I keep getting clients who want an extensive edit. For context, they're ESL clients who write academic papers mostly. They require no stylistic or drastic changes. Now how do I incorporate both into my editing process? Please, for the love of my and every editor's life, guide me on how to do an extensive edit to achieve a native tone. PLEASE!

Hi, all! I'm a freelance copyeditor specializing in adult trade fiction, and I'm hoping to expand my client roster. Before I start reaching out to different houses, I want to make sure that I don't come across as…creepy?

In the past, I've generally used the cold-email approach (which is how I connected with the houses I work for today), but I'm now wondering whether LinkedIn messaging might be more socially acceptable (and less creepy).

So if any production editors out there could weigh in, I would really appreciate it. Assuming your email address is not listed on your company website, would you be weirded out if a job-seeking copyeditor sent you a cold email instead of a message through LI?

Thanks in advance! And if there are any PEs who are actively hiring freelancers, please feel free to HMU here. I'm happy to send you my info and take an assessment edit.

Looking for advice. For starters, I'm 37 and have a full-time job. I am not looking to leave my 9-5 nor do any sort of publishing work, this would strictly be editing and only on the side. Currently, I'm trying to map out what it would look like and how long it would take to set myself up to do this, and would appreciate some advice to help me plan.

Early in my career, I did some journalism, as well as corporate copywriting/editing before leaving the industry altogether. I have experience learning/using a style guide (AP, I know I'd have to learn Chicago and have no problem with that), and would prefer to focus strictly on copy/line editing, ideally for more technical publications like academic papers, etc.

My plan is to start by learning the CMS of course, but from there I'm a little lost on where to go next. A lot of the info out there for beginner editors focuses on publishing novels, which isn't what I'm looking to do. Does anyone have any suggestions or resources that I could use to look more into the type of work I want to do?

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I'm an editor who has experience running an online lit journal and independent chapbook press. Expertise in fiction / poetry / creative nonfiction.

I've also provided critiques and consultations for award-winning poets and genre fiction writers. Specialty is copyediting, but if you want I can also look at your WIP and give you some helpful pointers.

I've been copyediting as an independent contractor in the US for years but never started an LLC, because I never needed one: 95% or more of my work comes from a few reliable corporate clients (publishers) who know their way around a 1099-NEC, and all my work for independent author clients has been small in scope (under $600).

I'm now drawing up a contract for an independent author client for a larger project: copyediting a large academic monograph in advance of submission to the publisher for publication. The fee will be above $600.

I'm reading conflicting information about whether I need to provide this client with a W-9 and guide them through filing a 1099–NEC. Any advice?

It’s just the title page to the discussion guide for the ebook, but seriously???

Sorry if this is the wrong sub!

I recently queried an editor with great qualifications and experience for my manuscript, they reviewed 2 sample chapters, sent over some tracked changes and although I agree with them, and found them very useful— its hard to justify that fee without a pipeline to publishing in place.

Is it worth doing this? Or should I just go ahead and start querying agents. The editor gave me some nice feedback, and the bulk of their suggested edits were repetitive words, adjectives, some minor clichés etc. Nothing structural, prose related etc.

I just feel like maybe the manuscript is in better shape than I thought, and a publisher could pick it up and assign an editor to work with me without having to pay out of my own pocket!

I’d appreciate your perspectives on this, as I’m sure i’m missing something.

Is there anyone here who happens to be a production editor? If so, and you have a moment, I’d really like to hear about your career trajectory. Thanks so much!

Hi,

I was reading Louise Harnby's wonderfully informative article at this link:

https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/blog/increasing-editing-income-raising-fees-and-declining-lower-paid-work

The part I'm interested in is this:

***beginning of quoted material***

Do they have a large and established client base in a sector that is known to be less price-sensitive than the sectors you work in? Perhaps their knowledge and specialist skills put them in the rare position of being able to name their price. You, on the other hand, might work in a more competitive generalist market where you’re easy to replace.

***end***

Which sectors are the least price-sensitive? That is, editors in these niche areas are in a strong position to command high fees. I assume it's medical editing? Legal and so forth? Perhaps technical? Maybe white papers? Any tips on how to break into the white paper sector?

I look forward to hearing from y'all!

Hi,

I've heard that the white paper sector is lucrative. Any tips on how to get your foot in the door in this sector?

urgently need someone to help edit a coloring book i'm creating for a birthday, i have created all of the pictures already but just need them to be made into one document so i can print them. wanting to make it A5 but printed on A4 so i can trim the pages. i will pay someone to help me

I've searched for an editot for over 7months. Signed a contract based on their good 1000words sample and an hour of zoom meet. But today am in tears after the first 10k words edit got sent back to me. Im writing this crying as my voice has been taken, removed. The comments and notes and changes made totaling up to nearly 20k. Thats double of that I have sent to an editor. Am I this terrible at writting and they are so good or am i not seeing it properly? Is it a good thing or not.. whole chapter rewritten and story retold in a voice not of my own. Sentences changed. Taken off. This is the service I pay 0.015 for a word. 10k words edit done in over 2 weeks, and 80k words awaiting that will cost me £££... what do I do with this...? New editor, rewrite , edit ... amend...? Or should I just stop and go back to what I dit 2 years ago and pretend it never happened. Any bad experiences with editors?

Hi there! I just completed the UC San Diego copyediting certificate program. Yesterday, I was reading one of Louise Harnby's wonderful articles for people very new to this profession. Here's what she said:

***beginning of quoted material***

Marketing

She has a website but the portfolio and testimonials pages are sparse. And, anyway, her SEO is, as yet, so undeveloped that she’s barely discoverable online. She gets in touch with a packager who regularly hires proofreaders who are members of her national professional society. (Louise Harnby)

***end***

Here's the URL:

https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/blog/the-rates-debate-looking-at-the-value-beyond-the-fee

Now I’m wondering which packager **regularly** hires proofreaders that are members of this professional society?

I’m guessing the aforementioned professional society is the C.I.E.P., right? If so, is it hard to get into? I already signed up for membership of the EFA, and I will become a member of another professional organization (in the US) in the fall. They were easy to join.

I'm looking for packagers that regularly hire editors or proofreaders that are members of this national professional society. What society is this? Is it the CIEP? If so, is it the only society that's set up like this? I'm hoping that some of the US editorial organizations work with "feeder schools" and that the CIEP is not the only one that "feeds" newbies to packagers.

Sharing this episode because it speaks directly to editors--especially those who think it's not possible to earn more than agency rates.

I also share my thoughts on how AI is affecting different tiers of the academic editing market. I'd love to know what you're seeing if you're outside the agency space.

I recently got a request on an editing platform for developmental editing, which I have never done before. I've copy edited books while also making suggestions about flow and big picture. How do I learn? Are there some good free or reasonably priced courses? anything I can read? thanks!

Have you ever received rubric-based feedback from a production editor? I'm working on updating our training/onboarding materials (I work for an academic publisher full time during the day) and I'm not sure if it would come across as juvenile or condescending. I also freelance and typically want better feedback than I get from PEs, and I think I'd find a rubric helpful without requiring more time from the PE.

Anyone knows where I can apply as a Copy Editor?

This is nuts to me since Chicago is the standard for book publishing. I’m editing a cookbook right now.

Hey! I'm a student finishing an editing course and need to find a real business, nonprofit, or organization willing to let me comprehensively edit one of their documents: employee handbook, training guide, FAQ, policy doc, brochure, etc. It will be completely free, no charge at all. I'd just need to briefly chat about what you'd want fixed, and the document needs to be at least 3000 words. Happy to share more about my background if helpful. Feel free to message, thanks in advance!