Does the Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies cover both trade and academic publishing?

Yes. The core editorial, rights, production and digital modules apply across trade, academic and educational publishing. Specialist masterclasses cover each sector in turn, and your full-cycle project can be set in the area most relevant to your career goals.

Is the Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies useful for indie publishers?

Yes. Several students each year are running or planning their own indie press. The rights, production, metadata and marketing modules are immediately applicable to small-press work — and the indie module specifically addresses DIY and crowdfunded models.

Can I study the Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies online?

Yes. The online route mirrors the on-campus project work with shared editorial environments, cohort meetings and structured deadlines. Distance learners visit campus for two short workshops or attend equivalent online intensives.

How much copy-editing practice does the Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies include?

Copy-editing is a core practical module with weekly exercises against industry house styles. By the end of the course you will have produced a fully copy-edited and proofed sample to a professional standard, with a marked style sheet.

Will the Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies help me get my first publishing job?

It provides a recognised UK credential at Level 5 and a portfolio of practical work — a copy-edit sample, a project P&L, a marketing plan — that an entry-level hiring editor will want to see. It is built around what the industry actually recruits for.

Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies | LSJHML London | Harold International College of London

Course Overview

The Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies at the London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages (LSJHML) is a twelve-to-fifteen-month UK qualification for editorial, production, rights and marketing professionals stepping up into senior-track publishing roles. You will work through a complete publishing cycle on a real or simulated title — commission, contract, edit, produce, market and sell — and rehearse the trade decisions an acquiring editor makes against a P&L.

Publishing is one of London's quietly enormous industries. The Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies takes you inside it. By the end you can read a manuscript with editorial discipline, draft a contract clause without panic, sign off proofs against a print schedule and pitch a title to a sales team.

Key Features

Full publishing cycle project — take a title from proposal to launch plan across the academic year.
Editorial workshop series covering structural editing, copy-editing, fact-checking and proofreading to industry standard.
Rights and contracts clinic — territorial rights, subsidiary rights, translation, audio, royalty structure and reversion clauses.
Digital publishing module — ebook production, audio adaptation, metadata, discoverability, DRM trade-offs.
Industry-led masterclasses from working commissioning editors, rights managers, production controllers and indie publishers.
Credit transfer into the final year of a UK Bachelor's degree at LSJHML or a partner university.

What You Will Learn

The Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies is structured around the working week of a publishing professional. You leave able to take a manuscript through editorial and production, contribute to a list strategy meeting, and explain to an author why a particular decision serves the book.

Editorial practice — manuscript assessment, structural edit, copy-edit, proof, style sheet management.
Acquisitions and commissioning — list strategy, P&L modelling, advance and royalty calculation.
Rights and contracts — territorial, translation, subsidiary, audio, dramatisation, reversion.
Production — typesetting, paper stock, print management, ebook conversion, audio production.
Marketing and publicity — campaign planning, trade marketing, retail meetings, publicity outreach.
Digital and metadata — ONIX, BIC/Thema, discoverability strategy, retailer requirements.
Publishing ethics — accuracy, fact-checking, sensitivity reading, contributor care.
Indie and small-press publishing — DIY models, crowdfunded titles, distribution choices.

Who This Course Is For

Diploma-level graduates in publishing or English studies ready for a senior-track credential.
Working editorial assistants, production coordinators and rights executives wanting a structured credential before promotion.
Career-changers from journalism, academia or the cultural sector entering trade publishing.
Founders of indie presses or self-publishing imprints who want professional grounding for their list.

Career Pathways

Graduates of the Advanced Diploma in Publishing Studies move into commissioning, rights, production and marketing roles across UK publishing — trade, academic and educational. Typical roles include:

Commissioning Editor (trade, academic or educational house — entry to mid roles)
Rights Manager (subsidiary rights, translation, audio)
Production Editor (trade house, university press)
Marketing & Publicity Manager (imprint level, mid-size publisher)
Editorial Project Manager (educational publisher, packager)
Indie Press Founder (self-led list, partner imprint)

Graduates progress directly into the final year of a UK BA in Publishing or a related discipline at LSJHML or a partner university.

Entry Requirements

A UK Diploma (Level 4) or equivalent in a related subject, OR completion of secondary school plus one year of relevant work experience.
IELTS 5.5 overall (no band below 5.5) for non-native English speakers.
Personal statement and CV.
Mature applicants (21+) without standard qualifications may apply with three years of relevant work experience.

Why Study at LSJHML

The London School of Journalism, Humanities & Modern Languages is a specialist higher-education provider based in central London. Our programmes are designed in dialogue with working professionals — journalists, translators, civil servants, academics, broadcasters, editors, publishers and policy researchers — so what you learn in seminar on Monday is what your future employer is using on Tuesday. We deliberately keep cohorts small, give every student named tutor support, and treat employability as a structural part of every programme rather than an optional add-on.

London is the work — politics, courts, capital markets, theatre, broadcasting, publishing, public service, the global press. Your studies are taught in the same square mile where the stories you read about happen. Whether you join us on-campus, online or by distance learning, the city is your classroom and our industry network is your launchpad.