With the routine nature of life, where we run after the 9-5 job and get exhausted like a rusting machine, we tend to lose interest in our work and sometimes in ourselves too. You might try to find the best way where you can be in a great place to work, like in your home or your favorite coffee shop with no stress, but the work that you love. That is when the freelancing jobs lists started to pop up, and it keeps booming day by day. In this blog, you will get to know the 11 steps on how to become a successful Zealous editor with no experience.
Freelance Editor
Freelance editing could be a career option for you if you have a passion for writing skills and are good at spotting typos and grammar mistakes in other people’s work.
A freelance editor prepares stories for publication by reading reviews and making corrections to writing for a range of prospective clients or customers. As a contractor, a freelance editor serves clients on a project-by-project basis. Depending on their type, editors focus on different areas of a written piece, such as language, structure, and content. These are originally the first steps of a freelance editor.
Is a Freelance Editor an easy job?
For many people, becoming a freelance article writer or editor looks like the best course of action. But guess what? the majority of authors who jump headfirst into freelancing quickly burn out as they realize it’s not as exciting and fulfilling as they had imagined.
You would need more discipline and patience than you would find in a traditional office setting if you wanted to write for yourself so that you could be your own boss. Also, the core point is, that there is extremely little room for error. If you make a mistake with a customer by submitting work that is late or contains plagiarism, likely, that they won’t assign you any more work. So, when dealing with your first client or new clients you should be aware of the needs of the client and enhance them through your writing skills.
Successful Freelance Editor with no experience
The first step for a new freelance writer is to stop finding the easiest way to become a successful freelance editor but the significant steps to implement the practices of becoming one.
The Freelance writing career will encourage you to make much time with your best work and also to learn many of your editing skills. Let’s have a look at the few steps on how to become a successful freelance editor.
Freelance Editor – Develop your skills
It’s not critical to hone your freelance writing work or editorial abilities if you want to succeed as an editor. This entails knowledge of syntax, grammar, proofreading methods, formatting styles, and other subjects. To become a great editor, you can locate free webinars or online courses. Alternatively, it would be a good idea if you could buy courses and eBooks to further your knowledge related to your freelance career.
You might also want to think about getting enrolled in a freelance editing course with a focus on proofreading or editing. This is a fantastic approach to show that you have specific expertise and experience in the industry.
There are many freelance writing, editing, and proofreading courses available online through platforms like the Editorial Freelancers Association, and The Proofreading Academy, and the courses come with certificates that you may include in your portfolio. Above all, you should be good at English language and communication skills and also have some knowledge about search engine optimization.
choose your niche
One should be specialized in writing or editing the niche in which they are good. Your writing with a particular niche should contain the type of content where the written word contains the focused area while writing in press or blog posts. As a content writer, one should gain experience and knowledge about his/her editing skills through hard work associated with immense patience.
Your Niche can be relevant to academic writing, technical writing, or even content marketing. It is better to avoid the niches which have a lower rate as it will not gain more readers.
As time goes on, you will gain experience as a successful freelance writer where a lot of people will approach your content and gain their knowledge.
Once you establish yourself as the authority in your writing field, brands will start to seek you out and will pay you more for your in-depth knowledge.
Build a portfolio
For any freelance editor, putting together a good portfolio is crucial. This will assist in showing off your abilities and background to potential clients and provide them with a sample of the caliber of work you are capable of delivering, both virtually and in person. You should be confident with the type of work that you are good at and showcase the same.
Including a brief biography and a list of services you do is also a smart idea, since it lets potential clients know exactly what to anticipate from you.
You can develop your portfolio by creating a PDF file or Google Docs. You can quickly share the portfolio with anyone who might need your services as long as it is available online. If you have a personal blog for your own, you can mention the same as well. Certifications can be an added privilege but, more than certificates, it’s about your writing experience and the editing process that you follow.
Build Your Network
It would be ideal to begin networking as soon as you finish your course and build your portfolio. Make use of social media platforms to establish your online identity. Verify the professionalism of your profile.
You can meet other freelance writers, professional writers, and editors on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. Instead of viewing other independent contractors as competitors, view them as colleagues who may be able to provide invaluable experience. They might even introduce you to your first client. Obtaining editing Jobs through the right source is crucial and, in that case, the online presence is mandatory.
Become acquainted with useful software
It is the era of tech where you tend to familiarize yourself with some useful applications available for freelance editors now that you’ve honed your editing abilities and established a portfolio.
Become familiar with Grammarly, a well-liked program for fixing typos and errors, as a fantastic place to start. Numerous features are included in word processors such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs to assist you with editing activities including formatting and proofreading.
Acquire the Right Training or Education
Becoming a professional writer or editor requires more than just a love for books. You need to have a good understanding of text editing and publishing settings. Additionally, it is important to be familiar with social media platforms, search engine optimization (SEO), and content management systems, depending on the type of content you plan to work with. You may also need to familiarize yourself with style guides like The Chicago Manual of Style or The Associated Press Stylebook.
Also, get to know the following establishments that provide training, seminars, and editing courses:
- How to become a freelance editor on Udemy
- The Chartered Institute of editing and proofreading
- Knowadays
- Editorial Freelancers Association
Find clients & offer your services
The best part of being in a freelance writing business is looking for clients and proving your worth in the industry by sharing a portfolio of your work.
Making connections with other independent editors and industry experts is the ideal place to start even your own blog as well. These individuals can be located by contacting possible employers or by participating in internet communities.
Looking for organizations or blogs that focus on providing freelance services is an additional choice. These platforms are an excellent choice for people who don’t want to manage the entire process themselves because they will screen possible clients and guarantee that you’re getting paid on time.
There’s no shortage of job boards offering frequent editing possibilities. Even better, you can set up alerts to tell you when a job posting matching your skill set appears.
Establish A Professional Online Presence
Having a credible web presence is crucial in the modern digital world. Establish a website or blog where you may offer your expertise through educational articles or blog posts, display your portfolio, and provide information about your services.
You have complete control over how your work is displayed when you build your own website, but if you’d prefer not to handle the project yourself, you can hire developers.
You may even publish some works on a website like Medium, which doubles as a portfolio. It’s free to write on the platform.
Lastly, make connections with professionals in the publishing and writing industries by using social networking sites like LinkedIn.
Professional Associations
A professional editing association like the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) or the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) may be something you should join. For independent editors, these groups frequently offer job boards and other services.
Consider joining professional editing associations, such as the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) or the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA). These organizations often have job boards and resources for freelance editors too.
Freelance Writing Websites
Here are some job boards that are specialized in writing and editing jobs. These can be a great resource for freelance editors in a great way:
– ProBlogger: This job board lists writing and editing gigs, making it an excellent choice for freelance editors.
– BloggingPro: Similar to ProBlogger, BloggingPro also specializes in writing and editing jobs, particularly in the blogging niche.
– Smart Blogger: This freelance job board is focused on writing, but there are often some editing roles advertised as well.
– Peak Freelance: Unlike the others, Peak Freelance doesn’t have ‘blog’ in the title, but it’s still a good option to consider for finding freelance editing jobs.
Fix a price that you’ll charge
It’s important to keep track of how many words you can edit in an hour so that you can determine your price point. Start by figuring out how much you need to earn in an hour to pay your bills. Initially, you may not find many freelance jobs that pay what you need or want, so start with what will drive you to work.
You can also review the price lists provided by editing and proofreading services. A useful strategy for most independent contractors is to increase their fees for each new client. Over time, you’ll be able to identify the types of editing projects that require more or less time and effort, allowing you to set your rates accordingly.
Job Search Engines
Finding freelance editing work can also be facilitated by using general job search engines, albeit these positions are frequently part- or full-time. When looking at websites such as these, use keywords like “freelance editor,” “proofreader,” or “copy editor.”
Is freelance editing right for you?
If you have the passion to become a publisher or love to write under any niche that you like then you can become a skilled editor for a blog post or posts, or even a content writer. Freelancing editing can be a very profitable career choice. It provides the opportunity to read a great deal of information from a wide range of authors, work remotely, and assist them in improving their writing.
I adore working as a freelance writer and editor, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a passion for identifying mistakes in other people’s writing and for developing their own work.
You could also do it as a side hustle, freelancing while working full-time. It’s also possible to freelance as a student! or even a homemaker can discover the freelance editor skill as her abilities related to one of the highly paying freelance jobs.
How Much Do Freelance Editors Make?
The amount of money you can earn as a freelance editor can vary greatly, but it’s not uncommon for beginners to make around $20 per hour. As you gain recognition and take on bigger clients, you may be able to charge $50 or more per hour. Your earnings will depend on various factors, including your level of experience, the type of editing you specialize in, the complexity of the projects you take on, and the demand for your services.
Experienced freelance editors who have a well-established reputation can command higher rates for their work. Editors who focus on specialized niches, such as medical or technical editing, may also earn more due to the specialized knowledge required.
Average Income for Freelance Editors
On average, freelance editors can make anything from $20 to $50 per hour. For large-scale editing jobs like book manuscripts or corporate documentation, some seasoned editors may charge considerably more. Of course, there are lower-paying gigs as well; some of my early freelance editing projects were $15 an hour or less.
Regarding the numbers per word, they can differ significantly. It may not seem like much, yet you may come across freelancers who claim to charge $0.02 per word.
However, you may do 2,500 words or more in an hour if the assignment has few editing requirements. That would earn you fifty dollars every hour! Thus, there are a lot of things to think about when determining your rates.
