About us

Who we are

Agate Publishing Academy offers courses and certifications for professionals seeking to begin and advance their careers in publishing. Our hybrid courses feature self-paced modules and, in many cases, extensive group videoconference discussions. Our programs are designed to be more accessible, more affordable, and more focused than master’s education and draw on best practices from working publishing professionals and publishing organizations.
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Our purpose

Our aim is to make careers in publishing and related fields more achievable to a wider range of candidates. Have a question about our courses, certifications, pricing, or scheduling? Feel free to contact us.

"Agate Publishing Academy is intelligently and thoughtfully designed, providing a well-rounded foundation for anyone who is on the brink of a publishing career. What makes this program especially compelling is that it focuses on providing access to invaluable knowledge for people who are curious and motivated, even if they are not—especially if they are not—starting from an insider position. This program is opening the publishing career path to people who can bring their insight, intelligence, and energy from any corner of the country, making for a more well-balanced and arguably more sophisticated publishing industry in the years to come.

As a publishing veteran of nearly three decades, with half my time spent in the midwest, it is obvious to me that significant amounts of extraordinary publishing are happening away from New York City and that we foster the strength of publishing by strengthening the outliers and welcoming them to the pursuit."

— Jennifer Thompson, co-founder, The Nordlyset Agency

Why choose Agate Publishing Academy?

Our courses are designed to help you better understand what it takes to establish a career in publishing, starting with basic information about how the industry works, and extending to information designed to enable different career paths in the field. Our courses are created by working publishing professionals with a range of experiences and backgrounds in the industry, focused on how professionals perform their publishing jobs day to day.

High-Quality Learning

Our courses are being refined and enriched on a regular basis to keep them up to date with the latest perspectives on different topics in publishing.

Meet our team

Doug Seibold,
President

Doug has worked in trade, nonprofit, and educational publishing and media for the past 40 years. From 1999 to 2002, he was the founding editorial director of UNext, which created online education in partnership with universities such as Stanford, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. He founded Agate in 2002 and Agate Development in 2006.

David Schlesinger, Publishing Director

David has an M.A. in editorial studies from Boston University and 15 years of experience in publishing and education. In addition to editing both trade books and text books, he has led the development of educational materials used in both K-12 and higher education settings. In recent years he has worked mostly with continuing professional education and corporate partners to develop digital learning resources and custom online courses. He joined Agate in 2011.

Amanda Gibson, Editorial Manager

Amanda holds an M.A. in Writing and Publishing from DePaul University and has more than 10 years of experience in publishing, media, instructional design, and project management. She joined Agate in 2019.

Henry Begler, Digital Media Coordinator

Henry has worked in the music and publishing industries for six years in a variety of media- and technology-focused roles. He joined Agate in 2021.