Written by Jeanette Cameron
The PEN Institute is the educational division of Christian Editor Network and the premier online educational institute for Christian editors. TPI’s mission statement is “equipping Christian editors with education.” The PEN Institute started in 2004 as a part of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network, which began with founder Kathy Ide’s vision to create an online community for Christian editors.
TPI offers a variety of career development courses in multiple formats. Each year a Course Schedule is posted for Group Instruction. Courses run from four to ten lessons and provide assignments for students to test their understanding of the material. TPI also offers Lesson Packs for self-paced study, One-on-One instruction for those who wish to study privately with the instructor, Webinars, as well as Mentoring and Second Pass services. Upon successful completion of Group Course and One-on-One instruction requirements, students earn a Certificate of Completion, which they can add to their resumes and post on their websites, promoting their editorial skills to potential clients.
If you need a lot of training to get your freelance editing business up and running or to offer additional services to your clients, TPI also offers Lesson Pack Bundles—Lesson Packs packaged at a discount. And if you are new to freelance editing or want to improve your skills, take a look at TPI’s Career Tracks to find a recommended list of courses that may benefit you.
The PEN Institute has dozens of professional editorial courses, from basic courses such as Proofreading 101 and Editing Children’s Books 101 to Grant Writing and Editing Fundamentals, Substantive Editing for Fiction, and Boot Camp courses, which are all about practice. Visit the Education page and use the dropdown menu to access the format that is right for you, then search the many courses, both fiction, nonfiction, and more, in each format.
Erin Brown, Director of The PEN Institute, is assisted by Claire Tucker, TPI Assistant, and Tim Pietz, Certification Assistant. Learn more about The PEN Institute’s history and TPI’s instructors.
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Jeanette Cameron is the current PEN Director and owner of Risen Editing, which serves Christian authors. From speculative to biblical and young adult to women’s contemporary fiction, she specializes in content editing, helping authors develop their storytelling skills, connect with their readers through stories, and honor God through the process. She enjoys learning about other cultures and having coffee or tea with friends. She lives in Austin, TX, with her husband, two teen children, and two dogs.
