A tale of three aspiring editors. This post is based on real people, but I’ve changed names and other identifying details – I’m not trying to embarrass anyone, I’m trying to inspire action. About three years ago, three students started taking classes at Club Ed at the same time. Let’s call them Jane, Martha, and…
Editors often aren’t sure how long it takes to edit a manuscript, from the first read-through to the final review of the revision letter. I’d say that editors underestimate by about 25% (sometimes more) much of the time. If you underestimate badly enough, you wind up earning less than you would shaking a fry basket…
You know the saying, “Actions speak louder than words?” It’s a good one to follow when working with clients. It doesn’t matter what anyone says they’re going to do. It matters if they do it. Caution: Client’s Words and Actions Don’t Align If you’ve got a publisher client who says they pay within thirty days…
If you’re interested in learning how to become a freelance book editor, you’re probably wondering what kind of person thrives in the environment—what kind of skills freelance editors need. Training for Fiction Editors First, you have to have training (and that’s where Club Ed comes in). Without a specific understanding of editing methodology – whether…
When you’re a newer editor, success – that is, booking clients regularly enough to pay your bills – can feel elusive. And when people who’ve been working as editors for twenty years give advice, it can feel as if their gems of wisdom aren’t especially pertinent to the current year. So, I asked some students…
Many freelance editors are interested in getting editorial work from book publishers and packagers, and often they’re so focused on landing the client that they don’t think about setting expectations for their work. Then the first project is assigned, and they have less time than they normally have with indie authors, they’re asked to sit…
A lot of editors ask me how to get started in freelance editing for publishers (so many that I actually started a class to show you how to get editorial work from book publishers and packagers). Other than having the skill to do the work, the most important element in successfully freelancing for publishers is…
Line editing for parallelism sometimes requires being a line editor detective—solving the sentence-level issues to take a manuscript to the next level. Editing Detective: Line Editing for Parallelism As a line editor, sometimes the problems I catch are obvious (“Roy laghed at the joke”) but sometimes they’re not. Sometimes being a line editor is a…
Line editing for filter words is a skill to master for line editors. Tips on Line Editing for Filter Words Filter words in fiction are words that get in the way of the reader experiencing the moment. These often relate to senses: “I saw John get out of the car” instead of “John got out…
Getting work as a freelance editor is always a challenge, and my colleagues sometimes see an opportunity when a local business or other organization publishes a newsletter or blog post with errors. They ask me, “I’m thinking about pointing out the errors and offering my editorial services for pay. What do you think?” I think…