You’ve determined that you want to edit and are ready to put your skills to use. So, how do you get started? In a nutshell: find your niche and spread the word.
Here are some
steps to help you begin:
Determine what type of editing you want to do. Did you know there are different types of editing? You will want to explore the types and see which one or ones you are drawn to. For example, do you prefer editing for the ‘big picture’ or the ‘nitty gritty’? Big picture editing would be editing a work of fiction, a short story, or a novel while nitty gritty editing is line by line, looking at things like grammar and punctuation.
The different types of editing include:
- Developmental/structural editing
- Line/stylistic editing
- Copyediting/mechanical editing
- Proofreading
If you’d like to know a bit more about the various types of editing, there are several articles and podcast episodes here on Editing with Kate that will describe them in more detail.
Spread the word. Once you’ve figured out what type of editing you want to do, let your friends, coworkers, classmates, and family know that you are available to help them and anyone they know who might need a project, paper, or even their resume edited.
Go online and get social. To promote yourself, you need to get online and tell your network. Ways to do that include:
a. Post on your social media. Choose one or several of your social platforms to post messages letting people know to reach out to you if they need editing assistance and how you can help them.
b. Join a freelance site(s) like Fiverr or Upwork. Once you create your profile and set your rates, you are ready to start building your business.
c. Create a business page on Facebook or LinkedIn that’s separate from your personal page. This is a great space to not only advertise your business but to also create a community though posting articles and helpful information related to editing.
d. Advertise your services on social media – for example, did you know that Facebook lets you create ads?
Volunteer your editing services. By volunteering to help someone or an organization by editing their project, you will not only build your portfolio, but also your editing experience. This will give you practice using your editing skills while becoming familiar with details like how long it takes you to edit a certain number of pages or words, as well as how to organize your business – like tracking your time, setting up a style guide for the project, invoicing, etc. You may also get referrals from the person or organization, which can bring more business your way.
Always keep learning. Are you familiar with the various editing style guides like APA, MLA, AP, and CMOS? Chances are you will need to know at least one of them. You maybe even become an expert in one or two styles to set yourself apart.
Another way to keep learning is by taking online courses and/or getting certified in editing. Professional organizations like the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) and ACES: The Society for Editing regularly offer training and workshops for all types of editing.
A fun way I like to keep my skills fresh is to follow a few grammar websites and blogs that feature short videos about the English language and quizzes to test my vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation knowledge. Two sites I like are GrammarBook.com (for their quizzes) and Proofed.com (for their knowledge hub).
YouTube videos and podcasts are a great way to learn as well.
Follow professional organizations and other editing groups on social media. I follow quite a few groups online related to editing – from EFA, ACES, and AP style to Grammar Girl and Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day. These groups will keep you connected to what’s happening in the field of editing and reinforce the of importance editing in today’s world.
Create a portfolio of your work. There are many reasons to have a portfolio of your work. At the very minimum, it is the place to keep a list of the projects you’ve worked on. You may need to be creative with how you can show your work – the before and after edits – but it can give you talking points to discuss the project and what you did to improve it. A portfolio can also help you see a pattern of which types of projects you enjoy working on and what type of editing you are most drawn to.
It can be difficult to find a full-time editing gig, but you can put your skills to use in creative ways. If you’re a student – whether it be in high school or college – offer to edit a fellow student’s paper, or if your company often puts together reports or presentations, offer to edit the materials. Let your coworkers know that you’d be happy to edit their report or PowerPoint presentation. Let your network know that you’d gladly edit their resume for them. These are just a few examples of how to get yourself out there.
If editing is something you really enjoy and want to do, keep working towards that goal and spreading the word. You may find that you become the editing resource that everyone turns to.
