How to Get Started in Editing

 

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.

Is Editing Your Superpower?

 

Do you like working with words? Do you often find typos and mistakes in the things you read?

 

Do you have a knack for making sentences sound better and helping words flow from paragraph to paragraph? Maybe you’re the go-to person that coworkers or friends ask to review what they’ve written.

 

If any of this sounds like you, then editing may just be your thing.

 

What Does Being an Editor Mean?

In basic terms, an editor is someone who reviews a piece of writing and makes it better by fixing mistakes and making sure it covers what author Amy Einsohn (The Copyeditor’s Handbook) calls the “4 Cs” – clarity, coherence, consistency, and correctness.

 

As they are reading, editors will want to ask themselves:

·      Is the writing clear (clarity)?

·      Is it logical and easy to follow (coherence)?

·      Is it consistent, for example, in the use of terms, verb tense, etc. (consistency)?

·      Is the information accurate (correctness)?

 

What Skills do Editors Need?

A good editor will have these skills:

·      A good vocabulary

·      An eye for detail

·      Grammar and punctuation sense

·      Ability to read a variety of materials written in different styles

·      Love of reading

 

While editors are reading for grammar and punctuation mistakes, they are also looking at other details like readability, sentence structure, and word flow. They look at the nitty-gritty details as well as the whole picture. That being said, there are different types of editing.

 

Let’s explore the types of editing to see which one piques your interest or lends itself to your strengths. You may even find more than one type appeals to you.

 

Types of Editing

Here is a brief summary of the different types of editing.

 

1.    Developmental/structural editing. Developmental editing looks at the big picture, like a novel or short story’s plot, theme, and characters. A developmental editor examines the whole project and its structure and may rearrange sections, identify confusing content, and add features like headings and bulleted lists. They assess the tone and voice and make sure the work meets brand/style guide requirements, if there are any.

2.    Line/stylistic editing. Line editing is done line by line, paragraph by paragraph. It looks at word choice, sentence structure, verb tense, and scene and image descriptions like in books. This type of editing also ensures the words and prose flow and the tone and style are consistent. Line editing can be done in conjunction with developmental editing.

 

3.    Copyediting/mechanical editing. Copyediting or mechanical editing looks closely for grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and word usage mistakes. Copy editors also do fact-checking and follow style guides. These types of editors are called mechanical editors because they aren’t concerned with the content of the story as much as the correctness or “mechanics” of the language.

 

4.    Proofreading. Proofreading is the last step in the editing process before going to print (aka hitting the publish button or going live). Proofreaders look for the same issues as a copy editor, and many perform their editing on a printed, hard copy (especially for books). Proofreaders also look at formatting details like typesetting, line breaks, etc. Hence, this is the reason for working on a printed copy.

 

Getting Started

If any of these editing styles appeal to you and you feel editing is something you’d like to do, check out some of the professional organizations like The Society for Editing (ACES), Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors   NAIWE.

 

Let your social network know you’re offering editing services – both by word of mouth and by creating social media posts. And to start practicing your skills, offer to help a friend by editing their resume or a coworker by reviewing their annual report.

 

Also, look into freelance sites like Fiverr where you can set up a profile with your editing services and start building your business.

 

Whichever type of editing calls to you, know that your talents are needed. Now, go out and put your superpowers to work!

 

 

Resources

Einsohn, Amy (2011). The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, with Exercises and Answer Keys. Berkeley, California: University of California.

Proofed.com -- Knowledge Hub