October 22, 2024
by Grace Pinegar / October 22, 2024
Thinking about getting into the editing industry but have no idea how one gets into the field in the first place? You're not alone.
Becoming an editor offers an exciting blend of creativity and precision. After all, editors are the unsung heroes behind the blogs, articles, and books we consume daily, ensuring clarity, consistency, and engagement.
But do you need a degree or certifications, or is your experience enough? Do you need to know about specific writing and editing tools? How do you establish yourself in such a competitive field? Which job boards do you need to use?
Whether you're an aspiring editor, a freelancer looking to expand your skill set, or a student exploring career options, this guide will answer your burning questions, walk you through essential steps, and help you become a successful editor.
Let's look at the role and responsibilities of an editor, as well as the skills, education, and experience you'll need to begin a career in editing.
An editor plays a crucial role in the content creation process, ensuring that written material is polished, clear, and engaging. Editors work across a wide range of industries, from the publishing industry and journalism field to marketing and digital media, and their responsibilities can vary based on the type of content they handle. Here are the most common types of editing roles in the market, each focusing on a different aspect of editing or a specific industry:
Ask yourself: Do you want to edit for a specific industry, i.e. book editing? Do you want to be a copy editor, remote editor, or freelancer? Deciding these things first will help you narrow down your job search.
In most cases, yes.
Companies that are looking to hire an editor want to see if you’ve had some training in the subject, such as an English, journalism, or related bachelor's degree. Both of these majors will feature a lot of peer reviewing and rigorous grammar studies.
However, there are successful editors who break into the field through hands-on experience, internships, and self-taught skills. Certifications in editing or specialized areas like copyediting can also help build credibility if you don’t have a formal degree.
Ultimately, a strong portfolio showcasing your editing skills and industry experience can sometimes outweigh formal education requirements, especially in freelancing or niche industries.
As publications have learned time and time again, you can’t skimp on an editor. Having an individual or a team, specifically on staff, to look over all written copy and make sure things are grammatically and stylistically correct is a huge need. Those who fail to hire editors risk publishing misspelled or downright incorrect information.
With that in mind, an editor is certainly a role with a lot of job stability. Whether it’s a book publishing company, news media organization, public relations job, or even a tech company with a blog, editors need to be on the payroll.
If you’re looking to transfer into this career, read on to learn about the natural and learned characteristics you should have, as well as different ways to find editing roles.
A successful editor is also a skilled writer. In fact, this is where many editors start out: as writers who frequently lend their talents out to friends and colleagues.
Having a background or at least some basic knowledge of storytelling and writing will give you an edge over the competition. Tutoring is another skill that translates well into the world of editing.
Another must-have for any editing job is an in-depth understanding of grammar and syntax. This includes sentence structure, spelling, word choice, subject-verb agreements, passive voice vs. active voice, and punctuation use.
People often use the phrase “fake it until you make it” to describe the job hunt, but editors cannot fake an understanding of the language in which they are editing.
Familiarize yourself with editing tools like Grammarly, Hemingway, and Copyleaks, or specialized software like content management systems (CMS) like Hubspot. Additionally, understanding style guides is essential for editors working in publishing or media.
Style is a completely different set of rules that governs standard practices, like the Associate Press Stylebook or Chicago Manual of Style. Examples of style are how you write out the date in the body of an article and whether you use the Oxford comma.
While you may probably never have this nailed down 100 percent, a successful editor has a good understanding of AP style and knows how to consult the guidebook when stuck on something.
Start by freelancing on platforms like Fiverr or Upwork. Experience with different types of content—whether it's articles, books, or technical documents—helps you understand the nuances of editing for various styles and industries. Freelance work also helps you build your portfolio and nurture relationships with your early clients to find more editing work later on.
You can also intern or volunteer to edit for publications, blogs, or student papers.
Although not mandatory, earning certifications in copyediting or specialized fields, like legal or technical editing, can boost your credibility. Online courses through platforms like Coursera can provide valuable skills.
As in any creative field, creating and maintaining a portfolio of past work is of the utmost importance. As an editor, you should have two things in your portfolio: links to pieces you have written and links to pieces you have edited.
There’s no way to really show an employer how your editing affected an overall piece; once edits are accepted, they disappear. However, displaying the type of work you’ve edited is nonetheless valuable. Displaying your writing shows off your voice as a writer and proves you can publish a successful piece.
So, use creative portfolio management software to organize all your editing and writing work and showcase your skills to potential recruiters.
Networking is crucial to finding opportunities. Attend industry events, join professional associations like the America Copy Editors Society (ACES) or the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), and connect with editors, writers, and publishers on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn. Building relationships can open doors to internships, freelance work, or full-time positions.
The job search process isn't complicated, but knowing where and what to look is essential. If you are just starting out, look for entry-level positions like editorial assistant, assistant editor, or freelance editor, which offer entry-level experience supporting senior editors and managing smaller projects.
Use job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, and specialized platforms like Mediabistro or Publishers Marketplace to find editing positions in your field or area. For freelance opportunities, platforms like Upwork or Fiverr can help you get started.
If the job market is tough, as it so often is, utilize your network to find jobs. Try joining a writer’s group in your area or finding literary conferences where you can go and meet editors and people with similar careers in person. It’s typically much easier to find a job when you know people, so schmoozing it up at a networking event could work in your favor!
Did you know? On average, an editor in the United States earns an annual salary of $63,132, according to Glassdoor data.
Editing is one of those jobs that requires both learned characteristics, i.e., those which you would get with a language arts degree, and natural qualities, i.e., those which are part of your personality. Whether you're working on blogs, books, or technical documents, mastering these essential skills will set you on the path to becoming a top-notch editor.
Let’s talk more about those skills.
The first and most obvious characteristic of a good editor is their attention to detail. A lot of editors will self-identify as perfectionists or type-a personalities. They’re the kinds of people who see a typo on a billboard and consider calling the company just to point it out.
A successful editor knows not to skim overwork, even in the least intriguing of content. Every sentence and line must be given the same amount of undivided attention.
Editors need to assess content beyond surface-level corrections. They must evaluate whether the piece effectively communicates its message, whether the arguments are well-structured, and whether it resonates with the intended audience.
As an editor, you’re one step in a writer’s long road to publishing. You are a very important step, but if you take a long time to get articles back to your writers, you become a hindrance. As an editor, it’s very important you can work quickly and with fast-approaching deadlines.
Editing is a job where you often need to give feedback and suggestions all the time to writers and content creators. Effective communication is key to delivering criticism in a way that explains necessary changes without discouraging the writer.
Imagine writing: “This section doesn’t make sense. You need to add more data or fix it somehow. It’s not working.” This approach is vague and unhelpful and can frustrate the writer.
Instead, as editor, your comment should be constructive like this: “This section is interesting but could be stronger with more supporting data. Could you expand on your argument here?” By offering clear, constructive feedback, you not only improve the content but also help the writer grow, maintaining a positive working relationship.
People often mistake editing for correcting mistakes. But it's more than that. Editors must bring creativity to the process, helping to refine the voice, improve storytelling, and enhance the overall quality of the content.
As an editor, you could restructure the content, transforming a list of facts into a narrative that takes the reader on a journey to make the piece more engaging and memorable. Creativity allows you to turn a good article into a captivating one that resonates with readers.
If you’ve read through this whole article and it feels like editing is the right career choice for you, get movin’ and groovin’ on the job search. Make sure your resume is pristine (as an editor, employers will judge yours doubly harshly). Start applying for positions, network with peers in the field, and get ready to make your mark. And lastly, best of luck!
Ready to take your editing career to the next level? Learn from G2 editors how to use AI tools to transform the editing workflow and produce top-notch content.
This article was originally published in 2019 and has been updated with new information.
Grace Pinegar is a lifelong storyteller with an extensive background in various forms such as acting, journalism, improv, research, and content marketing. She was raised in Texas, educated in Missouri, worked in Chicago, and is now a proud New Yorker. (she/her/hers)
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