Finding Freelance Editing Work

General advice for newer/aspiring editors

• “How to Become a Freelance Editor” (blog posts by Reedsy)
• Video: The Life of a Freelance Editor: A Conversation with Laura Mae Isaacman (produced by Reedsy)
• Comprehensive resource list, compiled by veteran editor KOK Edit: The Basics

Your online presence

A minimal online presence is necessary for freelancers to demonstrate your professional credibility, but you don't necessarily need your own website.

• LinkedIn: To be taken seriously as a professional, you should have a LinkedIn profile. It's free, and the site will guide you in creating it. Keep it up to date and impressive, and list its URL in your email signature to make it easy for prospective employers to find.
• Focus on maintaining your LinkedI profile and any other online profiles you have -- in editorial associations' online directories, etc. If you need more, a Facebook Business page may fill the bill, again at no charge.

#1 Tip: Be active in the real world

Most freelancers in any profession gain about 75% of their new clients via referrals from current/past clients, colleagues, friends or relatives, and people they meet in the real world -- at conferences and other professional networking events, social events, even in the grocery line or other random places. With that in mind:

• Tell all of your friends, family members, and others you know that you are looking for work.
  • On a business card or in another fashion, provide them with the URL of a web page with your professional credentials on it, so they can easily pass it along to anyone seeking an editor.
  • Add the URL to your email signature, so everyone you correspond with will see it.
  • You may not need a website if you put your best foot forward on LinkedIn, in an editorial association's directory, or the like. On LinkedIn, you can write recommendations for people you've worked with successfully, and ask them to recommend or endorse you in turn.
• Make a point of prompting existing clients for referrals now and then. One subtle way is to add to your invoice or email signature a short phrase such as "I always appreciate referrals."
• Attend as many real-world events as you have energy for, with particular attention to events that attract whatever type(s) of people you'd like to have as clients (writers' conferences, business-association gatherings, etc.). One editor set a goal of attending one networking event per month.
• Wherever you are, always carry business cards, and give them out freely.
• For editors in journalism, marcom, PR, etc.:
  • Most major cities are home to at least a few agencies such as 24seven, Aquent, and Vitamin T ("a division of Aquent, built to service agencies and design-loving companies"), which offer short-term, long-term, and permanent placements for editors, among many other professionals. Using such agencies is especially common in fields such as advertising, marketing, and corporate communications.
    • Note that Aquent and Vitamin T have an "Include Remote" option when you search for jobs.
  • Consider marketing your services to area hospitals, larger nonprofits, colleges and universities (e.g., UO, OSU, LCC, Linn-Benton Community College), and corporations that have newsletters and PR departments. Contract work can lead to full-time staff positions with benefits.
• For book editors:
  • Many older folks can use help with their family histories and memoirs. Put up flyers or promote your services in other ways at senior apartment buildings, retirement homes, and assisted-living facilities (Ya-Po-Ah Terrace, The Tate, Eugene Hotel, Cascade Manor, etc.).
  • Attend the NaNoWriMo events in your area in October/November/December to meet locals who may be in need of an editor when they complete their novel. (Here's a sampling of such events in Eugene/Springfield.)
• See the Thriving as a Freelancer page for additional general advice.

For-profit online platforms connecting freelancers with clients

These platforms allow clients to view your individual profile and contact you. You can also apply for gigs posted by clients. Some platforms specialize in freelancers experienced with books (see next section), while others (below) accept all types of freelancers, including editors of all types of media.

Some platforms offer a carefully vetted stable of experienced editors, while others stress low cost and/or quick turnaround (which usually means lower rates and/or less reasonable working conditions for you). Below are a few examples that cover the spectrum of approaches. As with social media channels, pick just one or a few to put your energies into -- don’t try to use them all, or even a half dozen.

• Elite Editing
  • Will give you as much or as little work as you want
  • At least one Northwest Editors Guild member, TJ Carter, is on their full-time staff
  • Provides proofreading, editing, and writing services for students, writers, businesses, ESL, academics, website creators, and others
  • Helps with writing, essay editing, ESL editing, research paper proofreading, thesis editing, and editing of briefs and reports
  • Editors use MLA, APA, and Chicago
  • Offers fast turnarounds for tight deadlines
  • Based in NYC
• Upwork.com
  • Has more than 375,000 freelancers and 475,000 paying clients on the platform (as of mid-2018)
  • Takes 20% of your fee; after $500 is billed to a client, drops to 10% for that client
  • Offers many perks, including:
    • Holds client's payment in escrow, minimizing chances of non-payment
    • Will send daily alerts of projects matching your skills (clients may also contact you directly through the platform)
    • Offers free webinars on how to maximize your earning potential on the platform
    • Suggests rate increases when appropriate
    • Has its own internal messaging, file-sending, phone, and video system, so you need not disclose your email/Skype address or phone number to clients
  • Tips for success on the platform
  • Some local/Northwest editors on the platform: Sally Wolfe, Sherri Schultz
• Guru.com
• Fiverr: stresses the low cost of its freelancers, so may particularly attract bargain hunters

If those aren't enough for you, here's a discerning Forbes article listing 79 platforms for freelance gigs (most accept freelancers of all types, not just editors). Remember, pick just one or a few at most, and take the time to craft a good profile and use the site(s) to their utmost: as in many things in life, quality, not quantity, is what counts.

For-profit online companies offering editorial services

These companies serve as intermediaries between clients, who place orders for editorial services, and freelancers who do the work; you don't interact directly with clients.

• Wordy.com: offers copy editing and proofreading of all types of writing; stresses quick turnaround, competitive pricing, and free re-edits
• Many more; let me know of any you find worthwhile

For-profit online platforms connecting experienced book editors with clients

Some online platforms are specifically designed to connect book authors with experienced freelancers. Some offer a carefully vetted stable of experienced editors, while others stress low cost and/or quick turnaround (which usually means lower rates and/or less reasonable working conditions for you). Here are a few examples.

• Book Editing Associates: founded in 1998; over 90 editors; US-based; claims only 2% of applicants pass its proofreading test
• Reedsy: founded in 2014; hundreds of editors (designers, marketers, and ghostwriters too); UK-based, but most editors are in the US; claims to accept only 5% of freelance-editor applicants; editors must have edited 10+ traditionally published titles; 2-3+ years in-house at a publisher is preferred
  • Staff is mostly in Europe, but most of the freelance editors on the platform are from the US (including Northwesterners Michelle Hope and Carrie Wicks)
  • Takes 10% of your fee; average rates in 2014 are listed here
  • Offers free webinars on topics such as “How to win more clients”
  • Blog (readable by non-members as well) is packed with valuable advice relevant to all types of freelancers, especially newer ones
• Indigo Editing: founded in 2006; small Portland-based firm; editors must have 5 years' experience either as a freelancer or in-house with a publisher; email your resume to be considered when there's an opening

Editorial associations

Join at least one regional or national association for editors, such as ACES, EFA, the Northwest Editors Guild, the Bay Area Editors Forum, or the Cambridge Academic Editors Network.

You may also wish to join groups devoted to your editing niches, such as the Society for Technical Communication or the Council of Science Editors.

To make the most of your investment in any group, be sure to do the following:

• Post a complete description of your services in the online membership directory.
• Regularly read the general members' listserv; members may post jobs/gigs there.
• Regularly check the group's online job board/listserv.
  • Note: EFA has a separate, dedicated website for job postings.
• Attend the group's meetings, classes, and other events, when possible, and chat with others there; real-world encounters may be more likely to result in work than online contacts.
• Become a mentor and/or seek advice from more-established members -- ideally offering them something of value in return (tea, lunch, homemade jam).

Other online sources

• Copyediting-L listserv
• Mediabistro (for both editors and writers): You can create a customized job alert to receive postings via email (choose “Freelance” and/or “Working from home”)
• I Take the Lead (networking referral group)
• Facebook groups: Join these groups and make helpful comments, and you'll become part of their community.
  • EAE Ad Space
  • Groups for editors in specific niches, e.g., academic editors, academic journal editors, football editors
  • Binders Full of Remote Proofreading and Editing Jobs
  • Ask a Book Editor Help Wanted
  • Editor Alliance, for "developmental editors, content editors, copyeditors, and proofreaders ... Whether you need help solving a punctuation faux pas or support when things get overwhelming, this community is here to help. Ask questions, share resources, and learn from each other."
  • Freelancing Females (also has a dedicated website)
• Sizable Seattle book publishers and packagers (contact the managing editor at each; learn more about the first three via notes from an Editors Guild panel)
  1. Sasquatch Books
  2. The Mountaineers Books
  3. University of Washington Press
  4. Girl Friday Productions (freelance editors must pass a rigorous test)
  5. Marquand Books
• Sizable book publishers/packagers in Portland, San Francisco/Bay Area, New York, etc.: Do your own research, and email me productive/rewarding links!
• Check out the extensive list compiled by KOK Edit called “Finding Work” (includes the major general editorial associations above [ACES, EFA, and the Northwest Editors Guild] as well as many more-specialized editors’ associations, job boards, and websites)
• Packagers and editing services: see PDF compiled by KOK Edit (such outfits often offer low pay, but can help editors build experience)

Sources of "remote" work

• Flexjobs.com: You have to pay to be a member, but all the listings are vetted.
• These six sites compiling remote work were recommended in a Facebook group. If you’ve sought freelance work through any of them, please share your opinions.
  • https://weworkremotely.com - claims 2.5 million monthly visitors
  • https://pangian.com
  • https://remote.co
  • https://workingnomads.co/jobs
  • https://remoteok.io
  • https://jobspresso.co

Non-monetary approaches

• Simbi allows you to barter your editing services for items/services you want; watch an explanatory video