So I don’t remember the exact wording or question, but I was wondering: what is being a professional editor like? (I like editing friends’ work and betaing fic and I was wondering if it was something I would potentially ever like to do as a job (not that I have to monetize everything, but as an option) Is there a lot of stuff that’s not editing people’s work that goes into being a professional editor/is the skill of editing people’s work informally somewhat transferable to a job form?
Aha, found you. Thank you for being patient and waiting for me to see this/have the time/energy to reply. This is a question I get quite a lot, and searching my blog for editing stuff will sometimes bring up some of the posts. I say sometimes, because this is Tumblr, and this website is about as functional as a chocolate tea kettle.
And to answer your question, being a professional editor can be very rewarding, if at times, somewhat stressful and unpredictable, especially if one is working freelance. I get to work with a lot of different people, all with varying degrees of expectations and desires moving forward with their work. (Note: I’ve largely given up editing at this time. Not because I’ve fallen out of love with it as a career, but because my life is going in a different direction and I need to decide where I want to direct my limited energy.)
Doing beta and editing work for friends certainly is a good place to start if you’re interested in this kind of work, and you can indeed market it as a skill on a job form. For example, you can note it down as something like:
“I also consider myself to have a keen eye for detail and often enjoy working with other writers on their work. This may entail offering constructive criticism, giving encouraging feedback, and correcting any grammatical/spelling mistakes that may have been missed.”
However, it is important to note that in professional circles, betas and editors are regarded as very different beasts. So if you’re thinking of going into editing professionally? You’ll likely need to look into proper certifications. This can include taking classes in copy editing, developmental editing final line editing, grammar, and proofing, etc., depending on what you’re interested in doing. And while some editors can do all of those things, some prefer to specialize and focus their skills.
I used to be really good at proofing and doing line edits, but thanks to all my health issues, I’m aware that my brain isn’t as sharp as it used to be, and I’m more prone to missing small things. I’m still good with developmental aspects, however, so that’s where I focus my skills now. Funnily enough, it’s often considered more labor-intensive. But it doesn’t generally require me to process small details which my eyes will likely miss due to visual/mental exhaustion.
As for the aspects beyond the technical? I’m going to say you need to love reading (should be obvious but you’d be surprised how many people think being pedantic is enough to be an editor), have read broadly, and also be able to work well and respectfully with others. You don’t need to be all sunshine and rainbows all the time, but you do need to know how to talk to people without putting them down or making them feel like shit when you need to point out that X doesn’t work with their story. You’ll also need networking skills, especially if you decide to go freelance, and the ability to maintain your own work schedule, which is honestly the hardest part of my job for me because my ADHD makes me completely time blind.
You can also put yourself out there as a professional beta reader if it’s something you’d like to try. So, yeah. There are many similar aspects, but editing also requires particular skillsets, and not all editors have the same skills, so that’s something to keep in mind when comparing the two.
I hope some of this was helpful and made sense!
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