See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. In previous posts in this series, I talked about what background and training are necessary to be a full-time editor. I talked about building a resume and defined how a qualified editor can find work from home by citing my own editing journey. Then I discussed what day-to-day life is like for a work-at-home editor (my experience may not match everyone’s). In this post I discuss billing clients and keeping record of my work. A Word about Pricing Many folks don’t realize how many different types of editing an editor can perform. Do you know the difference between a basic copyedit and a substantive edit, or between a developmental edit and a proofread? Check out this article at my editing website to better understand the important differences. Obviously I don’t charge the same price for every service because some services require more time and effort than others. Here’s a breakdown of my…
See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. In previous posts in this series, I talked about what kind of background and training are necessary to be a full-time editor. Then I talked about building a resume and defined how a qualified editor can find work to do from home by citing my own editing journey. In this part I describe what day-to-day life is like for a work-at-home editor (my experience may not match everyone’s). Curious to know what my typical workday looks like? Here goes: A Day in a Life 5:30 a.m.—Alarm goes off. Shower and get dressed. 6-6:30 a.m.—Eat breakfast (favorite: organic oatmeal), make coffee in French press, and enjoy my “God and I time” (lately I’ve been studying the book of James). 6:30-7:30 a.m.—Head to basement home office and do some housekeeping (check/reply to e-mail, invoice clients, put clients in income spreadsheet [next article will deal…
See Part 1 and Part 2. When I began editing from home in June 2006 after a difficult layoff, several folks already knew about my editing experience due to my working for two companies for fourteen years (I can’t stress building that resume enough). So getting started at home wasn’t overly difficult—God did it through my work history. One contact wanted me to edit readings for a one-year devotional book called Our Family Time with God (my pay was based on a fee per page count). Another contact wanted me to edit the daily front-page article for SharperIron, a Christian blog. I worked with a schedule of content and submitting authors (I was paid a certain set fee per month). Even still, this wasn’t enough work to bring in the income I needed to support my family, so I prayed hard, took a deep breath, and applied for a position as…
In Part 1 we looked at the skills and education necessary to be a professional editor. In this article we look at where to go next. Let’s assume you’ve passed the test—you’ve got all the necessary skills. (1) You have excellent English skills, (2) you love writing and words, (3) you understand how words work together (that’s not the same thing as #2), (4) you have a colllege degree in communications, and (5) you are constantly learning more about writing, editing, or both to stay on top of your game. Now where this article goes next and how it applies to you depends on who you are: whether you are (1) someone fresh out of college who is looking for an editing job and is willing to relocate or (2) someone who feels he or she has the skills needed to be an editor from home. Because those are two…
