Publishing Training Centre: Trade Commissioning and List Management

Launched as a four-day, residential course in November 2015 and now a three-day, non-residential course, Trade Commissioning and List Management is specifically for commissioning and acquisition editors from consumer book publishing who require the skills necessary to build a profitable publishing list.

If you’re an editor in the early stages of your career, with responsibility for acquisitions and list-building in trade commissioning, this unique programme will give you the best possible foundation. This intensive three-day course looks to combine the creative with the entrepreneurial, and balance intuition with methodology. It will be hugely rewarding for those who take part in terms of the knowledge and skills gained, and the networking and relationship-building opportunities.

The programme covers all the essential skill areas that a successful list-builder needs to acquire. It also explores the critical relationships with internal and external partners with whom effective working relationships are essential.

Each sessions is led by expert tutors, ensuring a variety of teaching styles and personal experience.

Acquisition editors, commissioning editors, development editors or anyone about to step up to their first commissioning job in trade fiction, non-fiction or children’s publishing will benefit from this course.

Learn how to: develop a publishing list that meets company strategy and management goals; understand how they add value to the business; structure and present commercially attractive publishing proposals and win book auctions; evaluate markets and exploit publishing opportunities; find and keep valuable authors and negotiate author contracts; understand and evaluate financials; plan for profit and return on investment.