HomeCoursesShort CoursesEditorialEditorial Management & Commissioning SkillsWorking with Authors

Working with Authors

In-Company courses can be arranged at your venue or at our offices in London.

"I have begun to understand the authors’ position and how I can improve my relationship with them. The course was very beneficial in understanding how to get the best from authors."
Institute of Physics Publishing delegate

"I enjoyed this very much! The tutor was very informative and engaging and had a great depth of knowledge of both sides of the publishing process. Thank you!"
Leckie and Leckie delegate

Please note: This course is offered as an In-Company programme and can be tailored to your organisation. Please call us on 020 8874 2718 or complete this form to discuss your requirements.

Authors are the lifeblood of publishing – you can’t do it without them! However, relationships between author, editor and publisher can sometimes be fraught. Differing aims and objectives, simple misunderstandings and failed communications can all contribute to delay, extra cost and unnecessary conflict.

This one-day course will help you to:

  • get the best from your authors
  • understand the dynamics of the publisher/author relationship
  • anticipate and prevent problems before they happen
  • get your manuscript on time, on budget and on brief.

The course has practical solutions to everyday problems and benefits from the knowledge of a highly experienced publisher (and author!). Delegates are encouraged to contribute their own experiences and issues, and by the end of the day will have a series of principles and concepts that can be applied in a wide range of situations.

Programme

  • The role of the author: the author as core value
  • What makes a good author?
  • Finding contacts
  • Single authors or teams?
  • Defining the project
    • Assessing sample material
    • Anticipating problems
    • Writing a brief
  • The author’s view
  • Negotiating terms
    • Royalties, advances and agents
    • Schedule, delivery and acceptance
  • Resolving difficulties
  • After-care: proofs, publication and sales.

Who will benefit from this course?

Desk editors, junior editors, managing editors and commissioning editors, especially those working in educational, academic and professional publishing.

Your Tutor

Brenda Stones is a freelance consultant who has worked in educational publishing for many years with companies like Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Pearson, Hutchinson, Walker Books, National Gallery Company and Letts. She has also done a number of training courses overseas in areas such as Pakistan, Latin America, the former Soviet republics and Africa. She has worked as a freelancer in editorial, market research and authorship for, amongst others, Badger Publishing, BBC, Egmont and Franklin Watts.

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