Why learn about editing, proofreading and publishing? Because it's a great career you can do from home either in a full-time capacity or part-time to earn some extra money. Alternatively, you can aim for an interesting and rewarding job in one of many exciting fields.

For those already working in your chosen profession gaining editing and proofreading skills can improve your writing to a professional standard.

If it is a career change you are looking for then one of the many opportunities you can explore is to establish and run your own editing and proofreading business from home. People with good editing and proofreading skills are needed to check and correct manuscripts, educational books, student texts, business documents, newspaper articles, magazine features, websites, advertisements, promotional material, and government documents.

You can also choose whether to pursue a career as an editor/proofreader or simply focus on one of the skill areas, such as editing. There is a wealth of work out there and it is an excellent field for the person who wants to work from home.

Undertaking a course in editing and proofreading is also beneficial if you simply want to improve your writing skills. You could be freelance writing, writing reports and correspondence for work, copywriting or writing a novel. Editing and proofreading skills are an invaluable tool for the creative writer, journalist, novelist, the business person, sub-editor, advertiser and business writer.

Career opportunities include: Editor, Book Editor, Copy Editor, Proofreader, Publishing Assistant, Script Editor, Sub-Editor, Freelance Editor and Proofreader.

Industries include: book publishing, newspaper/magazine publishing, media, educational publishing, government publishing, printing, general business.

The beauty of an editing and proofreading career is that there are many opportunities to work from home as a freelancer. While many editors, sub-editors and proofreaders are employed in-house there are also just as many who run their own editing and proofreading businesses from home. For this reason, it is an extremely flexible career choice offering a wide range of opportunities.

Editors read and correct written material for publication, and liaise with authors and others. Depending on the position they hold, they may also decide on editorial policy and the content of publications, manage the production of publications, and oversee an editorial team. Editors may:

·         manage the preparation of a publication, a section of a newspaper or magazine, or review and edit non-book documents such as those in media or business

·         appoint staff, photographers, illustrators, desktop publishers and proofreaders for assignments

·         review and edit copy to make sure that it follows the required style and format

·         plan the layout of the publication

·         write short reviews and promotional briefs, and maintain publication schedules

·         liaise with the publisher, author/contributors and staff.

Book Editors are sometimes called copy editors. A book editor prepares manuscripts of books for publication and may:

·         edit written material, either on hard copy or on computers, to make sure that it is consistent in style, punctuation and content

·         mark copy with copy editing/proofreading marks

·         suggest structural and style changes to manuscripts

·         work with authors to resolve queries on manuscripts

·         prepare manuscripts for publication, checks the artwork, indexes and tables

·         proofread manuscripts

·         communicate with the production department (which organises the design, desktop publishing and printing of books)

Proofreaders check desktop published proofs and/or computer printouts to detect errors before final printing of a book, magazine, newspaper or other printed products. A proofreader may:

·         compare proofs and edited copy to make sure that the final text is complete and accurate, and that spelling and punctuation are correct

·         check the text on artwork, illustrations, charts and tables

·         mark proofs using proofreading marks to indicate to desktop publishers or printers the changes or corrections needed

·         check revised proofs to make sure that all the corrections have been made

·         amend and check proofs on screen.

Have a look at the course outline now!