Popular Forth Valley College evening course ‘Writing for Publication’, is once again filling up fast for its autumn 2024 classes – and there is a very good reason for that.
The course is taught by Dr Tom Christie, author and co-owner of Stirling based Extremis Publishing, which continues to receive national recognition for its fresh and dynamic approach to the Scottish publishing sector, having just recently won a prestigious Innovation and Excellence prize at the Global Awards run by Fenice Media.
This is on the back of the firm – which is co-owned by Tom’s sister and fellow author Julie Christie – recently winning the Independent Publishing Company of the Year, for the third consecutive year at the Scotland Prestige Awards.
There are still some spaces left on the now established night class, but word is spreading fast about the six week course held on a Tuesday from 6-8pm between 10 September and 22 October 2024. It seems that Tom’s vast writing and publishing experience, engaging manner and knowledge of the industry, is helping budding authors of all ages, styles and levels to flourish and enhance their skills.
To find out more or book a place visit https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/courses/creative-industries/writing-for-publication-evening . To find out more about FVC’s wide range of evening courses which have just gone live for the new autumn term visit https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/ways-to-study/evening/
The hybrid course looks at all facets of the modern publishing industry from AI, social media and promotion to copyrighting, how to approach literary agents and negotiating translation rights. It will offer the best advice to avoid the pitfalls that they may come up against trying to get their work published, and will make use of Dr Christie’s network of industry contacts as he introduces various guest speakers through the six week block.
The Scotland Prestige Awards aim to celebrate the work of businesses which provide persistently accomplished products to the market in which they are situated, and the judging panel based their decisions upon areas such as service excellence, quality of the products and services provided, innovative practices, value, ethical and sustainable methods of working, and consistency in performance.
Dr Christie, who aims to embed these values into his course, said: "Everyone has it within them to be a writer and this course will help them find what works for them. We have run three full blocks of courses now and I really enjoy teaching as I am constantly meeting new people of all ages, levels and skills. Whether it be for fiction or non-fiction, I get great pleasure from seeing people’s eyes light up when they discover new knowledge about the publishing industry.
“Effectively the course also becomes an information exchange and discussions on best practice with everyone having an input. In fact I actively encourage anyone with a question to ask and that can get everyone talking and lead to more questions, advice and tips.”
With the odds on first time authors pitching their books successfully with a publishing house sitting at less than a one in a one million chance, this ‘Writing for publication’ evening course, is looking to help potential writers to drastically cut those odds and give them a better chance of securing a book deal.
Tom added: “My hope is that with the benefit of my experience, I can give those who attend the course the best opportunity to approach their writing careers, from the procedure of writing a book, to the muti-media approach on how to promote their work for podcasts, spoken word, e,books, as well as the traditional hard and paper backs.
“It has been great working with Forth Valley College to develop this course and I have thoroughly enjoyed the chance to lecture current students, people retired from business, under-graduates and even authors who had work published many years before and who need to find out how things are done nowadays.
“Teaching the course has proven to me that even the random headaches you can encounter in the industry can turn out to be someone else's valuable advice, and can help them avoid the same problems while allowing them to develop new ideas for the future. So I can’t wait to get back in class in the autumn to meet 13 new potential authors and help them turn the page on their careers.”
Feedback on the course has been very positive indeed, and these former students were happy to give their reactions:
Iain McRobbie, said: "This course was a real eye-opener for me. I certainly learned a great deal, and have probably saved myself a lot of work in the future in dealings with potential publishers. I also think that based on what I learned on the course the changes I've made to my book have improved it, so money well spent!"
Mary Q, added: "I enjoyed the course very much and thought all the information provided was really useful and comprehensive. I am glad I came across the course and I will recommend it to others. I would also add that the course was very good value, especially as the lecturer has a lot of practical and current experience in publishing."
John MacDonald, went on: "Dr Christie's knowledge of the publishing world is encyclopaedic. From copyright to contract, agents to self-publishing, pitfalls and protection, his course covered everything. I found Dr Christie to be engaging, responsive and very helpful, both during and after the course."
Karyn King, FVC’s operations Manager in the Department of Creative, Leisure and Digital Industries, said: “The Writing for Publication evening course at our Stirling Campus has gone from strength to strength since it started two years ago and that’s down, not only Tom’s expertise, but his engaging lecturing style. The feedback we have had is excellent. Extremis Publishing is seen as sector leading in Scotland and we would like to congratulate Tom and his sister Julie for winning another prestigious award recently, which only reinforces their credentials. No wonder this course is attracting so much interest.”
Founded in 2015, Extremis Publishing is dedicated to producing the highest quality of non-fiction in the subject areas of the arts, media and culture, and is committed to the delivery of a publishing programme which is innovative, original and wide-reaching.”
In addition to publishing new writing, the company also produces a number of video features and two monthly podcasts. It has since also moved into the field of the spoken word, with free-to-access features appearing on the acclaimed ethical audio streaming site Jeeni.
The company began its life with the intention of producing books that were different, eclectic, quirky, and never run of the mill. It specialises in non-fiction and now has a portfolio of 46 published books and counting.
This included encouraging new authors of any age, all of whom had an interesting story that deserved to be told. They would describe their approach as author-focused, unconventional, and innovative. The company arranges author events and book signings which are publicised via the company's social media channels aswell as on their website news page.
Extremis Publishing has plans for many forthcoming books with a variety of authors both established and brand new.
For more information about Extremis Publishing and its catalogue of books, please visit the company's website at: https://www.extremispublishing.com
For more information on the Writing For Publication course at FVC visit https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/courses/creative-industries/writing-for-publication-evening for more information on the range of Evening classes at FVC visit https://www.forthvalley.ac.uk/ways-to-study/evening/
