Creating your own schedule, working remotely in your own home, being your own boss. These are just a few of the benefits of working as a freelance editor in the competitive publishing industry.

Freelance editors are self-employed editors that focus on stories, poems, or any other style of writing as they determine. Interestingly, freelance editors work without the direct impact of a publishing company. Much like any other type of copyediting or developmental editing, freelance editing involves looking at the grammar, story, and clarity of an author’s work to determine if it’s ready to hit the general market. Freelance editing can include editing other authors’ works, as well as editing one’s own writing.

Freelance editors work on their own schedules as their own bosses to look for mistakes in story consistency, syntax, grammar, and any other issues that may appear in an author’s writing. There are two ways that a freelance editor can work with authors.

Freelance editors may choose to connect with authors through larger publishing companies. In these cases, the publishing companies connect the editors with authors and serve as the mediator for creating the edits and final copies of a manuscript. In this type of editing relationship, there is very little communication between the author and editor, as they are hired through the publishing companies and instructed to work more on the edits they request.

Alternatively, some freelance editors may choose to work directly with authors to edit materials. In this case, the editor is able to work with the author on alterations to the overall story and writing that will benefit and prepare it for further publishing with other companies, or through their own self publishing.

Because freelance editors don't work for a publishing company, they can choose their own rates. According to PayScale, many freelance editors charge anywhere between $20 to $63 per hour depending on their experience and skills. Rates are divided out by the editor into how many pages they can get done per hour to determine their desired charge for any given job.