Progress in Editorial Skills: Copy-Editing and Proofreading

How the course is delivered

The course consists of six x 1.5-hour sessions plus breaks, each a mixture of delivery and interaction using Zoom breakout rooms and other online tools. There will be a 45-minute exercise set to complete between the sessions, and a 45-minute break. The course will run on from 9.30am to 2.00pm on each day.

You will need to activate a free Zoom account to join the course. This takes two minutes and does not require any payment. It is purely for administrative purposes.

Any information to be completed beforehand will be sent via email.

Accessibility

Please contact us at courses@publishingtrainingcentre.co.uk with any accessibility or special requirements, for example having in-session captions or the learning materials sent to you in advance.

If you have any concerns about technical requirements or access please contact us on courses@publishingtrainingcentre.co.uk or telephone (+44) 020 8874 2718.

Delegate feedback

“Sarah was excellent. She explained things clearly and I felt comfortable asking questions. I enjoyed the group activities, with the chance to work with the other participants. I now have knowledge of more specialist areas of copyediting and proofreading, and feel confident in checking illustrated layouts and design, and marking up illustrated PDFs.” Bonnier Books UK delegate

“I feel more confident developing style sheets and when to edit text or not, depending on the stage of the process. I have a checklist for content with tables, diagrams and figures and can also check referencing in academic essays more effectively. I enjoyed the interaction with other participants, especially as they are more experienced editors.” Freelance Writer/Editor

“Sarah is really good at keeping momentum going and shares useful knowledge. I’ve increased my confidence in my existing skills.” Freelance Copy-Editor

“I enjoyed the course and have a greater understanding of copyfitting and related skills.” Law Business Research delegate

“I really enjoyed the course. I’ve gained better knowledge of marking up PDFs, and confidence in copyediting and proofreading.” What on Earth Publishing delegate

“I enjoyed the course immensely – even if it was a little intense, with a lot to cover. Caroline’s anecdotes from her experience in the industry were really valuable, as we seldom get the chance to hear such stories, especially from a figure who has such rich experience and wisdom. I am more confident about my skills, have broadened my knowledge in the field, and am able to immediately implement the knowledge gained.” Law Business Research delegate

“The course was excellent, and Caroline a very good tutor. I have increased my knowledge of certain editorial issues, e.g. referencing. I cannot think of any improvements.” Authentic Media delegate

“The course was excellent in terms of the material and how it was delivered. The trainer was organised, professional, enthusiastic and extremely knowledgeable. I’ve gained a much more comprehensive understanding of the editorial process and would recommend this course to anyone looking to develop their skills in this area.”  International Fund for Agricultural Development delegate

“I loved the course. Sarah made the sessions incredibly interactive and interesting. I’ve gained more confidence when copy-editing and technical workarounds to make life easier.”  Editorial Assistant, York Press

“I enjoyed the course very much - it was really good via Zoom. I have a better understanding of parts of the editorial process that I don't usually experience in my current role.”  OECD Nuclear Energy Agency delegate

About the tutor(s)

The tutors devised and fully updated the course in 2021. One tutor will deliver all three morning sessions of a course. 

In an in-house career that took her to Berlin, London, Oxford and Cambridge, Caro Drake worked on a wide range of academic books, journals and illustrated trade titles. She was trained at Blackwell and Cambridge University Press, where, as senior subeditor then copy-editorial manager, she in turn trained copy-editors and proofreaders for fifteen years. She updated Butcher’s Copy-editing, with a colleague, for the fourth edition.

Now freelance, Caro enjoys helping authors to get things right, first time. She has created and taught courses for a variety of clients, including publishers, educational organisations, the CIEP and the reporters of the Scottish Parliament.

 Since 1999, Sarah Sodhi has proofed, tagged, bound, corrected, edited, managed, commissioned, subbed, scheduled, estimated and produced a great deal of content – from interactive, multi-media resources to marketing leaflets, from monthly magazines to 900-page medical tomes.

Starting her career at a small medical publisher in Oxford, Sarah produced medical textbooks, journals and a bi-monthly magazine. She then moved into the public sector to work for an adult education charity, introducing formal scheduling procedures, progress-chasing systems and detailed budgets. After this, she immersed herself in the education sector, editing and managing digital and print resources for primary, secondary and adult education publishers.

 Caroline Knight began her career in publishing at Penguin Books in 1989, when she joined Editorial 2, the department dedicated to copy-editing. She has been a PTC tutor since 1996 and a freelancer since 2010.

Caroline became managing editor of Allen Lane The Penguin Press in 1995 before moving to Weidenfeld & Nicolson Illustrated in 1997. She lived in Greece, working freelance and tutoring at the PTC, from 2000 to 2003, when she became managing editorial director at William Heinemann, an imprint of the Random House group. Five years later, she moved to Atlantic Books, where she stayed until 2010 when she moved to rural Kent and rejoined the freelance community.