The EFA hosts online courses and webinars designed especially for freelance editors and other editorial specialists around the world. Most courses are open to members and nonmembers; all require advance registration. Members enjoy 20% off of the regular fee for all courses, and get access to some webinars for free. You will need to sign in as either a member or guest to register for classes.

Detailed information about registration, accessibility, duration of access, and refund policies can be found on our class registration and information page.

Just getting started, or branching out into something new? See Paths to Freelance Editing Careers below for curated collections of inexpensive webinars and self-paced courses designed specifically for you.

If you’re interested in teaching a class, please read the information for instructors below and submit a proposal for a webinar, traditional course, or self-paced course. We’re always looking for engaging, experienced instructors to join our growing team!

About Our Webinars

EFA webinars are a low-cost, quick way to improve your editorial skills, learn how to boost your business, and hear from experts in the industry.

Most webinars are recorded, and the recordings are sent out within 1 to 3 days of the live webinar. They can be viewed at any time.

Our recorded webinars are also available for purchase by anyone who didn’t register for the live webinar—although some are for members only. Be sure to browse our catalog!

About Our Courses

The EFA provides two types of online courses: traditional and self-paced.

Traditional Courses

Traditional courses are asynchronous, meaning you don’t need to log in at a certain time or day to attend a class session. Instead, you’re given access to the course content one week at a time, and you move through this content and the homework assignments on your own.

You will complete a weekly assignment and receive instructor feedback on your work each week (possibly excluding the first and/or final weeks, as up to the instructor). Our instructors usually aim to return homework assignments before the next week’s lesson begins, although this is flexible and up to the instructor.

Your instructor will also be active in the class forum, posting additional information and answering questions daily. Additionally, these courses often include live Q&A sessions.

Benefits of Traditional Courses

The main benefits of traditional courses include:

  • One-on-one feedback on your work
  • Direct access to your instructor through email and the student forum (some classes also include live Q&As)
  • Weekly lessons, released on a specific day of the week
  • High level of feedback from your instructor
  • Peer support via the student forum
  • Small class size

Self-Paced Courses

In self-paced courses, you are given access to all the course content at once, allowing you to move through the lessons at your own pace.

Self-paced courses provide in-depth lessons, self-assessments, and regular Q&A sessions with the instructor via Zoom. You will have access to the course for one year. For your personal use only, you may download any materials you want to keep for further study.

Benefits of Self-Paced Courses

The main benefits of self-paced courses include:

  • Low cost
  • Freedom to move through the lessons at your own pace
  • No waitlists
  • Access to the course for a one-year period (versus only a few weeks with traditional courses)
  • Can be a great way to “kick the tires” on a new skill or type of editing you’re considering
  • The entire course is available immediately (versus the “dripped” content of traditional courses)
  • Regular, live access to your instructor via Q&A calls

Please note that participants in EFA courses don’t receive grades. We don’t offer a certification program. However, upon finishing a self-paced or traditional course, you will receive a certificate of completion.

Teach with the EFA

The EFA seeks instructors for courses in all levels of editing for both fiction and nonfiction, including technical, academic, scientific, medical, and other specialties and for clients ranging from corporations to publishing companies to independent authors. Topics related to freelancing and running a small business are also sought.

If you’re interested in seeing a class on a specific topic or recommending an instructor, please let us know.

Click the appropriate button (to the right) to propose a webinar, a traditional course, or a self-paced course. Please be sure to read our Instructor Guide before proposing a class. We look forward to hearing from you!

Paths to Freelance Editing Careers

If you’re just hanging out your freelance editing shingle, or if you want to branch out into a new specialty, the EFA is here to help. We know that having lots of options can be overwhelming, so we’ve bundled together selected webinars and courses to make it easy to get started.

Launching Your Editing Business

We recommend you begin with these essential webinar recordings. They cover the basics of launching your business, keeping track of your projects, and drawing in clients with a vibrant website and strong proposals.

"Learn how to set up, launch, and run your own freelance editing business." —Molly McCowan, instructor "Tracking projects and recording metrics helps you streamline your process, freeing your time and brain so you can focus on editing." —Katie Chambers, instructor
"Learn to tailor your sample edits and proposals for the client relationship you want." —Amber Helt, instructor "Clients hire professionals they trust. A persuasive website is key to building that trust." —Erin Brenner, instructor

Becoming a Fiction Editor

Begin with our webinars on line editing and developmental editing of fiction, which provide an excellent overview. Then move on to our popular self-paced course on beginning developmental editing for a thorough grounding in the basics.

"Where does line editing fall on the editorial spectrum? Come learn about its challenges and rewards." —Christina Frey, instructor "Keeping the big picture in mind can help you stay focused on what matters most in a developmental edit. Let's talk about how you can do that." —Tanya Gold, instructor
"Developmental editors are detectives and solution finders." —Val Mathews, instructor

We regularly offer traditional courses for fiction developmental editors at intermediate and advanced levels, as well as classes on specific fields such as children’s fiction, young adult fiction, and genre fiction. Check our courses page to see when the next sessions are running.

Becoming a Copyeditor

If you want to dip a toe into this exciting branch of editing, don’t miss our two-part webinar series on copyediting fiction.

"Copyediting fiction is a fun and fulfilling specialty. This webinar provides an introduction to what you'll need to know." —Amy Schneider, instructor "Learn to use your spidey-sense when copyediting fiction to keep real and fictional elements accurate and help the author keep the story on track." —Amy Schneider, instructor

When you’re ready to dive deeper, try our beginning copyediting self-paced course, which is an excellent starting point for copyeditors in any field. We also have a more technical self-paced course on proofreading and copyediting with The Chicago Manual of Style, one of the world’s most popular style guides.

"Master the essentials of copyediting with hands-on training that you can do at your own pace." —Lourdes Venard, instructor "CMOS is the most comprehensive style guide out there. Get the essentials here." —Kirk Perry, instructor

Breaking into Academic, Scientific, or Medical Editing

The breadth of these fields makes them daunting for new editors. These webinars and courses will help you learn more about career options and decide which is right for you.

"Find out if academic developmental editing is the right career move for you." —Laura Portwood-Stacer, instructor "Learn how to shepherd a manuscript through the publication process for peer-reviewed journals." —Kelly Schrank, instructor
"Editing citations doesn't have to be a chore! Learn strategies for providing this valuable service more effectively and efficiently.&quot —Erin Maher, instructor "Expand into the challenging and rewarding field of medical editing and help educate and inform health care professionals, researchers, and the general public." —Kristine Thornley, instructor

Ready for More?

This just scratches the surface of the EFA’s educational offerings. Check out our full listings of active courses and recorded webinars for much, much more. And don’t forget, EFA members get 20% off the price of all courses, and can watch many webinars for free! If you join two traditional courses, take four self-paced courses, or watch three free webinars, your one-year membership just paid for itself. Not a member? Join today.