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.

 

There are many reasons for choosing to be a freelance editor: maybe you were laid off from your staff job, want to be your own boss, or wish to take your editing career in a new direction.

As with any decision, however, there are advantages and disadvantages to becoming a freelance editor. This list of pros and cons should help you decide if the freelance editing life is for you.

Three reasons for becoming a freelance editor

1. You can work anywhere.

As a freelance editor, you never need to run for the bus again, or get stuck in traffic, unless you’re on your way to the airport to spend the next three months working from a beachside villa!

You can work as an editor anywhere: in your living room, in your kitchen, or in your garden shed. You can even stay in your pajamas. You can also decide where that living room, kitchen, or garden shed will be: a Greek island, a Paris attic, or your own home.

The Internet and a lightweight laptop are certainly useful, but you can find the Internet pretty much anywhere these days—even on an African safari. And you don’t need an expensive, top-of-the-range laptop for editing. Still, a new computer would be a great investment for your new, freelancing life. Treat yourself.

2. You can work anytime.

Not a morning person? No problem. When you work as a freelance editor, you can choose your own hours. Sure, you’ll have deadlines, but it won’t matter to your client if you do the bulk of the work before lunch or while having a late-night snack at your desk.

You can even decide how many hours a week you want to work and whether you spread it out over five or six mornings or choose to cram 40 hours into three days.

As long as the client gets the job back on time, you can work whenever you want.

3. You can specialize.

When you work for a boss, you often have to edit whatever lands on your desk. One day it’s the annual report, the next it’s a memo to the sales department.

However, as a freelance editor, you can decide on the type of work you want to do. You could decide to only edit academic manuscripts and then only those on fluid mechanics. You might enjoy editing textbooks, as long as it’s not math. You can choose.

Editing in a specialized field will also help you stand out from the crowd and find a specific type of client.

Now let’s look at some of the disadvantages of becoming a freelance editor.

Three reasons for not becoming a freelance editor

1. It’s difficult to find clients.

Getting started as a freelance editor can be difficult. Some people build up a list of clients before they give up their staff job, but many people begin their freelancing career from scratch, or with only one or two clients.

It can take a lot of work to build up a reliable client list, but these days, there are also opportunities to work for online editing companies, specialize, as mentioned above, or even take time to brush up on your skills by taking an online editing course.

2. Your income is unpredictable.

Many freelance editors go through dry spells when the jobs aren’t coming in as fast as they used to. There may even be times when you’re getting more work than you can handle.

Hopefully, the two balance out over the course of the year, and those busy months can see you through the lean times.

If not, you can still use your time productively. Take the opportunity to look for new clients, refresh the look of your website, or take an online proofreading course to develop and expand your skills. The important thing is to keep busy.

3. You need a lot of discipline.

The threat of the sack or a cut in pay is often motivation enough to get out of bed and make your way to the office. But if you have no boss, who’s going to tell you to get to your desk and get the job done?

When you work as a freelance editor, it can be a struggle to find the discipline to sit down every day and get started.

It can help to develop a routine or talk with others in the same position. There are many forums and online discussion groups where other freelance editors can help you through those difficult days. They might even give you some tips for new clients.

The life of a freelance editor isn’t always easy, but it certainly has its advantages.

A good editor always has work. If you love language and have a good eye for detail, you could have a secure future as an editor.

These key steps explain how to learn editing and will help you develop your career as an editor.

Ask how to learn editing from editors

The best people to give advice on how to learn editing are, of course, editors. You could contact a copy editor at your local newspaper or a nearby publishing company and ask if he or she would be willing to answer a few questions on how to learn editing, either in person or by mail.

You can also find editors on social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, which also has several groups for editors. They were all in the same position as you when they were starting out, and most will be happy to answer your questions.

Many professional editors also have blogs and will gladly respond to questions on how to learn editing. They often post about the ups and downs of their work and give a realistic picture of what a career as an editor is like.

Just remember that there is no single career path to becoming an editor, and every editor will have a different story to tell. So speak to as many editors as you can, and try to take away at least one solid piece of advice from each.

Be prepared to study

An increasing number of universities offer courses in editing. Many editors have a degree in literature, English, or journalism, but you don’t need formal qualifications to become an editor. A good basic knowledge of English is enough to get started.

If you still don’t have the confidence to begin editing training right away, you can brush up on your language skills by taking an online grammar course. You can revisit all those spelling rules, verb tenses, and punctuation marks without the pressure of having to complete the course within a set amount of time.

An online course can also allow you to learn at your own pace.

Gain experience

While many courses can teach you how to learn editing, and advanced courses can help you develop as an editor, the best way to improve your skills is to actually do the job.

Practice will definitely help you become a better editor, and good editors are highly sought after and can demand high salaries.

It can take some time before you are able to compete with the very best editors, but don’t be disheartened. Almost any business that works with written text—book publishers, newspapers, magazines, universities, businesses, charities, website developers—has to employ an editor at some point.

You can discover more about how to learn editing in an entry-level position, such as an editorial assistant. Or, if you prefer to work freelance, you could try working for an online editing services company to build up your experience.

Proofreading is also a great springboard to a career in editing. You can take online proofreading courses focused on the specific skills needed to be a proofreader, and, even if your editing career takes off, you can always offer clients proofreading as an extra service for another source of income.

The learning never stops. The very best editors are always wondering how to learn more about editing and looking for new ways to develop their skills.