Training
Training in editorial skills usually comes as part of a larger course, often in professional writing and a lot of skills are picked up with practice and experience on the job. This list of courses available around Australia is incomplete and does not assess the merit or otherwise of any of the courses.
Adelaide Centre for the Arts
Two modules in the Advanced Diploma of Arts (Professional Writing) offered by the Adelaide Centre for the Arts deal with editing. The first is 'Editing and presenting manuscripts', which is taught in the first year of the four-year part-time course. An introduction to the writing field, it shows how a knowledge of editing can enhance the work of a writer. The emphasis is on learning practical skills, and a quarter of the course deals with computer software and the Internet.
The second is 'Editing for publication'. This module is suitable for a trainee editor. Subjects covered include the three-stage production process and the type of editing that is appropriate to each stage; editing fiction and non-fiction; book production; bibliographies, references and indexes; and editing online and screen editing tools. Both modules may be studied as stand-alone units, either externally (by correspondence) or internally (by attending classes).
Each module takes a semester to complete, with eight 2-hour classes and eight assignments. A certificate of completion will be awarded, but credit is not given towards the Advanced Diploma.
Please contact the Professional Writing Coordinator in the first instance.
Ph: 08 8463 5011, Fax: 08 8463 5001
Flinders University, ENGL2600 PUBLISHING & EDITING
Publishing & Editing is an upper level topic offered by the Department of English & Cultural Studies that investigates both the history of the book in Australia and diversity (or lack of it) in the modern publishing industry.
We also consider the impact of new technology such as electronic publishing and the Internet, and we consider different perspectives on the roles of the author, the editor and publisher in the publishing process. We look at who decides what it is we are able to read, as well as the economics of the industry and the implications of these things for Australia’s national identity.
Students are expected to read widely, submit assignments on a variety of topics, and demonstrate understanding of the issues by constructive participation in workshops. They are also expected to research the book publishing industry by approaching writers, editors, publishers, and professional bodies like the Writers’ Guild, the Fellowship of Australian Writers, and the Australian Society of Authors. Students are expected to frame their essays and tutorial papers in a mode suitable for publication in journals, niche magazines, or newspapers, and to explain their particular choice of intended market in each case.
Students are also encouraged to attend Writers & Their World, a series of seminars at the university where writers and publishers talk about their working lives.
On completing this topic it is expected that students will be able to critically evaluate the impact of social, political, historical and technological changes on the place of the book in Australian literary culture.
UniSA
The UniSA courses Editing and Publishing, and Advanced Editing and Publishing, are part of the Professional and Creative Communication degree.
Editing and Publishing is an intensive course designed to develop advanced skills and knowledge required for the close editing of a wide range of manuscripts and to prepare manuscripts for the appropriate method of publication.
Advanced Editing and Publishing is an industry type course based on practical workshops and real projects sourced from the community. This is a third level professional course based on applying previous knowledge and learning by doing. The outcome is always a real product that is then put in the hands of the community, often outside the university. This course has had high achievements in its current format. The book project Heart of the Matter: An Introduction to Eighteen South Australian Poets (Lythrum Press, Adelaide, 2004) received the 2005 UniSA Chancellor's Award for Community Service. The online newsmagazine Orrmulum has been received favourably by the university and also by the writers' community (see www.orrmulum.com).
For more information contact the Course Coordinator, Dr Ioana Petrescu. Both editing courses can be studied as paid separate courses, not just as part of a degree. For more information contact UniSA Campus Central, Magill.
Other Courses
Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood Victoria 3125 , RMIT , Macquarie University, University of Southern Queensland
New editors are welcome in the Society of Editors (SA). You might like to join as an associate member and give your career a kick start.
Last updated
27 May 2008
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