The Christian PEN: Want to Be a Freelance Editor?

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Having been a full-time freelance editor since 1998, I'm often asked how to break into this business. Based on my experiences, here are some tips.

1. PRAY.
God can bring in business...if it's what He wants you to do. (If it's not, you won't be successful anyway.)

2. WRITE.
You can't help others if you aren't doing it yourself. Read how-to-write books. Take courses. Attend writers conferences. Find or start a critique group. Write articles, short stories, and/or other small pieces and get them published. Work your way up to book-length manuscripts.

3. EXPERIENCE.
If you've never hired a professional freelance editor, do so. Not only will your writing improve, but you will get a good look at the kinds of things an editor does. You may want to hire two or three to get a feel for different styles.

4. EVALUATE.
Do you have up-to-date computer equipment, E-mail and Internet (preferably DSL) capability, the latest version of MS-Word, and a good virus scan program? Can you check E-mail several times a day? Do you have an office space with sufficient filing capacity? Does your community allow home businesses? Does your city require a business license? Do you know a good CPA with a thorough understanding of home businesses? Are you self-motivated, organized, flexible? How well will you cope with working alone, with no coworkers to chat with?

5. PLAN.
Talk with your family about finances. If you can't make it on your spouse's income for a while, you may want to edit on the side until you have enough work to quit your day job. If you have young kids, don't expect to make much. Editing requires concentration, which can be in short supply if you've got kids clamoring for attention.

6. STUDY.
For books, you'll need The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. For articles, The Associated Press Stylebook and Webster's New World College Dictionary. For Christian manuscripts, use The Christian Writer's Manual of Style. Make sure you have the most recent editions.

7. LEARN.
Read books and attend classes and seminars that teach how to write the kinds of books you plan to edit. If you're thinking of editing fiction, get all the training you can on characterization, dialogue, setting scenes, creating conflict and suspense, "show don't tell," story arcs, active vs. passive verbs, etc. (Personally, I wouldn't recommend editing fiction if you've never written fiction.) Different genres have unique rules, so if you plan to edit romance or science fiction or historical, study those genres specifically.

8. CONSIDER.
Decide what types of material you will and won't edit. Do you want to place a limit on the amount or level of sex, violence, profanity, etc.? Are there certain types of editing you are particularly skilled at? Do you have experience in stage plays/screenplays, term papers, business plans, technical writing?

9. PREPARE.
Create a resume that describes your qualifications, publishing credits and editing experience. Make business cards and flyers. Research the going rates and establish your fees (which will need to be on the low end at first). Make sure your advertising materials are perfect. If there's a typo, a misspelled word, or even a comma in the wrong place, that will reflect poorly on your editing skills.

10. GET THE WORD OUT.
Do an Internet search for editing networks and ask if they're looking for someone new. (Read the fine print. Most networks require a finder's fee. Find out how big a cut the network wants, and for how long--six months? a year? for as long as you work with a client they refer?) Contact publishers and ask if they use freelancers. (Expect to start as a proofreader, which doesn't pay much.) At writers conferences, hand out business cards to conferees, and talk to acquisitions editors who can tell you if they use freelancers. Create a Web site and get it listed on the major search engines.

11. ANTICIPATE.
Expect to be asked to "just take a look" at manuscripts for free. Decide if you want to do that to gain experience. Will you charge for your services up front or do the work first and then expect to be paid? What will you do if someone says he'll pay you later...and then doesn't?

12. PRAY.
Without ceasing.

I love being a professional freelance editor. Writing is my passion, and helping others improve their writing is my delight. I wake up every morning amazed that I can make a living at something I enjoy so much.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Kathy Ide edits, critiques, and proofreads fiction and nonfiction manuscripts including short stories, play scripts, screenplays, devotionals, articles, and book-length works. She also speaks at writers conferences across the country. She is the author of Christian Drama Publishing, Polishing the PUGS: Punctuation, Usage, Grammar, and Spelling, and the soon-to-be-released Typing without Pain. Her works have been published in numerous magazines, compilations, and script collections. For more information, check out her Web site: http://www.KathyIde.com

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