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!
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!
The EFA provides two types of online courses: traditional and self-paced.
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.
The main benefits of traditional courses include:
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.
The main benefits of self-paced courses include:
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you want to dip a toe into this exciting branch of editing, don’t miss our two-part webinar series on copyediting fiction.
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.
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.
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.
