European Graphics Industry Network as the leader in the field of online learning for the industry.
For more information contact Farida on 0207 514 8141 or e-mail info@lcpdirect.com
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JULY ISSUE:

DEALING WITH REDUNDANCY
Suzanne Collier
Redundancy is a huge shock; it is compared with bereavement and divorce. Although these days there is little stigma in being made redundant, it does not reduce the personal and emotional stress that losing your job, your regular income, and your daily routine brings.
If you are at home all day it is easy to lapse into total despondency. It can also severely affect your relationship with your partner, especially when they still have a job to go to.
It is important to maintain a daily routine. The first thing to do is get rid of your aggression and emotion, but try not to do this with the people around you - go and do some sport, go for a run or walk. As exercise also releases the natural endorphins in your body it will also help raise your mood. Solitary exercise also gives you time to think, time to plan, and should invigorate yourself into action.
It is also important that you get out of the house every day, even if it is just for a short walk. The less you use your body, the less your body will want to do.
Keep in touch with people who are still working, but remember that they are still in jobs and don't have all day to chat on the phone. If you have contacts within the industry - use them, tell them you are looking for work, make sure that if you no longer see the trade press that someone can arrange for vacancies to be sent to you. Try to motivate yourself by spreading out the calls and contacts, so that even if you get a rejection letter from one vacancy, you already have an application in for another.
Understand that you will be feeling the whole range of emotions, varying from total despair to euphoria and some days will be better than others. You will need to find things to get yourself through the bad days. Remember all those jobs at home that you put off because you were always working late or too tired? Well, now is your chance to do them. But if it is your partner who has lost their job, giving them a list of all the household tasks to do every day might seem like a good idea, but it can easily exasperate your partner's self-doubt: instead offer them comfort and reassurance.
If feel you have been treated unfairly and need some legal advice about your situation and you are not a member of the National Union of Journalists (Tel: 020 7278 7916), then contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau; the CAB will also help you reschedule debts if you have to register as unemployed.
If you have been working in publishing for a year or more the Book Trade Benelovent Society (Tel: 0800 100 2304) can also help, and can advise you if you can apply for a re-training grant or other financial assistance.
As to the future and finding your new job, take time to reassess what it is that you want to do. Redundancy is often a time when people think about going freelance, but you have to bear in mind that very few freelancers make a fortune; most just earn enough to keep their head above water.
Think about the things that you enjoyed in your last job, about your likes and dislikes. Did you like working in a team? Or do you prefer working on your own? Do you like sitting at a desk? Do you like being in a corporate environment? Or do you prefer to be in an informal workplace? Think about what you want to do in a new job - the same or something different? Had you not been made redundant what was your career plan? Where did you want to be in five years’ time and how were you going to get there? Why should this temporary glitch make your career plan any different?
You might have to diversify for a while, but any experience is valuable. And what better way to apply for a vacancy that advertises 'must work well under pressure and adapt to change' by demonstrating that you have dealt with the personal pressures of change.
Read some motivational books. Two that I recommend are The Age of Unreason by Charles Handy (Arrow £7.99 0 099548313) and Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins (Scribner £10.99 067179 1540).
Most of all, remember that this is a short-term phase in your life. Things will get better but you have to see the long-term view. Keep forward-thinking. If things just seem too much to deal with then do seek professional counselling - that is what it is there for.
Last month, in the first part of my article on redundancy I considered the emotional impact and in this concluding part we look at ways to deal with the situation and move forward with your career.
If feel you have been treated unfairly and need some legal advice about your situation and you are not a member of the National Union of Journalists (Tel: 020 7278 7916), then contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau; the CAB will also help you reschedule debts if you have to register as unemployed.
If you have been working in publishing for a year or more the Book Trade Benelovent Society (Tel: 0800 100 2304) can also help, and can advise you if you can apply for a re-training grant or other financial assistance.
As to the future and finding your new job, take time to reassess what it is that you want to do. Redundancy is often a time when people think about going freelance, but you have to bear in mind that few freelancers make a fortune; most just earn enough to keep their head above water.
Think about the things that you enjoyed in your last job, about your likes and dislikes. Did you like working in a team? Or do you prefer working on your own? Do you like sitting at a desk? Do you like being in a corporate environment? Or do you prefer to be in an informal workplace? Think about what you want to do in a new job - the same or something different? Had you not been made redundant what was your career plan? Where did you want to be in five years’ time and how were you going to get there? Why should this temporary glitch make your career plan any different?
You might have to diversify for a while, but any experience is valuable. And what better way to apply for a vacancy that advertises 'must work well under pressure and adapt to change' by demonstrating that you have dealt with the personal pressures of change.
Read some motivational books. Two that I recommend are The Age of Unreason by Charles Handy (Arrow £7.99 0 099548313) and Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins (Scribner £10.99 067179 1540).
Most of all, remember that this is a short-term phase in your life. Things will get better but you have to see the long-term view. Keep forward-thinking. If things just seem too much to deal with then do seek professional counselling - that is what it is there for.
© Suzanne Collier / bookcareers.com 2003
bookcareers.com PO Box 1441, Ilford, Essex, IG4 5DD. Tel: 020 8550 8023 E-mail: suzanne@bookcareers.com

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STRENGTH IN SPECIALISM
Chapterhouse has enjoyed a successful 2003 so far, and the company has consolidated its position as the UK’s leading editorial training organisation for the freelance market. But progress is also being made in gaining more corporate training contracts, both for publishing houses and for large businesses.
The Proofreader Plus correspondence course, originally written 12 years ago, was relaunched this year and has been a great success with people wishing to specialise in proofreading. The flagship Proofreading and Editorial Skills course is due to go into a fourth edition later this year.
Changes include a larger amount of practice in copy-editing and extra advice on the publishing industry for freelances and in-house staff. Editorial co-ordinator Ed Williamson says: “The number of our students finding very lucrative work in businesses and government bodies as well as publishing houses is a major factor affecting the re-writing of the course.” It seems that increasing numbers of freelance editors and proofreaders are discovering the challenges and rewards of this ‘all-round’ approach.
“We’ve tended to concentrate on the freelance market over the last decade,” says Tom Richards, courses manager. “But that belies the fact that our roots are in specialist publishing. We specialise in editorial training and teach nothing else – so we are ideally suited to bespoke in-house training.” Chapterhouse runs about 30-40 seminars a year in London and Exeter (where the company was founded in 1991), but reasonably priced in-house training days can also be arranged on request.
Stephen Lloyd, Chapterhouse’s senior tutor and himself a successful (and Chapterhouse-trained) freelance editor, points out the advantages of bespoke training: “Even if you just want to train a group of editorial secretaries and junior editors in basic proofreading and/or copy-editing, we can work with the same sort of material as you deal with and focus on the aspects of the job that matter most to you.”
For more details contact Tom Richards or Ed Williamson at Chapterhouse on 0800 328 8396 or e-mail enquiries@chapterhousepublishing.com

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IN 2003, WHAT DO PUBLISHERS WANT?

Rachel Maund

Rachel Maund, director of Marketability (UK) has been a tutor on Publishing Training Centre courses since 1991, and now runs courses for ALPSP, the Scottish Publishers Association, and for the National Book Development Council in Singapore as well as Marketability.
“Training for publishers – you’re brave,” quipped friends around the industry when Marketability launched its marketing training programme three years’ ago. But we knew from personal experience that publishers wanted training, provided they were convinced that it was time well spent out of the office. And we believed we could make it work by basing our training style and content on what we as marketing directors in publishing had wanted ourselves.
So as a new kid on the training block, what has this experience taught us about what publishers want from courses?
- Practicality. If you can’t imagine yourself implementing ideas picked up on training courses, that’s frustrating, and a luxury we increasingly can’t afford the time for.
- Publishing expertise. We chose to focus our training on publishing because that was what we knew, and we believed we could do it well. For some courses – especially personal skills – there’s a real benefit to spending time with people from outside. But for marketing skills and decision-making it still helps to understand the publishing context.
- Responsiveness to the particular needs of individuals. In training, one size definitely does not fit all, and people demand flexibility of their tutors.
- The ability to exchange ideas with other delegates. A day with lots of informal discussion is more motivating for everyone and, frankly, over the years we’ve learned a good deal from our delegates too.
- Limited time away from the office. A day out of the working week is easier to justify than two days.
- Nice food, and plenty of it! Naively we expected the novelty of lunch out to have worn off, but we were wrong, and found the three-course lunch was seen as a real bonus.
- A certificate of attendance! Despite our reservations (after all, you don’t take an exam at the end of a course), delegates repeatedly told us they’d like one, and although we were initially bashful handing them out, delegates were right.
- Increasingly, publishers are looking for tailor-made in-house training, and we support this too. We only have one company culture to respond to, and we can pitch content, style and format of the day fairly precisely. It’s hugely rewarding for us to develop and run a course in-house that really hits the spot, and the possibilities are endless.
If you are looking for courses based on criteria we don’t yet know about then we’d like to hear from you.
Marketability provides one-day interactive training workshops in copywriting, e-marketing, marketing planning, direct mail, running focus groups, publicity (for small and non-trade publishers), and a two-day publishing induction course. Venues are in central London, central Oxford, and at Hampton Court.
For more information, and for the latest 2003-2004 course diary, e-mail at rachel.marketability@btinternet.com, Tel: 020 8977 2741, or check out the website at www.marketability.info

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A sEa CHANGE AT THE PUBLISHING TRAINING CENTRE
For over a quarter of a century, part of the book and journal publishing experience has included a trip or two to Book House in Wandsworth, the home of the Publishing Training Centre, to brush up key publishing skills. From proofreading to production, marketing to management, PTC has designed, developed and delivered a host of relevant training for aspiring publishers. These courses have traditionally been delivered on the PTC premises, and range in duration from one to four days.

So what can be achieved in such a short time span that cannot be acquired “on the job”? According to the feedback and the research, a surprisingly large amount. Various critical factors affect the impact of the programme on the effectiveness and efficiency of the delegates. The attitude they bring to the training environment, their willingness to change and enthusiasm for the subject; the relevance and timing of the programme; follow-up in the office; the quality of the tutor; all this and more will influence the amount of positive change that can be achieved. But one overriding limitation to the potential of the training to deliver results has always been time. Now this is about to change.
In June, the PTC online training support service went live. Initially delegates signing up for editorial skills courses will be offered, at no additional cost, access to e-learning and ongoing tutorial contact both pre and post the classroom-based experience. The editorial support will shortly be followed by proofreading, which means that the opportunity to learn and improve is extended well beyond the short period of time spent in front of a trainer. It will change forever the experience of attending a PTC course.
The e-learning content has been split into two sections. The first consists of pre-course exercises and information, and is free to all to browse, irrespective of any course enrolment, and can be accessed via the PTC website. Delegates who attend the classroom course and delegates enrolling for the distance learning programme are then given a “key” that entitles them to use the array of support services available for several more months. This service includes a tutor-supported bulletin board where questions and answers can be posted, more case studies, frequently asked questions, additional advice and revision exercises.
It has not been an easy process to develop and launch this service, and it is largely thanks to the unique status of PTC as an educational charity that it has been possible to deliver without any increase in charges. The long-term strategy is to continue to invest in e-learning, blending the best aspects of the training room with additional electronic support across a wider range of programmes.
Some courses may lend themselves to complete migration to the electronic environment, but such a move will only be made if it is in the genuine interests of the learner. Additionally, PTC needs to learn from the experience as well, and will continue to work on the quality of the provision to ensure it delivers the best possible learning opportunity at the best possible price.
For more information on the new service, e-mail publishing.training@bookhouse.co.uk, or visit the website www.train4publishing.co.uk, or telephone 020 8874 2718.

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QUARK XPRESS FOR EDITORS
On September 16-17, The Publishing Training Centre launches a new two-day course, QuarkXPress for Editors.
It is designed to help editors and production editors make best use of their existing editing skills when working on QuarkXPress files that have been created elsewhere.
Delegates will learn how to edit and proof documents effectively, how to prepare files for production and how to identify potential problem areas.
Anyone attending will need some knowledge of QuarkXPress, as this course aims to show delegates how to get the best out if it rather than provide a basic introduction.
For further information, please call The Publishing Training Centre on 020 8874 2718 or visit www.train4publishing.co.uk.
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THE SfEP AND EDITORIAL EXCELLENCE
The Society of Freelance Editors and Proofreaders (as it was then called) was founded in 1988, largely in response to the redundancies and outsourcing that followed the publishing mergers of the 1980s. It was set up primarily to promote (1) editorial standards and (2) the professional status of its members, but training was also high on the agenda from the start.
Norma Whitcombe, the prime mover behind the society’s foundation, was keenly aware that loss of experienced in-house staff meant loss of training opportunities for beginners in publishing. Training workshops for newcomers were among the first activities of the Society, and when Norma Whitcombe died in 1993, the society’s first training fund was named after her. Along with many other training providers, the society joined the government-backed Publishing NTO last year, with hopes that training in publishing as a whole was about to be placed on a more solid, formalised footing - but as things turned out, that initiative was barely started before it was taken away.
The Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), as it has now become, has a membership that has grown from 68 to over 1,200 and runs training courses in London, Edinburgh, Bristol and York. The programme ranges from introductory courses in copy-editing and proofreading to project management, on-screen editing and web editing, with specialist courses in editing such subjects as music and mathematics, and others geared to running a freelance editorial business – “Going freelance and staying there” and “Working for non-publishers” among others. The intermediate courses - “Proofreading problems” and “Copy-editing problems” - are gateways to the society’s mentoring schemes in proofreading and (imminently) copy-editing.
The SfEP remains profoundly committed to training as part of its mission to uphold editorial excellence. The revised membership structure established in 2002 was designed in part to encourage members to invest in self-development and aspire to rise up the hierarchy. All the society’s courses are open to non-members (and are attended by many), but one benefit of membership (individual or corporate) is a reduction in course fees. A second training fund has been earmarked to help those at the entry level to pay for their early training, start working and progress towards full membership.
The qualifications offered by the society to its members, Accreditation and Registration, are becoming widely recognised among publishing clients.
For more information see the training and accreditation areas of the website, www.sfep.org.uk, or contact Helen Martin, general secretary, on 020 7736 3278.

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BOOKTRADE TRAINING IN RUSSIA
The Publishing Training Centre’s chief executive, John Whitley, gives an update on the project to develop a publishing training infrastructure for the Russian book industry.
I must be mad. I know I am, because I’m sitting on a rickety old plane five miles above Siberia. Moscow airport, our erstwhile destination, has just closed and nobody can tell me what the hell is going on and all the Russians are trying to use their mobile phones even at this altitude and I know we’re going to run out of fuel and be eaten by tigers or each other in the frozen wilderness below.
It is at moments like this that I regret getting myself into this project. The Publishing Training Centre is trying to get book trade training established in Russia, with the help of The British Council, The European Union and lots of Russian friendship and goodwill. The project is a nightmare of pitfalls. The money comes from Europe and is bound by regulations about what can and cannot be done with it.
The reporting regime is hideous. The infrastructure we have established is fragile. The timeframes are impossible.
Have we bitten off more than we can chew?
Maybe not.
My latest trip was refreshingly free of problems. Everybody turned up. Everybody co-operated. Decisions were taken. We have all our partnerships in place and people really want to see a successful outcome. The writers are busy writing the courses, the analysis has been completed, the Russian experts are appointed, the trainers almost recruited. We are nearly ready, after more than two years of trying, to begin running some programmes.
Russia is a remarkable place, full of ingenious and friendly people. Just when you think the problems are insurmountable, they find a way round them, or over them, or they melt away like snow in springtime and you wonder why you were getting exercised about it at all.
The greatest difficulties are actually not in Russia at all, but in managing the bureaucratic jungle of Brussels’ paperwork. Luckily for PTC, the bulk of this responsibility is handled by The British Council.
The great test, though, is yet to come. If we are to consider ourselves successful we must leave behind a strong legacy of skills and experience that can continue to be disseminated beyond the boundaries of this project. We will be training the Russians to deliver their own courses in a commercial context, and we can only guess how sustainable their training markets are. For myself, the legacy will certainly be lasting; a bond of friendship and respect that has changed my view of this exceptional country forever.

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HOW TO BE A SMART WORKER
Suzanne Collier of bookcareers.com considers time management.
You’ve just come back from holiday and realised that the next holiday you will get is Christmas. As you sit counting the days on the calendar, you wonder whatever happened to the promise you made to yourself about not working late.
It is all too easy to get into the habit of working late, taking work home, working on your journey to/from the office, but in the end it will destroy you. Do you honestly think your mind and body can give a good day’s work during normal office hours if you have been working non-stop outside of these? The phrase “work smarter, not harder” springs to my mind.
Here are some points to help you manage your time more effectively during the day:
m Interruptions: some you can stop, some you can’t stop. But somehow if you found an hour of time in your day, you might actually get some work done.
m Those from colleagues: if you are a manager you may operate an “open-door” policy - try to set aside at least an hour a day when your door is closed, except for emergencies.
m Telephones: If you are not in a position to switch on your voicemail (ie, you answer constant enquiries) try to get a colleague to field your phone calls - you could then return the favour.
m E-mail: this is now the number one time stealer. Try to filter out the unimportant e-mails by using your e-mail programme more effectively. Set up additional folders and rules to move e-mails out of your inbox and straight into a sub-folder. You will still be able to view new emails, but you won’t get caught out by reading non-urgent correspondence when you are busy. And stop checking your e-mail every two minutes!
Prioritise the rest of your work. Take 10 minutes out of your day to plan what you are going to do for the rest of it, allowing of course for that unexpected urgent item. How do you plan for the unexpected? Don’t overload your list. Good time management practioners recommend that your daily list consists of no more than six things to do in any one day, as you will never complete it all. Yes, I know you have 60 things to do, but if you managed to finish six instead of shuffling around 60 perhaps you wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed.
If you are not sure as to what is stealing your time during the day, why not conduct your own time and motion study? Monitor at regular intervals what work you are doing and how long it is taking you to complete.
If your company has a training policy, ask if you can go on a course to polish up your skills or take a Time Management course to help you to be more organised.
You may wonder what colleagues will think if you start leaving on time, but you are not doing any less work; you are just using your time in the office more effectively.
The people who have the most success in their careers, as well as in life, are those who manage to have a life outside of their job. Isn’t it time that you, too, had a life outside your job?
Suzanne Collier is a Career Development Consultant from bookcareers.com and can be contacted by e-mail at suzanne@bookcareers.com

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THE ART OF COPY EDITING
Chapterhouse, the editorial training company, has announced the launch of a new course. The Art of Copy-Editing is an intensive two-day seminar providing a thorough grounding in all aspects of working as an in-house or freelance copy-editor. Tom Richards, Courses Manager, explains that, “This is a course that we’ve introduced at the request of publishers who wanted to train their junior editorial staff quickly and at a reasonable cost.” The course will focus on the techniques required to become a reliable, unobtrusive copy-editor who will get on with the job without interfering too much with the manuscript. With training budgets low, this course suits the current climate.
“Some publishers are starting to lose sight of the fact that editorial is ultimately the most important element of our profession,” Richards says. “Expecting new and inexperienced editorial staff to ‘learn on the job’ is all very well, but it can be slapdash and patchy. Good training is the only way to ensure the job is done competently.” Subsidised by strong sales of its correspondence courses, Chapterhouse has priced The Art of Copy-Editing at under £300. “Two days and £285 is a low price to pay for high editorial standards,” says Stephen Lloyd, Senior Tutor.
Chapterhouse, which earlier this summer announced increased co-operation and dialogue with the SfEP, has had a successful year. “We’re making good progress with revisions to a number of courses,” says Ed Williamson, Editorial Co-Ordinator, “and we’re liaising closely with the industry and our students to make the changes as helpful as possible.” Certainly, the re-launched Proofreader Plus correspondence course has been a great success, and there has been a marked rise in corporate and in-house training bookings.