Get into Children's Publishing Course Curriculum

Get into Children’s Publishing is a comprehensive children’s publishing course run by me, Claire Philip, a children’s editor, author and publishing trainer. It provides an insider’s perspective on every stage of book production from an editor's viewpoint and prepares you for your first role in publishing via twelve one-to-one video lessons delivered fortnightly online. While we focus on non-fiction, the skills and processes you’ll learn apply across traditional book publishing. Participants have gone on to secure roles at publishers such as Penguin, Hachette and Pearson.

Course Overview

The structure of my course mimics an actual book schedule – we tackle the tasks in a realistic order so you get a sense of what it is like to be an in-house editor working in book publishing. We start the course with an introduction to trade publishing (traditional book publishing, also known as consumer publishing) and then move on to information about the editorial department and how it relates to the other departments, such as marketing and sales.

One: An Intro to Children’s Publishing

This introductory module helps set the scene and then goes on to explain the current landscape of children’s books plus how to spot and predict future market trends. We also discuss the individual project you will complete as part of the programme –?a book proposal for a new title of your choice.

Two: On Top of Admin

If you work in publishing, particularly in editorial, there will be admin! Publishers are looking for new editors with impeccable attention to detail and high organisation skills. This module prepares you for that by outlining all of the key documents and trackers you will use, including book schedules, to build your project management skills.

Three: Meet the Books!

Now the fun really starts and we get to look at the vast range of children’s non-fiction for ages 0–12+. We cover key topics and book formats so that you have an excellent understanding of the kinds of books children’s non-fiction publishers print, and you begin to develop the skills needed to create new titles.

Four: Market Research

At the start of any new book project, editors carry out extensive market research to find gaps in their publishing list (quite simply the list of books that they print each year). This module teaches you where to look and what to look for as well as how to present your findings in creative and sales meetings.

Five: Introduction to Sales

In this module, we explore how editors relate to their sales teams as well as the importance of collaboration and communication. We discuss:

• The importance of sales material, which sales representatives use to present a new book idea to potential clients at meetings and book fairs.
• How to write advance information sheets, which describe the new titles and include key data for each title, again used for selling purposes.
• How to write effective back cover copy, website copy and catalogue copy.

This module features two audio interviews with Emily Scorer (Sales Director at HarperCollins Publishing) and Nick Hawkes (Head of UK sales at Nosy Crow). Together they explain the three main areas of sales in the UK: UK, foreign rights and export publishing.

Six: Artwork Commissioning

One of my favourite modules to teach, this module covers the essentials of developing new titles and commissioning artwork, including how to find the right illustrator for your project, the main agencies children’s non-fiction publishers work with, how to write illustrator briefs and how to cost artwork. We hear from Robyn Newton, Head of Children’s Illustration at the Bright Agency.

Seven & Eight: Editorial Processes

Module Seven teaches how to find the right author for a title, write effective author briefs and create and review book plans. Module Eight dives into copyediting, house styles, proofreading and converting British English to American English. It also covers picture research and referencing for artwork commissioning, an essential skill for commissioning illustrated books. This module features an audio interview with Fay Evans, Editorial Director at Flying Eye Books, who started her career in bookselling.

Nine: Introduction to Design

Editors work closely with designers from the start of every book project, and this module explains how to effectively brief a designer. It covers the essential skills an editor needs to know to use Adobe InDesign – the software used in publishing to create layouts – such as taking in corrections and making minor layout adjustments. We also explore the different design elements that editors and designers collaborate on when crafting engaging book covers and layouts for children. Listen to an audio with Rosie Bellwood, Design Manager at Arcturus Publishing.

Module Ten: Introduction to Production, Marketing & Publicity

In this final main module on book production, we'll explore the key roles of the production, marketing and publicity departments and how they connect with editorial.

We'll discuss the challenges each department faces, such as how production teams ensure high-quality, safe, cost-effective, and sustainable products. For marketing, we'll look at how publishers are making their books discoverable and appealing to book buyers online, as well as their strategies for promoting books through collaborations, partnerships and social media. There are two audios this week, one with Caroline Kelly, who has a background in book production but now works in foreign rights at Miles Kelly Publishing, and one with Sophie Clarke, Scout at Daniela Schlingmann Literary Scouting Ltd.

Eleven: Building Confidence in the Publishing Workplace

The penultimate module focuses on solving problems in the publishing workplace. Together we discuss different challenging scenarios in publishing and how best to tackle them. We also explore cover letters, update your CV, discuss interview skills, how to negotiate pay, plan your career – and more.

Module Twelve: Practise Interview

Based on real-life interview questions from publishing professionals, we hold an informal interview so you can practise answering key questions. We also cover editorial tests and other common job application tasks such as writing book reviews, checking submissions and priorization tasks.

Here's a testimonial from a previous participant

Alice L now works for Penguin and is working across both sales and editorial. She worked in marketing before taking part in my course.

“Claire’s editorial training and mentorship course was just what I needed to build my confidence and creativity. The course material is extremely thorough and the homework and individual project gave me direct experience that helped me get my first role at a major publisher (one of the big five!). Claire’s mentoring style is supportive and compassionate. She’s great at finding what makes you unique and explaining how to present that to publishers. I’ve just got back from Frankfurt and soon going to Dubai with work. Amazing! I highly recommend her course.”

To find out more, including costs, and to express your interest for a January start date please email your CV to [email protected] . In your message, answer these questions:

• Why do you want to work in books?
• Are you specifically interested in editorial in children’s non-fiction publishing or do other areas, departments or industries related to publishing interest you as well?
• Where are you on your publishing journey?
• When could start the programme and what is your availability throughout the working week?

I'll be in touch shortly!