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Creative Book Publishing

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Program Code: 12251
Credential: Ontario Graduate Certificate
Start Dates: May
Program Length: 1 semester

Program Overview

Turn your love of books into a career in publishing with our intensive, fully online program, which combines creativity and entrepreneurship with the only opportunities in Canada to specialize in literary agenting/rights management and publishing technology. Upon graduation, you will be ready for a range of publishing and publishing-related opportunities including:

  • contracts
  • design and editorial
  • entertainment/copyright/intellectual property
  • literary agenting
  • sales, marketing and publicity
  • self-publishing and publishing technology

You will learn all facets of modern publishing, from acquisitions to sales and digital rights, before embarking on a capstone project that will give you a real taste of life in the publishing industry and applicable experience with which to launch your career.

Courses Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, a graduate will:

  1. Create a freelance business in any of the following areas – Editorial, Publicity/Public Relations, Design/Packaging.

  2. Represent authors as literary agents to publishing houses in Canada and internationally.

  3. Publish their own creative works independent of publishing houses.

  4. Critically analyze proposals and literary works for legal implications including copyright issues, libel, trademark, moral rights and intellectual property rights.

  5. Prepare business documents related to publishing such as business plans, annual reports, and business proposals in conformity with industry and market standards.

  6. Evaluate national and international markets.

  7. Prepare sales and promotion strategies and materials, and negotiate agreements for the selling of rights of authors’ works.

  8. Produce publishing content for media outlets as arts commentators, book reviewers, and TV/radio producers.

  9. Analyze manuscripts for quality and profitability.

  10. Analyze and predict publishing operations in the areas of distribution, credit, supply chain, information technology, warehousing and inventory control, and customer service.

  11. Analyze public policy and granting structures available to publishing as a Canadian cultural industry.

  12. Prepare marketing strategies and create marketing documents and materials for book proposals, book jackets, and sales presentations.

  13. Complete structural edits and copy edits, perform proofreading, and production editing as part of the editorial process.


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Writer's Lounge: Creative writing, creative book publishing, professional writing and communications

Watch the "Power Up Your Credential!" Info Session to learn more about the Creative Book Publishing program.

The Book Club - creative book publishing alumni panel with Nathan Whitlock

Watch "The Book Club" Info Session to learn more about the Creative Book Publishing program.

Student reading in class 

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.

Creative Book Publishing logo

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 interviewing Jamie Tenn

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.

Nathan Whitlock interviewing Morgan Barcroft-Martin

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.

Watch the Video  

"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

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.

  • Cassandra Smyth

    “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

  • Danielle Plant

    “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

  • Chelsea Clark

    “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

  • Michela Prefontaine

    “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

  • Jamie Tenn

    “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

  • Morgan Barcroft-Martin

    “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

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

Program Availability

Start dates between Sept 2022 - Aug 2023
START DATE LOCATION STATUS
May 2023 Online Open
Start dates between Sept 2023 - Aug 2024
START DATE LOCATION STATUS
May 2024 Online Opening Soon
Start dates between Sept 2022 - Aug 2023
START DATE LOCATION STATUS
May 2023 Online Open
Start dates between Sept 2023 - Aug 2024
START DATE LOCATION STATUS
May 2024 Online Opening Soon

Creative Book Publishing at Humber

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Watch the video to learn more about Humber's Creative Book Publishing program.


Humber Students Benefit from Five Centres of Innovation (COIs)

The Humber Centres of Innovation Network demonstrates our strong commitment to providing an experiential learning environment for students. Students and faculty work with industry partners on real-world challenges to prepare them to become the innovative and strategic problem-solvers of tomorrow. Come to Humber and experience interdisciplinary learning across five COIs.

About the COIs  

News Feed

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On October 21, 2019, the Provincial Government of Ontario announced the renaming of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). Both names may appear on this website.

Contact Us

Admissions Questions

General Enquiries

Call 416-675-3111 or email enquiry@humber.ca. If you have already applied, be sure to check your application status on myhumber.ca.

Domestic Applicants Enquiries

Domestic applicants can book a one-on-one advising appointment with an admissions representative.

International Applicants Enquiries

Contact the International Centre for information about full-time programs (including the International Graduate School), how to apply and to follow up on your submitted application.

Program-Specific Questions

Speak to the Program Co-ordinator about the course curriculum, projects and career options.

Nathan Whitlock, program co-ordinator
416.675.6622 ext. 4775
nathan.whitlock@humber.ca

Campus Information

Book a campus tour to take a closer look at what it's like to be a student at Humber.

Want More Info?

Find out more about the student experience and everything that Humber has to offer Future Students.

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How To Become An Apprentice

Becoming an Apprentice

Find an employer willing to sponsor you as an apprentice.

Contact the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to register as an apprentice.

Work with your employer approximately one year before attending Humber.

View Instructions 

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

If you’re in high school – grade 11 or 12 – you can earn co-op education credits through work placements in some skilled trades.

Visit OYAP 

How to Apply

Domestic Students

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, search by availability, or ontariocolleges.ca.

To see where you are in the admissions process, visit the Admissions Road Map.

International Students

If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.

Need Advice?

Program Advising Appointments

Get help narrowing down your program options or book a one-on-one pre-enrolment advising appointment with one of our Recruitment Officers.

Transfer & Pathway Advising

Book a virtual appointment with a Student Mobility Advisor learn more about getting Transfer Credit(s) for previous post-secondary experience, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), and Pathways options.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet all the requirements below in order to meet minimum program eligibility. Meeting minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee an offer of admission. Admission decisions will be available via MyHumber, or by email and mail. Admission decisions will not be released by phone.

Admission selection is based on the following three requirements:

  • Academic

    To be eligible for admission, you must possess the following:

    • A bachelor’s degree, advanced diploma or diploma

    Mature Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or other postsecondary school, and will be 19 or older as of the first day of classes. Humber will invite you for testing to demonstrate that you meet all listed course requirements.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or attended postsecondary studies, and will be 21 or older as of the first day of classes. Mature applicants for degree programs will be required to meet course requirements at the U/M level or equivalent.

    College Transfer Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants must have an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of 65 per cent in the program. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.

    University Transfer Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.

  • English Language Proficiency

    All applicants whose first language is not English must meet Humber’s English Language Proficiency Policy.

  • International Credit Evaluation

    Canadian citizens or permanent residents with international education are required to provide a credential evaluation. Note, for international High school education course by course evaluations, ICAS must be used. For international post-secondary education, a WES evaluation must be provided. In situations where you expect to apply for transfer credit, it is recommended that a course by course WES evaluation is completed.

International Academic Equivalency

Admission equivalencies for Humber depend on your country of study. Please enter your location or choose detect my location to see the requirements for your country below.

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).

N/A

Equipment & Device Requirements

Fees & Financial Aid

The 2022-2023 fee for one semester was:

  • domestic: $6,219.14
  • international: $17,187.11

Fees are subject to change.

Fees by Semester

Domestic Fees International Fees

Additional Costs

Approximately $50 – $100 - project materials.

Financial Aid, Scholarships and Bursaries

Understand the costs associated with coming to Humber and explore resources available from first year to your final year on Student Fees and Financial Resources.

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.
View Pathways Into This Program  
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