Marketing your freelance editorial business NEW COURSE

This is a new course, aimed at freelance editors and proofreaders who want to develop their marketing skills to promote their business. It will be delivered online (Zoom) by regular tutor Denise Cowle over two sessions of two hours each on Monday 15 and Thursday 18 March 2021.

Fee: Special fee of £100+VAT

Booking: register and pay on TICKET TAILOR by noon on Thursday 11 March 2021.

Practical Mark-up of PDFs NEW COURSE

Denise Cowle's new course is aimed at proofreaders who want to fully understand the tools available to them in Adobe Acrobat DC (free version). It will be delivered online (Zoom) over four hours - two sessions of two hours each on Monday 26 and Thursday 29 April 2021. PLEASE NOTE: this course does not teach proofreading skills. For proofreading skills, see Introduction to Proofreading.

Fee: £100+VAT (members); £135+VAT (non-members)

Booking: register and pay on TICKET TAILOR by noon on 22 April 2021

Editing for non-publishers NEW COURSE

Fee: £100+VAT (members); £135+VAT (non-members)

Booking: register and pay on TICKET TAILOR by 30 April 2021

Fee: £150+VAT (members); £200+VAT (non-members)

Booking: register and pay on TICKET TAILOR by midnight on Wednesday 12 May 2021

Fee: £150+VAT (members); £200+VAT (non-members).

Booking: register and pay on TICKET TAILOR by by midnight on Wednesday 26 May 2021.

Booking is also open for

We post our courses on the PS website as soon as they are open for booking.

See also our round up of free and paid-for online training courses.

This year you can experience the Hebridean Dark Skies Festival from anywhere in the world. The online stargazing event on Thursday 11 February 2021 at 7.30pm might be particularly appealing to those in light polluted cities.

LitFestBergen has invited festivals and literature centres worldwide to create literary programmes on their own stages with their selected authors and other artists. One of the featured festivals is the Edinburgh International Book Festival with a selection of writers representing an exciting new generation for Scottish literature. Watch the Scottish event free on YouTube on Friday 12 February 2021 at 6pm (GMT).

Following on from the success of its inaugural festival, Paisley Book Festival is delighted to be returning in 2021. See the Paisley Book Festival website.

Aberdeen's crime writing festival will return for its first ever virtual edition with a series of online talks, author conversations and headline events. See the Granite Noir website.

Free online conference from The Bookseller and BA (1 to Friday 5 March 2021), featuring independent booksellers in conversation with The Bookseller's four previewers. Register here.

World Book Day is a celebration of reading, authors, illustrators and books. It’s designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and marked in over 100 countries all over the world. See the World Book Day website.

The festival themes are 'Make It New' and 'No Rhyme Nor Reason', and they'll be showcasing poetry from countries from the former Eastern bloc with 'Beyond the Iron Curtain'. See the StAnza website.

The IPG will facilitate one-to-one meetings with a wide range of UK and international retailers, publishers, distributors, suppliers and experts. See the IPG website and The Bookseller of 8 January 2021.

Ctrl Alt Refresh is SYP Scotland's first-ever digital conference. The conference will feature panels on a wide range of topics – from 2020 being the year of digitising events and the diverse and unconventional routes into the industry, to international publishing and the debates surrounding representation and accessibility. For details and to book, see Eventbrite.

Apply for this full-time position by Friday 12 February 2021.

Apply by 12 noon on Monday 22 February 2021 for this part-time, 12 months' maternity cover position.

Apply by noon on Monday 22 March 2021 for these paid internships which, circumstances permitting, will take place in summer/autumn 2021 in Perth.

Emerging writers from under-represented communities are invited to apply for this Creative Scotland development programme by Friday 12 February 2021.

Winners receive up to £1500 towards training or equipment to support their development. The deadline for applications is Sunday 7 March 2021.

Apply to join the Board of Trustees by midnight on Sunday 28 February 2021.

Entries should be submitted by 7pm on Wednesday 14 April 2021.

For more information on these jobs and opportunities, see the Publishing Scotland website.

As a direct response to the current employment situation caused by Covid-19, the bookcareers service is now running TWO job clubs: one for newcomers and one for publishing professionals. See the bookcareers website.

In addition to its usual welfare grants, the Book Trade Charity may be able to provide Covid Hardship grants for book trade people in need due to the pandemic. For more information, see the Book Trade Charity website.