Starting Your Career as a Freelance Editor: A Guide to Working with Authors, Books, Newsletters, Magazines, Websites, and More

by Mary Embree

If you've ever considered editing as a career, this book will help you on your new path. You’ll learn about the requirements in various fields, how to get started, the step-by-step facets of setting up and conducting your editing services, working with writers and publishers, promoting yourself and your expertise, and determining what to charge. In addition to books there are articles, dissertations, brochures, reports, abstracts, editorials, reviews, ad copy, and much more.

There is more to making a living as a freelance editor than correct English usage, sentence structure, and grammatical construction. Here, you’ll learn what you need to know to decide on a specialty and how to manage the business side of your career.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Business

240 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Kassel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title is misleading. It really should be something along the lines of "Succeeding as a Freelance Editor." It had helpful tips and information for people who are already in the craft, but there wasn't too much I didn't already know. Although the section on networking and marketing my skills was a good reminder.

[Jessica DeWitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were definitely some portions of this book that were helpful, usually pointing out an angle to editing that I had never considered before. And there are some chapters that I will return to in months to come.

But there are some parts of this book that feel unnecessary and off-topic (ie. the section of the book that explains what an adverb is, the sections that go on writing tangents), and it is expectedly a bit dated in parts.

Overall it served the purpose of assuring me that I'm ready to try this editing thing out on a more permanent basis, and for that I'm glad I read it.

[S.S. Scott | Romance Author and Fiction Story Coach · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think if I had read this book two years ago when I initially bought it, I'd have found the information a lot more helpful. But I didn't, and so here we are. This book is indeed for folks just starting off as freelance editors, and more specifically those who've probably never professionally edited. While comprehensive, it's outdated at this point (published in 2012). A newer edition would be helpful for some. However, I spent 12 years in technical documentation editing and went through an accredited university's editing certificate program before opening my doors. I've been freelancing for almost 2-1/2 years now. There were some things I found helpful at this stage, but it wasn't much. I'd recommend finding more updated reference books, especially in terms of the business side of things.

[Janna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an investment since I pretend I have a business doing this. I should have read it ages ago, but since that didn't happen when it should have, at least I read it now.

The book is well-structured and full of really good advice, everything from how to attract clients to how to make sure you do a good job. She even recommends books by other people, which isn't something you find often in books like this since most people seem to think you should only need their book. So that was refreshing.

I took a lot of margin notes and marked five sections with Post-It tabby things because they seemed important: Marketing; Writing Non-Fiction Tips; An Editor's Promise; Tips When Editing; and Book Proposal. These five sections alone made the price worth it. I will probably re-read this book many times over the coming years.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly informative and well-laid out. Mary Embree takes much of the confusion out of the freelance editing world and gives a highly detailed description of the types of jobs out there and what types of editors handle these jobs. She also deals with tax issues and laws associated with this line of work, and gives a list of valuable resources to find more information on certain topics, as well as resources for ready-to-print contracts. Definitely a must-read for anyone who wants to enter the world of freelance editing, or anyone who wants to further their career in this field.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the tone and informative content that the author presents here. There was a lot of information packed in a well-organized way, touching on a range of topics like style notes and networking/marketing tips, as well as more nitty gritty business considerations like written agreements with authors and legal considerations as a self-employed person.

[Michelle Kaplan]

Excellent introduction to the world of book editors.