Workshops for Editorial Professionals

We can deliver any of our workshops virtually or in person, and we can customize them for your organization or deliver them off-the-shelf.

If you don’t see the type or length of workshop you’re looking for, please ask. We’re always developing new workshops to meet our clients’ needs.

This workshop introduces what editors do at each of the four main levels of the editorial process—structural editing, stylistic editing, copy editing, and proofreading. You will learn about professional editorial standards and the skills, practices, and tools involved in effective and efficient editing.

Length: 2 hours

This workshop offers hands-on practice with various non-fiction content, from trade book excerpts to corporate brochures. You will do exercises to revise outlines, identify both surplus and missing information, and work with visual material. You’ll also learn how to build a strong author-editor relationship, and techniques for smoothing language while respecting the writer’s voice.

Length: 6 hours

Copy editing is arguably an editor’s most important and time-consuming task because it requires close attention to every detail in a manuscript, a thorough knowledge of what to look for and of what style to follow, and the ability to make quick, logical, and defensible decisions. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn where copy editing fits into the editorial and production process, what skills copy editors need, and how to mark up a document. Through exercises, you’ll have the opportunity to learn the mechanics of spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and numbers; the importance of consistency; and how to use style and usage guides.

Length: 6 hours

In this workshop, you will learn what skills a proofreader needs and what standards you must adhere to. Topics include how to mark copy, the difference between proofreading and copy editing (and when to hold the line), and up-to-date techniques for proofreading onscreen. Whether you want to learn basic proofreading skills, or refresh those skills you’ve been using for some time, you will benefit from the hands-on exercises and group discussion.

Length: 6 hours

Good querying skills are as important as any other copy editing function. Effective queries set the tone for a fruitful author-writer relationship and make the editing process more efficient. Poor querying can take a project off the rails. In this workshop, you will review both effective and ineffective queries from actual documents. You will have the opportunity to discuss process and procedure and to practise your querying skills in short exercises.

Length: 3 hours

Style sheets set down the information writers and editors need about spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and other mechanics. They ensure a manuscript remains internally consistent and adheres to the standards of the publication. And no matter how detailed an organization’s own style guide, every document can benefit from having its own style sheet. Using examples of style sheets for projects ranging from cookbooks to corporate publications, this workshop will teach you how to prepare a style sheet that will save time, effort, and money for everyone in the production chain.

Length: 3 to 4 hours

Cookbook editing can be a satisfying niche with a feast of opportunities. In this workshop, you will learn about recipe and cookbook conventions and usability issues, how to copy edit cookbook elements efficiently, and how to recognize a cookbook’s numerous design elements and take an organized approach to proofreading both visual and textual material.

Length: 6 hours

This presentation-style workshop covers what editors do at various stages of the editing process, finding clients and fulfilling work, earning a good living, and gaining the knowledge and skills you need to be a successful professional.

Length: 1 hour

This workshop is designed as a guided strategic retreat to help you envision your ideal editing career, gain insights about your current situation, and develop a plan to close the gap between your present and desired career. Whether you’re a new or experienced editor, you will come away from the workshop with a draft strategy for taking charge of your business or career and steering it in the direction you want it to go.

Length: 6 hours

• Plain Language at Work: Tips for Clear Writing
• Writing with Respect
• Finding the Right Tone
• Writing Effective Briefing Notes
• Writing Effective Emails
• “Is This Readable?” How to Make Sure Readers Can Use the Documents You Write
• Principles of Copy Editing for Workplace Writers
• Principles of Proofreading for Workplace Writers

• Introduction to Editing
• Structural Editing
• Principles of Copy Editing
• Practical Proofreading
• The Art of the Query
• Style Sheets with Substance
• Editing Cake and Proofreading Compote: A Recipe for Successful Cookbook Editing
• Starting a Freelance Editing Business
• Do the Work You Want (and Earn More Doing It): A Guided Strategic Retreat for Editors