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Help! I Want To Be A Freelance Editor
Author: Kathy Ide
“If you could do anything for a living, what would it be?” my husband asked when I lost my office job due to tendon injuries.
“Write,” I answered instantly. I’d been writing in my spare time and had sold some articles, short stories, and play scripts. “But I can’t make a living at it...at least not yet.”
“What would your second choice be?” he asked.
Almost immediately I responded, “Helping other writers.”
A friend of mine ran a critique service, and I’d been doing some work for her. I found it extremely rewarding, and the authors I worked with raved about how much better their manuscripts read with my changes. I’d always been able to easily spot typos and errors in punctuation, grammar, and spelling. I seemed to have a knack for seeing how someone’s writing could be tighter, where a scene needed more “showing” instead of “telling,” and how to improve character development, consistency, and pace. And I loved encouraging other writers.
My husband said I should see if I could make a living at that. I approached my Workers Compensation coordinator with the idea.
Her brow puckered. “No one would hire an editor without a college degree. Sorry, but that’s impossible.”
Believing that God specializes in things people think are “impossible,” I accepted the challenge. I have now been a full-time freelance editor for six years. I work at home, with a wonderfully flexible schedule, and I make more money now than before. I love my work, and I wouldn’t go back to an office job for anything!
I’m often asked how to break into this business. Based on my experience, here are some tips.
Pray
God can bring in business...if it’s what He wants you to do. (If it’s not, you won’t be successful anyway.)Write
You can’t help others if you aren’t doing it yourself. Read how-to-write books. Take courses. Attend writers conferences. Find or start a critique group. Write articles, short stories, and/or other small pieces and get them published. Work your way up to book-length manuscripts.Experience
If you've never hired a professional freelance editor, do so. Not only will your writing improve, but you will get a good look at the kinds of things an editor does. You may want to hire two or three to get a feel for different styles.Evaluate
Do you have up-to-date computer equipment, E-mail and Internet (preferably DSL) capability, the latest version of MS-Word, and a good virus scan program? Can you check E-mail several times a day? Do you have an office space with sufficient filing capacity? Does your community allow home businesses? Does your city require a business license? Do you know a good CPA with a thorough understanding of home businesses? Are you self-motivated, organized, flexible? How well will you cope with working alone, with no coworkers to chat with?Plan
Talk with your family about finances. If you can't make it on your spouse's income for a while, you may want to edit on the side until you have enough work to quit your day job. If you have young kids, don't expect to make much. Editing requires concentration, which can be in short supply if you've got kids clamoring for attention.Study
For books, you’ll need The Chicago Manual of Style. For articles, The Associated Press Stylebook. Get Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. For Christian manuscripts, use The Christian Writer's Manual of Style. Make sure you have the most recent editions.Learn
Read books and attend classes and seminars that teach how to write the kinds of books you plan to edit. If you're thinking of editing fiction, get all the training you can on characterization, dialogue, setting scenes, creating conflict and suspense, "show don't tell," story arcs, active vs. passive verbs, etc. (Personally, I wouldn't recommend editing fiction if you've never written fiction.) Different genres have unique rules, so if you plan to edit romance or science fiction or historical, study those genres specifically.Consider
Decide what types of material you will and won't edit. Do you want to place a limit on the amount or level of sex, violence, profanity, etc.? Are there certain types of editing you are particularly skilled at? Do you have experience in stage plays/screenplays, term papers, business plans, technical writing?Prepare
Create a resume that describes your qualifications, publishing credits, and editing experience. Make business cards and flyers. Research the going rates and establish your fees (which will need to be on the low end at first). Make sure your advertising materials are perfect. If there's a typo, a misspelled word, or even a comma in the wrong place, that will reflect poorly on your editing skills.Get The Word Out
Do an Internet search for editing networks and ask if they're looking for someone new. (Read the fine print. Most networks require a finder’s fee. Find out how big a cut the network wants, and for how long--six months? a year? for as long as you work with a client they refer?) Contact publishers and ask if they use freelancers. (Expect to start as a proofreader, which doesn't pay much.) At writers conferences, hand out business cards to conferees, and talk to acquisitions editors who can tell you if they use freelancers. Create a Web site and get it listed on the major search engines.Anticipate
Expect to be asked to "just take a look" at manuscripts for free. Decide if you want to do that to gain experience. Will you charge for your services up front or do the work first and then expect to be paid? What will you do if someone says he'll pay you later...and then doesn't?Pray
Without ceasing.
I love being a professional freelance editor. Writing is my passion, and helping others improve their writing is my delight. I wake up every morning amazed that I can make a living at something I enjoy so much. You can, too.
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