Creative Book Publishing
Program Overview
Publishing is not just words on a page. At every stage of a book’s life, difficult and critical decisions are made that can alter its fate, as well as the experience of the readers who encounter it. Humber’s Creative Book Publishing graduate certificate program provides you with an intimate and intensive look at how such decisions are made—and gives the opportunity to make some of those decisions yourself.
This program—which runs 100% online each summer from May to August—takes you beyond traditional conceptions of "the book". Through engaged teaching by experienced publishing professionals, hands-on assignments and activities that mirror real-world practices, as well as multiple networking opportunities with industry experts, and a mentorship program that extends beyond the end of the program, you learn how written works are created, acquired, edited, designed, produced, marketed and sold. You’ll become adept at developing ideas for new projects, managing rights negotiations, creating financial projections and reports, and working with cutting-edge publishing technology. In just one semester, you build in-demand, highly transferable skills to prepare for careers in a wide range of creative industries. Many of our students land jobs soon after graduating the program, and our mentoring program helps build critical professional networks.
Humber’s Creative Book Publishing graduate certificate is not about quietly reading in a corner—it’s about becoming an active and engaged part of the creative process.
Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:
Create a freelance business in any of the following areas – Editorial, Publicity/Public Relations, Design/Packaging.
Represent authors as literary agents to publishing houses in Canada and internationally.
Publish their own creative works independent of publishing houses.
Critically analyze proposals and literary works for legal implications including copyright issues, libel, trademark, moral rights and intellectual property rights.
Prepare business documents related to publishing such as business plans, annual reports, and business proposals in conformity with industry and market standards.
Evaluate national and international markets.
Prepare sales and promotion strategies and materials, and negotiate agreements for the selling of rights of authors’ works.
Produce publishing content for media outlets as arts commentators, book reviewers, and TV/radio producers.
Analyze manuscripts for quality and profitability.
Analyze and predict publishing operations in the areas of distribution, credit, supply chain, information technology, warehousing and inventory control, and customer service.
Analyze public policy and granting structures available to publishing as a Canadian cultural industry.
Prepare marketing strategies and create marketing documents and materials for book proposals, book jackets, and sales presentations.
Complete structural edits and copy edits, perform proofreading, and production editing as part of the editorial process.
The Humber Advantage
Watch the "Power Up Your Credential!" Info Session to learn more about the Creative Book Publishing program.
Humber/Trent Collaborative Program
Successful applicants will complete their course requirements at Trent University in the Fall and Winter semesters, and the requirements for the Certificate in Creative Publishing at Humber College in the Summer Session.
Every year, a select group of CBPP students work on the HLR Spotlight, an online literary supplement hosted by the Humber Literary Review and funded by Humber’s Applied Research & Innovation department. The project gives students the opportunity to learn as they work on a real-world publication, and provides them with a valuable portfolio piece to show to potential employers.
Nathan Whitlock, program co-ordinator of Humber College's postgraduate Creative Book Publishing program, talks to 2020 student Jamie Tenn, who shares why she chose to study publishing at Humber.
Morgan Barcroft-Martin, a 2020 Humber Creative Book Publishing student, tells her program co-ordinator, Nathan Whitlock, how her love of books lead her to pursue a career in publishing.
Enterprise Project
In the final month of the program, students collaborate to create model publishing companies from the ground up, drafting business plans, publishing lists, book covers, websites, marketing campaigns, and more. At the end of the project, the groups present their companies to a panel of industry professionals.
"Such a pleasure to participate in Humber’s Creative Book Publishing program Enterprise panel. I am in awe of how hard all the students worked on their presentations. Thank you to Nathan Whitlock for the invitation, and to all the students for sharing their creativity!"
- Semareh Al-Hillal, President, House of Anansi Press and Groundwood Books
The Creative Book Publishing program works with publishing industry partners to make networking and career opportunities available to our graduates. Note: An internship is not a requirement of our program. This means that, unlike some programs, if you get a paid position straight out of school, you still have all the requirements to graduate!
Lynn Raposo is an editorial assistant at Graydon House and Harlequin Books. We caught up with Lynn to find out what she’s been up to since graduating from Humber’s Creative Book Publishing program in 2017.
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“The Enterprise project and the entire Creative Book Publishing Program was such a huge learning experience and I’m so glad I spent my summer doing it. I feel sufficiently prepared to start a career in publishing and am looking forward to what the future brings me.” - Cassandra Smyth
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“I’m glad we had this opportunity because it helped me gain more confidence in the skills I’ve learned throughout this program. I’m sad to see it come to an end, but also excited for what the future holds.” - Danielle Plant
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“We were so lucky to have the opportunity to learn in such a hands-on way and I was especially fortunate to have such a collaborative and hard-working group.” - Chelsey Clark
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“I am really blessed to have been part of this program. I improved my collaboration skills and my ability to get my ideas across to others. I will take the knowledge that I have learned over the past couple of months to guide me in what I hope will be a long-lived career in the publishing industry.” - Michela Prefontaine
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“This program is not like a regular degree: it is industry-based—we learned all the skills we need to immediately start to apply to jobs in the field. It’s kind of a no-brainer.” - Jamie Tenn
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“I had all this theoretical knowledge about books and a love of books, so the Creative Book Publishing program was an opportunity to take that next step and apply it in a practical way, to make connections, and to be a part of the Canadian book community, which I’m already really invested in on a personal level.” - Morgan Barcroft-Martin
Expert Faculty
David Caron
David Caron is the co-publisher and president of ECW Press, a Toronto-based book, ebook, and audiobook publisher with a mix of award-winning literary works and niche non-fiction, marketed around the world. He has a zeal for community building, both in books and beyond. Before books, he worked in the worlds of theatre and photography.
Lindsey Reeder
Lindsey Reeder has been working in publishing for a twelve years. During her eleven years at Penguin Random House Canada she specialized in digital marketing, advertising and social media. In early 2020, she moved to Harlequin Trade Publishing to lead their digital marketing team, which consists of web, email acquisition and social media outreach.
She's been teaching the Marketing Overview course for two years and loves getting to know the students who are passionate about entering the publishing industry.
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Nathan Whitlock
Nathan Whitlock is the co-ordinator for Humber's Creative Book Publishing program. In addition to his years of experience working as a freelance editor for many Canadian publishers, he has published two novels, and has written for the New York Review of Books, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Toronto Life, Quill & Quire, and many other publications. He is also the former managing editor for Humber Press.
Allen Zuk
Allen Zuk spent his teenage years producing underground press fanzines in the late 1980s, then got his first job in newspaper advertising design and production in 1990, mostly working nights while completing a BA in English Literature from the University of Alberta. In 1997, a career switch into web development soon led to a relocation from Alberta to the southeast UK, where he worked as a designer, coder, and copywriter for several prestigious UK and EU clients at a London dot-com agency until the crash in 2001. He then landed a contract position writing sales presentations, commissioning authors, and editing and co-authoring titles for then Cambridge-based digital design publisher Ilex Press.
Following a 2004 relocation to Toronto, Allen graduated from the inaugural year of the Humber Creative Book Publishing Program, and founded a creative agency providing digital services to publishers and authors. He has been developing and teaching technology classes in the Creative Book Publishing program since 2006, and he served on the program's advisory committee from 2006 to 2020. He now lives in Prague, Czechia, working as a freelance editor and consultant.
Your Career
Book publishing is an innovative cultural industry that adapts to rapid and constant change in the marketplace and to evolving technological requirements while continuing to nurture creativity and growth. Find opportunities in editorial, marketing, technology, contracts, subsidiary rights, sales, management/operations and production/design. Or work in closely related fields as a content manager, publicist, literary agent, arts journalist, bookseller, educator, or entertainment/copyright/intellectual property expert in government agencies and industry associations. Humber also encourages entrepreneurship and the development of new enterprises including self-publishing and freelance options. Professional development is emphasized throughout the program.
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Program Availability
| START DATE | LOCATION | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | Online | Open |
| START DATE | LOCATION | STATUS |
|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | Online | Not Available |
Creative Book Publishing at Humber
Watch the video to learn more about Humber's Creative Book Publishing program.
News Feed
From classroom to boardroom: Humber student launches eco-friendly business
Thu, April 15, 2021
Xana Mills is a graduating Bachelor of Digital Communications student. We caught up with Xana via email to hear more about her business and how it developed over her time at Humber.
No news at this time.
News Feed
Senior Dean Update: Media & Creative Arts Anti-Racism Action Plan
Fri, October 15, 2021
In June 2020, I committed the FMCA to seven action items to address the attitudes, behaviours and structures that act as barriers for students from Indigenous and equity-deserving communities.
No news at this time.
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Post-Admission Requirements
Once you have been accepted, and have confirmed your offer, you may need to complete a further set of requirements related to your program (Post-Admission Requirements).
Fees
The 2022-2023 fee for one semester is:
- domestic: $6,219.14
- international: $17,187.11
Fees are subject to change.
Fees by Semester
Domestic Fees International FeesAdditional Costs
Approximately $50 – $100 - project materials.
Scholarships
Humber Scholarships
Find out more about scholarships and bursaries that you may be eligible for, visit Student Scholarships. International students can visit International Student Scholarships.
Humber Bursaries
Bursaries are available for Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs primarily based on financial need, visit Humber Bursaries.
External Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships
Find out more information about external scholarships and bursaries, visit External Awards.
Indigenous Student Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships
Humber offers a variety of bursaries and scholarships for Indigenous students, visit Indigenous Student Awards.
Explore Opportunities through Humber Pathways
Humber Pathways include:
- Opportunities to build on your college education and complete your diploma or degree at Humber.
- Degree and graduate study opportunities at other institutions in Ontario, Canada and abroad.
How to Apply
Applications to Humber are made through ontariocolleges.ca. Be sure to submit your application by the equal consideration deadline of February 1. You may apply after February 1, however, post-February 1 applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis depending on the availability of the space in the program. To check program availability refer to the Campus/Availability listing on Humber's program pages or ontariocolleges.ca.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.
