Writing Prompts – Page 429

Sources for Online Editing Jobs

A guide to different places to find online editing jobs

Are you an editor looking for work? Searching for places to find online editing jobs? Well, you’re in luck, because job seekers are no longer restricted to traditional job-seeking methods. These days, one way (if not the main way) to find online editing jobs is to search the wonderful World Wide Web. You can take advantage of numerous resources to find online editing jobs. You can look for job openings posted on company websites, search different employment websites, and connect with others in the editing field via online networking sites. Creating profiles on networking sites and connecting with everyone you know can be very beneficial when you’re trying to find online editing jobs.

Many websites and job boards specialize in writing and editing. For example, you will want to check out the following sites when trying to find online editing jobs. (Keep in mind that some sites require fees/registration/membership.)

bookjobs.com: The purpose of this website is twofold. It provides a centralized place for jobseekers to research available positions in publishing, and it provides basic information about the book publishing industry as a whole. You can search for jobs and internships, find out about recruitment events and publishing organizations, find publisher profiles and publishing programs, and learn commonly used terms.
publishersweekly.com: This website provides information about the publishing industry and authors, reviews, a self-publishing service, links to blogs, and a job zone that lists jobs (job title, employer, post date, location, and more specific job details).
publishersmarketplace.com: This is a dedicated marketplace where publishing professionals can find critical information and unique databases, find each other, and learn how to do business better electronically. You also can browse a listing of job openings.
writejobs.com: This website is courtesy of Writers Write, Inc., which provides a network of professional websites covering books, entertainment, gaming, media, publishing, and writing. The site allows you to:
- view only freelance positions
- view only journalism, media, and magazine jobs
- view only medical writing/editing positions
- view only book publishing industry jobs
- view only technical writing/editing positions
- view only jobs where telecommuting is considered
ed2010.com: Ed2010 is a community of young magazine editors and others interested in this career who want to learn more about the industry in order to land top editing and writing positions at magazines. On this site, you can find blogs, advice, resources, a message board, and job listings. The latter includes job titles, employers, locations, post dates, descriptions, and sometimes contact names.
journalism.berkeley.edu: This is part of the Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism’s website. You can find a listing of jobs and internships (titles, locations, post dates, application deadlines, descriptions) in journalism, including editing and proofreading jobs in the United States.
copyediting.com: The Copyediting: Language in the Digital Age website is all about the copyediting profession. A job board lists various jobs in editing.
mediabistro.com: Mediabistro is the leading provider of jobs, news, education, events, and research for the media industry. Its mission is to help media professionals succeed and grow in their careers by providing opportunities to acquire new positions, knowledge, skills, and connections.
journalismjobs.com: JournalismJobs.com is the largest and most-visited resource for journalism jobs. It receives between 2.5 million and 3 million page views a month.
ihirepublishing.com: This site, part of the iHire job network, is for finding jobs in the publishing industry. You can register for jobs by title or location or search the list of “featured jobs.” The listings are updated daily, and there are thousands of them. There is also an option to upload your résumé, which might speed up your search for editing jobs online.
mastheadonline.com: This site provides news, job listings, and information about the Canadian magazine industry.
staffwriters.com: StaffWriters has been providing communications professionals with opportunities for more than 15 years.
sunoasis.com: Sunoasis Jobs uses the Internet to provide job postings, leads, and links to connect you with opportunities.

In your quest to find online editing jobs, also make sure to check out job boards such as Monster, Simply Hired, Indeed, and CareerBuilder. Consider joining professional associations, such as the Editors’ Association of Canada, the Society for Editors and Proofreaders, or the Society of Editors. You can network via these sites and make useful contacts. This can also be a good source for finding online editing jobs.

Get ready, get set, and go find online editing jobs!

If you are an editor trying to find an online editing job, use this brief guide to help in your search. Just remember that patience and perseverance will pay off. A challenging and fulfilling editing career awaits you.

Careers in Editing

A guide to help you discover careers in editing

Introduction

So you love working with the English language and want to be an editor. You may be familiar with all the different levels of editing. Your degree might be in English, journalism, technical writing, robotics, or the culinary arts. You might be freshly out of university, or you might be looking for a career change. You may have taken an online editing course to hone your editing skills. With your certificates and letters in hand, you’re ready to take the plunge and join the world of coffee addicts and serial-comma enthusiasts (and critics). But before you become “Tracked Changes–happy,” you have to know where to find these careers in editing.

Editing career options

When people think about careers in editing, the traditional publishing house or company tends to come to mind. You know the type of publishing house: the one in which Elaine Benes was reprimanded for using too many exclamation marks. However, if your plan is to become even an assistant editor at a publishing house, you will need at least three to five years’ experience as an editor. Not to worry, though. In reality, many careers in editing are available to you.

We live in a tech-savvy universe, with new skills and gadgets continually emerging. There are independent editing boutiques that offer both editing and proofreading services. These independent companies utilize a very powerful tool, the Internet. They offer a wide range of editing services, such as technical and scientific documents destined for prestigious journals, English as a second language (ESL) documents, fiction and nonfiction manuscripts, and academic papers for native English and non-native English writers and speakers alike.

Freelance editing is one of those dream jobs that university graduates may foresee themselves doing. The ideal (stereotype or not) could involve an editor wearing pajamas and slippers all day as he or she happily edits the next big thing in Icelandic poetry. While freelance editing has more freedom than working in a publishing house (you can set your own hours, for instance), it is not something to jump into without a monthly budget and a business plan. At first, freelance editors will probably need to have a second job to earn their bread and butter income.

While many freelance editors stalk freelance editing boards to find their big break, there are more proactive ways to secure a client. Instead of waiting for work, go out and find it. One way to do this is to research all the companies in your area or beyond. See if there are any job openings on these companies’ websites. If not, don’t hesitate to make a cold call. Remember, though, that careers in editing are highly competitive. Flat cover-letter introductions will not help you in your job search. Be creative. Hook the hiring manager with a unique, attention-grabbing introduction. This can work wonders.

Even after you’ve landed your first freelance gig, it could be a long time before you can purchase that car you’ve been eyeing. After a year or two, however, your hard work can start paying off.

Income levels

Careers in editing have varying income levels. Location, years of experience, freelance versus full-time in-house editing, and the types of editing or proofreading all play a role in an editor’s wage. American editors tend to have a higher salary than their Canadian counterparts. The government of Canada’s Wage Report offers a comprehensive list of low, middle, and high wages for editors by province. Quebec and Alberta have the highest wages on this scale. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Labrador have the lowest wages, at $10 an hour. Ontario and British Columbia are middle of the road, at $14.50 an hour. As more and more companies outsource their editing needs, more online editing work and careers in editing should become available. Rates of pay are intrinsically related to the demand for services.

Job satisfaction

Like income, job satisfaction depends on varying factors. Being an editor can be extremely rewarding. While most editors don’t receive recognition for their invaluable services, they are like word doctors. They know how to fix any document: résumés, manuscripts, cover letters, business reports, and academic papers. Their meticulous attention to detail might help an unemployed individual secure a new job or help a potential Ph.D. student get a research article published in a science journal.

However, with such responsibilities, editing can be an extremely stressful career. Most careers in editing involve long hours, heavy workloads, and strict deadlines.

Conclusion

Numerous careers in editing are available to the discerning editor who knows where to look for work. While pay rates and job satisfaction vary depending on the circumstances, editing is a fulfilling career choice for the right person.

Four Tricks You’ll Master in Editor Training

When you take a course in editor training, you will develop a range of skills. You’ll practice proofreading, discover the details of formatting, learn English grammar, and revisit the rules of punctuation.

You will also learn some tips and tricks to help you understand if editing as a career is the right path for you.

Here are just a few of the insider hacks you’ll pick up in editor training.

Editor training will teach you the following skills, and more

1. Find hidden errors

Editing involves checking a document for typos and spelling mistakes as well as consistency in punctuation, abbreviations, and numbering. To find errors and inconsistencies, the editor has to read over every word of the text carefully.

However, the errors might be somewhere other than the text.

Conscientious editors also look at the margins to make sure the text is lined up consistently throughout the document. They check bulleted lists to see if they are parallel and are correctly punctuated. And, as unlikely as it may sound, it is also very natural to skip over titles and subheadings. Editors have to be aware of this and double-check every heading at every level.

Double checking is an important part of every editor’s work anyway since it is also easy to introduce errors when editing. These have to be weeded out with a second and sometimes even a third read-through.

2. Thin out the padding

During editor training, you will learn that many words in a document are unnecessary. You will learn that you can often remove words from a sentence without changing the meaning.

Look out for redundant adjectives, for example. Can you spot one in this sentence?

“He was a large giant of a man.”

The fact that the man is a giant already tells us that he’s large; we don’t need that extra adjective.

Many other pairs of words are commonly, but unnecessarily, used together: “true facts,” “fictional novel,” “final outcome.”

You will also learn about modifiers in editor training. A modifier changes the meaning of another element of the sentence.

The girl wore a very pretty dress.

In this example, the noun “dress” is modified by the adjective “pretty.” “Very” is also a modifier, but it is unnecessary. An unnecessary modifier is also known as a weak modifier. Other common examples include “really,” “quite,” and “rather.”

3. Massage delicate egos

Many people believe that editing is a lonely task. However, the job would not exist without authors, and editors often have close contact with them.

Authors can be protective of their work, and understandably so. They’ve put a lot of time, thought, and effort into their writing submission. So they don’t always appreciate it when someone cuts their weak modifiers or realigns their margins.

That’s why it is important to learn in editor training how to deal with authors. That doesn’t mean you have to lie to them or tell them they are amazing when they’re not. But you do have to be polite and clearly explain any major changes you’ve made to the text. It always helps to remember that you’re both working toward the same goal: producing logical, readable writing.

4. Follow industry standards

Should you use serial commas in every document? Should every item in a list have a period at the end? What about the spelling? Should it be American or British?

While editor training will teach you the rules of grammar, you will also learn that some rules apply only sometimes. These are style elements, and every publication has its own style guide. The guide states the preferred spelling, formatting, punctuation, and more.

Any reliable course provider will make sure your editor training covers the basics of the main industry style guides, the most important of which is probably The Chicago Manual of Style. You will learn how to work with various style guides and how to apply their particular rules to the documents you edit.

You can find excellent online editing courses from trusted, world-class professionals. You can follow the lessons at your own pace in your own home.