TLC for Publishers
Training: Ethical Editing
Ethical Editing is a one-day workshop for in house editors, designed by the UK’s longest-standing editorial consultancy, TLC. It uniquely combines practical change modelling with editorial theory, which are explored through a series of discussions and exercises. The training draws on the academic research and practice of Dr Kavita Bhanot, who has worked with TLC as an editor and mentor for over a decade and is the author of the forthcoming book Literature Must Fall (Pluto Press, 2023). It also draws on co-facilitator Aki Schilz’s theory of change training and Bookseller-recognised work looking at how to build inclusive culture within the industry.
Ethical Editing offers editorial teams a first step towards the creation and implementation of a fit-for-purpose framework for editorial best practice, in order to build skills, confidence, and trust. Our aim is that publishers can source and develop creative talent in ways that are exciting, innovative, and that respect and celebrate a truly diverse range of voices and experiences, by building these vital frameworks.
Through this training, we will challenge participants to explore new ways of reading and editing. These ways of reading and editing prioritise:
- New readerships
Disrupting the idea of the ‘default’ reader, and how a more ethical approach can help us transform the literature we produce - Self-interrogation
Examining our conscious and unconscious biases, in order to better see – and better challenge – what we bring to a text as editors - Radical empathy
Cultivating an editorial practice that prioritises attentiveness to exclusionary behaviours, and finds ways to listen and be active, rather than instruct and be passive
Testimonials
“I cannot describe how informative and engaging I found this workshop. In five years of working in the industry, I have not felt so internally challenged and uplifted at the same time. I was in awe of how the course was led with empathy, care and consideration whilst also being radically honest and forthright. I wish this was obligatory across all publishers in the same way editors must undertake copy-editing and proofreading training, and I wish for organisations to take heed and make this a staple across their editorial teams. Aki and Kavita were genuinely incredible and their insight was brilliant. I cannot recommend this training enough.“
“I could not recommend this training more highly. It was incredibly useful in so many ways, and not only in direct relation to the headline topic. Crucially, despite covering sensitive issues that can so easily become fraught, the session was led with enormous care and sensitivity, whilst never sacrificing candour and firmness of purpose.”
“This was the most enjoyable workshop (at work anyway) this century.”
“The training was excellent. It felt academic and rigorous in the best possible way – always interesting and engaging, open and discursive. I would highly recommend this course.”
“This was the most engaging day-long training session I’ve experienced and I would recommend it to any team starting to think about how to edit consciously.”
“The ethical editing workshop was a day spent in intelligent consideration and collaboration. We were challenged in an energetic and safe way and I feel much more confident about ethical editing and about working with my colleagues on all the issues we covered.”
“Aki and Kavita were passionate, knowledgeable, and engaging in their delivery of this workshop. I would attend many, many more!”
The Facilitators
This one-day training workshop is provided by The Literary Consultancy (TLC), the UK’s longest-running editorial consultancy. TLC was founded in 1996 on psychoanalytic principles, which it uses as the basis for its editorial feedback services, available to writers at all levels and across all genres. TLC offers industry-recognised manuscript assessment and editing services, one-to-one mentoring, and literary events that focus on cultivating the personal value of writing, equipping writers with the context, confidence, and skills they need to thrive and flourish. Supported by Arts Council England, TLC also runs the Quality Writing for All Campaign, working with 17 literature partners across England to deliver bursaries, training opportunities and support for marginalised and under-represented writers.
Dr. Kavita Bhanot is ECR Leverhulme Fellow at Leicester University. She is editor of The Book of Birmingham (Comma Press)and Too Asian, Not Asian Enough (Tindal Street Press) and co-editor of the Bare Lit Anthology (Brain Mill Press). She is currently co-editing an anthology on decolonising translation with Jeremy Tiang (Tilted Axis/National Centre for Writing ). Her fiction, non-fiction and academic work has been published, performed and broadcast widely, including the landmark essay ‘Decolonise not Diversify’ and her Tedx Talk ‘Reading, Writing and Self-Interrogation’. Kavita initiated and co-organised the Literature Must Fall Festival in Birmingham 2019 and founded the Literature Must Fall Collective. She has been a reader and mentor with The Literary Consultancy for ten years and is on the advisory board for Comma Press. Her first novel won third prize in the 2018 SI Leeds Literary Prize. She was awarded the 2018 Tilted Axis Emerging Translator by the National Centre for Writing. This training is based on Kavita’s ‘How We Read’ model, which is in development, and a book on the model is forthcoming with Pluto Press.
Aki Schilz is the Director at TLC, where she co-ordinates partnerships and programmes, including running the Quality Writing for All campaign which focuses on improving the representation of marginalised communities in the writing world. In 2018 she launched the Editing Skills Training Scheme as part of the QWfA campaign, in partnership with the Publishing Training Centre. The scheme has since trained over 100 aspiring editors from under-represented communities. Prior to her role at TLC, Aki worked in arts administration, focussing on outreach work with underrepresented young people through literature, dance, and translation. In 2018 Aki was named as one of the FutureBook 40, a list of people innovating the publishing industry, and was also nominated for an h100 Award for her #BookJobTransparency campaign. In 2019 she was shortlisted for the Kim Scott Walwyn Prize for women in publishing, and has featured in the Bookseller 150 list 2022 and 2021. In 2020, Aki launched the Being A Writer programme, a membership platform she devised with novelist Julia Forster, which focuses on providing a space for writers to cultivate their creativity, and build emotional resilience. She has received training in creating Theories of Change from the New Economics Foundation – which she uses for this training – in business finance from Cass Business School, and is a Clore Leadership Short Course Alumna.
Contact Us for Booking Details
If you have a team of fewer than five editors and would like to pair up with another in-house editorial team to share the cost, please let us know, telling us the area of publishing you work in. We have a waiting list of smaller imprints who are keen to work in tandem with a genre-suitable partner for this training.
Editorial Services for Publishers and Agents
Access high-level editorial services for your clients across a range of formats, genres and levels. From developmental support with early-stage manuscripts to professional copy-editing and proofreading.
Editing Suite
We will hand-match your clients’ and authors’ work to the best editors across all genres. Strength-test submissions, and add a layer of additional support to clients whose work needs a little extra TLC. Save on the cost of hiring an in-house editor with our Editing Suite packages. Available on a retainer basis. Quick turnaround editorial support is also available.
Nuts & Bolts
Copy-editing and proofreading for: client manuscripts, board papers, journals, course materials, website copy.
Author Care
Expand your offer to your clients with significantly reduced-rate membership to Being A Writer, the only membership platform for writers that focuses on how to cultivate creativity and boost inner resilience. Through Being A Writer, we can offer your authors a community, put them in conversation with supportive peers, and bring them resources that will enrich their writing, and help sustain their writing lives, so that they can focus on delivering their best writing projects.
