10 tips for starting your freelance editing business
- Find your niche. In order to form any thriving business, you need to figure out your niche.
- Be patient, but proactive.
- Don't just build a website — build a brand.
- Segment your clients.
- Be smart about pricing.
- Stay organized.
- Market effectively.
- Take a holistic approach.
How To Become A Copy Editor
- Education. Employers generally prefer candidates with a bachelor's degree in communications, journalism, or English.
- Work Experience in a Related Occupation. Many editors start off as editorial assistants, writers, or reporters.
- Other Experience.
- Advancement.
- Important Qualities.
Editors, in general, earned an average annual wage of $60,490, or $29.08 per hour, according to the most recent statistics compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS reports that the median wage is slightly lower, $52,380 per year, or $25.18 per hour.
It involves reading a “proof”, a typeset version of the final copy of a text: the edited manuscript. The task focuses on surface errors, spelling mistakes or typos that appeared during the layout process, like word breaks, page breaks and incorrect page numbers.
How much does a Copy Editor make in the United States?
| City | Average salary |
|---|
| Copy Editor in New York, NY 8 salaries | $26.99 per hour |
| Copy Editor in Los Angeles, CA 22 salaries | $28.78 per hour |
| Copy Editor in Washington, DC 9 salaries | $57,114 per year |
| Copy Editor in San Francisco, CA 13 salaries | $26.12 per hour |
Make Money Editing Photos With These Online Tools
- FixThePhoto. FixThePhoto is a service meant for professional photographers.
- Mendr. Mendr was created for both professionals and individuals who want to have their photos professionally retouched on a budget.
- Shutterstock.
Ask professional agents and editors who they would use.
You can also look for independent editors at Publishers Marketplace, a book industry news and community hub ($20/month). Because it requires members to pay a monthly or annual fee, it's a good way to quickly access a high-quality list of industry freelancers.Freelancer.com offers you many clients who need your help with their projects. Editing projects here on Freelancer.com vary from editing photos, videos, audio files, PDF files, Word documents, Excel sheets and proofreading and editing any given text.
How to Build an Audience and Market Yourself as a Writer
- Social Connections. Marketing yourself on social media is quite easy, especially if you have the right tools.
- Sharing Tools.
- Regular Blogging.
- Interacting With Others.
- Guest Posting.
- Self Publishing.
6 ways to market yourself as a freelance writer
- Put your stories out there. Update your social media with your stories as they are published.
- School yourself. Over the years I have both attended and taught workshops.
- Join committees and boards.
- Keep your portfolio up to date.
- Be the conversation.
- Do a good job.
If you don't have a degree, you can get editing experience through the network you already have—the people who know you and believe in your skills. Offer to edit their work for free to get started. Once you're confident working for people, then you can start seeking paying clients.
To be an online proofreader, or any proofreader, requires a love of reading. You should enjoy reading several forms of writing and become familiar with a number of writing styles, as well as acquire knowledge in a broad range of subjects. Understand the specific skills required of an online proofreader.
With some effort and persistence, you can get the experience you need.
- Volunteer. Find publications that need editorial services but typically don't or can't pay.
- Online. Scour online work sites that hire contractors for various tasks and bid on editing jobs.
- Distribute Resumes.
- Network.
- 2016 Salary Information for Editors.
A freelance editor works for himself and is hired by a writer to ready his manuscript for publication. Copy editor—A freelance copy editor may deal primarily with spelling, grammar, punctuation, fact checking, and word choice (in the sense that he makes sure the words mean what the author thinks they mean).
Here are 11 steps to creating a memorable business name, which is part of your freelance brand.
- Take Your Time.
- Appeal to Your Ideal Clients.
- Say What You Do.
- Be Clear and if Possible, Clever.
- Get Inspired by Other Freelancers.
- Brainstorm a List of Ideas.
- Get Feedback from Colleagues and Maybe Clients Too.
For proofreading, the average professional proofreader will charge $0.009 per word, i.e. $9 for 1,000 words.
The per word cost of your edit usually falls into one of the following categories: Light edit (copy edit): 3.5–4 cents per word ($50 to $55 per hour) Medium edit (substantive edit): 4.1–5 cents per word ($55 to $65 per hour) Heavy edit (developmental edit): 5.1–13 cents per word ($65–$75 per hour)
For combined proofreading and copy editing, you can expect an experienced editor to complete around 10,000–15,000 words in a single day.
Also, just setting up to edit a manuscript takes two or three hours, which gets amortized over the course of a whole book but not an article. In general, the average rate at which copyeditors edit is 4 pages (or 1,000 words) per hour.
Editor charges
Of course, rates vary from one book editor to another. Some freelance book editors will work for $10 to $20 per hour, but you can expect experienced book editors to charge $25 or more per hour. Expect to pay more for editing technical writing or specialized subject matter, as well.Common
editorial rates—regardless of whether a fee is flat rate, per page, per word, or hourly—tend to fall within the ranges indicated below.
Editorial Rates.
| Type of Work | Estimated Pace | Range of Fees |
|---|
| Editing | | |
| Basic copyediting | 5–10 ms pgs/hr | $30–40/hr |
| Heavy copyediting | 2–5 ms pgs/hr | $40–50/hr |
| Website copyediting | | $40–50/hr |
Individuals offering freelance proofreading services, who vary widely in skill level and background, may charge by the hour. Generally, their prices range from $10 to $45 per hour. Professional services that offer by-the-hour proofreading can charge up to $95 per hour.
Many people do make a living as novelists, but it's a very small percentage of the people who write. To offer some personal perspective, over the course of nearly 20 years writing, I've produced one traditionally published book (a picture book).
Freelance writing is a form of project-based writing for someone else as a self-employed individual. You do it as non-employee of a person who hired you because you work to deliver the written text you agreed upon. It's the type of work that gives you freedom and wideness and is very lucrative if you're good at it.
Yet, two-thirds of writers are self-employed freelancers and the information below outlines example steps someone can take to become a writer.
- EARN A HIGH SCHOOL DEGREE.
- SELECT A PROFESSIONAL PATH.
- GET A WRITING EDUCATION.
- COMPLETE AN INTERNSHIP.
- LAND A JOB AND BUILD A PORTOFLIO.
- EARN AN MA/MFA (OPTIONAL)
Freelance Jobs You Can Work From Home
- Writing. Let's start with the obvious: freelance writing is the classic work-from-home job.
- Editing and Proofreading.
- Marketing and PR.
- Data Entry.
- Virtual Assistant Work.
- Online Tutoring.
Here's my best advice for how to start freelance writing.
- Seek out education or training.
- Consider starting with a staff job.
- Get out there and start pitching.
- Showcase your work online.
- Networking: Yup, it's a thing for writers, too.
- Figure out how to get paid.
- Know this: the work isn't always glamorous.
- Expect the unexpected.
Here are eight steps anyone can take as they start on the path toward freelance success:
- Step 1: Know who you are.
- Step 2: Build a “starter” portfolio.
- Step 3: Become a better writer.
- Step 4: Invest in yourself.
- Step 5: Learn the art of the pitch.
- Step 6: Network, network, network.
A bachelor's degree or higher is generally required to become a book editor. Degrees in English, journalism, or communications are preferred by most employers; however, degrees in other fields can also lead to work as a book editor if the candidate has the necessary knowledge and experience.
The Must Haves
- Must Have A Great Command Of English. While you don't need an English degree to become a proofreader, you must have a great command of the English language.
- Must Love To Read.
- Must Have An Eye For Detail.
- Must Have Self-Control.
- Must Be Able To Manage Time Well.
