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.
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? 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. You can find them all in our course catalog.
If you’re interested in teaching a class, please read the information for instructors below and submit a proposal. We’re always looking for engaging, experienced instructors to join our growing team!
Looking for a course you already purchased? You can find it in your course library (login required).
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. Some webinars are introductory overviews of broader topics such as developmental editing or running a freelance business. Others are deep dives into technical subjects such as copyediting data tables and tracking productivity data.
All our webinars are recorded. Everyone who registers for a live webinar will receive access to the recording as well, and recordings are available for purchase. Real-time webinars take place on Zoom and are auto-captioned; recorded webinars are professionally captioned and hosted on our education site.
About Our Courses
The EFA provides three types of online classes: traditional courses, intensives, and self-paced courses. All are intended for your professional development, and there’s no grading or passing/failing. Upon finishing a course, you will receive a certificate of completion.
Traditional Courses
Traditional courses take place on a set schedule but 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.
Through recorded videos and text lessons, you’ll spend four to six weeks exploring a challenging or advanced topic in editing. Each week, you will complete an assignment and receive instructor feedback on your work. You’ll also get to discuss course topics with the instructor and your classmates in an online forum and in one or two live Q&A sessions. Access to all the materials lasts for 90 days after the course ends, so you can review at your leisure.
Enrollment is limited, but most of our traditional courses hold sessions at least once or twice a year.
Benefits of Traditional Courses
- Plenty of time to explore complex topics and complete assignments
- Detailed feedback on your work
- Weekly lessons that you can study at a time that works for you
- Direct access to your instructor through email, the forum, and Q&As
- Peer support via the student forum
Intensives
These live classes combine lectures, group conversation and activities, and real-time feedback from the instructor and fellow students. Each intensive takes place over two consecutive weekdays, with three to four hours of instruction per day (including short breaks). Enrollment is limited, so there’s plenty of opportunity for hands-on instruction and getting to know your classmates. You’ll get all the support you need as you learn editorial and business skills such as using Dubsado for workflow management, getting the most out of style sheets, and responding to microaggressions from clients and colleagues.
Sessions take place on Zoom and are auto-captioned; recordings, provided to participating students only, are professionally captioned and hosted on our education site. These classes can only be experienced live and don’t usually repeat, so don’t miss your chance!
Benefits of Intensives
- Engaging live instruction to keep you focused
- Guidance in real time as you practice your new skills
- Minimal time commitment
- Lower price than a traditional course
- Small class sizes
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. Many of our self-paced courses function as references that you can explore out of order and go back to whenever you need a refresher. Others introduce you to editorial specialties such as copyediting fiction and coaching academic writers. These inexpensive courses can be a great way to “kick the tires” on a new skill or type of editing you’re considering.
Self-paced courses provide in-depth lessons and self-assessments in video and text, 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
- Low cost
- No waitlists
- Immediate, year-long access to materials
- Freedom to move through the lessons at your own pace
- A structure that supports non-linear learning styles
Teach for 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. Our audiences include freelance editors as well as staff editors, individuals and companies that hire editors, and others in and around the editorial space.
As an organization of freelancers, we respect your time and expertise. We offer long lead times for course creation; fair, equitable standardized fees; and support with syllabus development and using our course site. We’ll also handle all aspects of administration, including processing enrollments and registrations, and we’ll promote your course in our newsletters and social media.
Click the appropriate button for the type of course you want to propose. We believe every editorial freelancer has something unique to share about working in this field; every perspective is welcome, and no idea is too niche. Members of marginalized communities are especially encouraged to send in pitches. We look forward to hearing from you!
