The Springfield/Eugene-area Editors' Directory (SEED) is a compilation of local editors of the written word in all forms: books and periodicals, academic and government publications, scientific and technical documents, educational curricula and textbooks, corporate and nonprofit communications, blogs and social media, and more.

SEED members do independent editing either full-time, part-time, or in addition to holding staff positions. All have at least a year of experience as a professional editor, and many have been editing for 20 to 30 years. At present, SEED comprises more than 50 professional editors in Corvallis, Eugene, Florence, Springfield, and Yachats, with a few more joining each month.

If you haven't worked with an editor before, or if you'd like to refresh your knowledge about how to do so:

Review these tips for editorial clients.

They offer advice on the different levels of editing, how to find an editor, what editors charge, and best practices for working with an editor.

Then visit the Springfield/Eugene-area Editors Directory (SEED)

and click the name(s) of the editor(s) you're interested in.

If an editor is accepting new clients, you'll see a short description of their services, along with their email address and website/webpage. (NOTE: If any of those are missing, email us and we'll be happy to provide them.)

More Editors: book/literary editors

Nonprofit writers' organizations

• Richard Hugo House: This writers' center in Seattle offers a stable of manuscript consultants, most or all Seattle-based. Some are editors as well. They work with literary projects (essays, academic applications, literary journalism, poetry, novels, and the like). Each consultant's rate is listed on the site.

Online platforms

An ever-growing number of book-editing platforms are available online. Some offer a carefully vetted stable of experienced editors, while others stress low cost or quick turnaround. Below are a few platforms offering experienced editors.

• New York Book Editors: about 35 editors; has an excellent blog full of valuable advice for authors
• Book Editing Associates: in operation since 1998; over 90 editors; US-based; claims only 2% of applicants pass its proofreading test
• Reedsy: founded in 2014; more than 1,000 freelancers (book editors, book designers, book marketers, and ghostwriters); UK-based (but most of its editors are US-based); claims to accept only 5% of editors who apply

More Editors: all types

Professional editors' organizations

Every sizable professional editors' organization maintains an online membership directory. Some are searchable by city/state/region, in addition to other ways (level of editing, project type, subject matter/genre, and so on).

• Northwest Editors Guild member directory
  • On the Location drop-down menu, those seeking an Oregon editor can choose from the following towns/regions: Ashland/Southern Oregon; Bend/Central Oregon; Corvallis; Eugene/Springfield; Oregon Coast; Salem; or Greater Portland Area.
  • The Editors Guild requires that prospective members "demonstrate at least a year of experience as an editor (freelance/independent, in-house, or both)."
• Editorial Freelancers Association member directory
  • Check the Oregon box, then enter the town you seek in the keyword box.
  • EFA's website says it's "not a prerequisite to have an extensive publishing career to join, [but] we do recommend that you have some professional experience as a writer, proofreader, editor, or the like before joining."
• ACES: The Society for Editing member directory
  • This directory isn't as easily searchable by location, but you can enter each town in your area in the keyword box.
  • ACES was for many years the American Copy Editors Society, a membership organization primarily for copy editors in journalism. It now accepts as members, and has a specific membership category for, people who have "no professional background in the craft."
• Editors of Color database
  • This relatively new directory can be searched by state. Thus far it includes some editors in Washington state, but none in Oregon.

In addition to the above, there are numerous professional organizations for editors in specific fields, such as science editors, business communicators, indexers, and so on. Most organizations also have an online job board or listserv where you can post your editorial job or project for free and have interested editors respond to you.

Brick-and-mortar talent agencies

Most major cities have a number of agencies such as 24seven, The Creative Group (a division of the larger HR firm Robert Half International), and Vitamin T (a division of Aquent), through which you can hire a freelance editor for a period ranging from a day to many months. Such agencies are often used in fields such as advertising and marketing, design, and corporate communications.