Flex Training
Flex training allows you to build skills from your home or office at your convenience. Access training materials, complete exercises, receive instructor feedback, and/or participate in discussion.
Introduction to Copyediting
Course Dates
Participants work at their own pace. Upon receipt of your materials, you will have 6 months to complete the work and get instructor feedback. You can register at any time.
Cost
$375
Class Limit
20
Instructor
Lauren Schiffman
Course Description
Are you thinking about working as either an in-house or a freelance copyeditor? Do you have a job in another area that includes some copyediting? Could you use more in-depth training? This course presents a survey of copyediting skills and considerations to help you prepare for work in the field.
The first 3 sessions cover the basics: the copyeditor’s role, the tools copyeditors use, and an overview of the copyediting process. Later sessions offer a deep dive into grammar and style issues that copyeditors must master to help improve writing. The final session touches on topics related to success in the field. Throughout, practice exercises will help you apply the information you’ve learned.
The course consists of 8 sessions—each including a handout packet with reading notes, videos, reading assignments, and practice exercises—that you’ll access on the Google Classroom platform. You’ll go through the course at your own pace, with course materials and access to the instructor available to you for a total of 6 months.
Note: While the course provides a review of some grammar fundamentals, this is not a grammar course, and an understanding of basic grammar is assumed. If you do not have a solid foundation in grammar, you might need supplemental resources to build that knowledge.
Added value:
- Convenient, asynchronous format with content you can access for 6 months
- Curated reading and practice assignments, with included reading notes that update and expand on textbook material
- The ability to post questions and comments for the instructor on Google Classroom or to email the instructor with questions during the course
- The opportunity to schedule a 20-minute phone or Zoom call with the instructor to talk about issues regarding aspects of copyediting
Required Texts
Einsohn, Amy, and Marilyn Schwartz. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, 4th ed. University of California Press, 2019.
Büky, Erika, Marilyn Schwartz, and Amy Einsohn. The Copyeditor’s Workbook: Exercises and Tips for Honing Your Editorial Judgment. University of California Press, 2019.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. University of Chicago Press, 2024.
Merriam-Webster online dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/.
Instructor Bio
Lauren Schiffman (she/her) has worked as a proofreader, copyeditor, and developmental editor for more than 20 years. She has helped clients such as 24 Hour Fitness, the College Board, Edutopia, Kaiser Permanente, The North Face, Stanford, and Ulysses Press to craft print and online articles, books, catalogs, curricula, marketing material, reports, and more. Lauren has an MFA in creative writing from San Francisco State University, where she taught poetry writing.
Courses Currently Offered:
Introduction to Copyediting
The ABCs of Proofreading
Grammar Guidelines and Mechanical Mastery
Fiction Editing
