[3] It was established in 1947 at Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts by Edith Gratia Stedman, as a training course for women looking to get into publishing.

[4] The Columbia Publishing Course has also offered a four-week sister program in September at Exeter College in Oxford, England since 2016.

[5] Shaye Areheart, a former Doubleday editor, has been director of the Columbia Publishing Course since 2013, having been a lecturer for it since 1988.

Areheart took over the course after the death of longtime director Lindy Hess, who was known for launching the careers of many editors.

[6][7][8] Renowned editor Robert Gottlieb is shown addressing the course in the 2022 documentary Turn Every Page.