The Bookseller.com

17th May 2008

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Out of office

14.12.07 Hannah Davies

Fed up with office politics? Tired of the daily commute? Planning to have a family and work part-time? Then going freelance might be the ideal career choice.

Thousands of freelance editors and proofreaders based in the UK and abroad earn a living working independently for academic and trade publishers, literary agencies and consultancies, and also directly with authors.

Specialists in fiction or non-fiction can read proposals and complete structural and copy-edits, while experts in the academic sector can copy-edit, proofread and project manage textbooks, online resources and dictionaries.

However, making that first step and securing work can be daunting, which is where the Society for Editors & Proofreaders (SfEP) can help.

Sara Hulse, PR and marketing consultant for SfEP, says: “The society works to uphold standards of editing and proofreading in the UK by offering introductory and advanced training courses, conferences, a qualification scheme and a directory for potential employers, which lists contact details for our members.”

SfEP also aims to ensure its members secure reasonable rates for their freelance services. “It is difficult when people are just starting out, especially as publishers tend to set their own rates, but we try to recommend £18.50 per hour for proofreading, £21.50 for copy-editing, and up to £27 for project management,” Hulse says.

Joining the society (www.sfep.org.uk) is obviously Hulse’s top tip for anyone starting out, but there are plenty of additional tried and tested methods for becoming a successful freelance. Two ex-publishers below explain how they have profitably gone it alone.

TARA WIGLEY
editor and reader (www.tarawigley.com)

Tara’s top tip: “Get a pet dog for sanity’s sake.”

“Following a Masters in Publishing Studies from City University, 18 months at the Abner Stein Literary Agency and 18 months in the editorial department at Simon & Schuster, a year ago my career took a peculiar turn when my husband, a diplomat in the foreign office, was posted to Sarajevo.

"With no multinational publishing presence in Bosnia and my not speaking Bosnian, my career move had to be online. I sent off 30 speculative letters to named contacts in literary agencies and consultancies in the UK, outlining my editing experience, understanding of the publishing market and willingness to do any work available: the jobs haven’t stopped coming in since.

“My clients include Cornerstones Literary Consultancy for which I do general or in-depth editorial reports for fiction, Lucy Luck Associates and Andrew Lownie literary agency. For Andrew, I do initial reader reports discussing whether the market needs the book and giving tips to add editorial value. On the back of this authors often get in touch directly to request an in-depth editorial report. I generally charge £3.50 to £4.50 per 1,000 words.

"On average I make about £75 a day, which makes more sense in Bosnia than London. On a good day I love freelancing. I enjoy concentrating on the actual editing and you get great variety compared to in-house work where you often get pigeonholed. It is amazing that all I need to be connected to the UK publishing industry while based in Sarajevo is a computer and printer. However, it can be lonely, so for sanity I would recommend getting a dog.”

MELISSA WEATHERILL
editor and reviewer

Melissa’s top tip: “Build trust and contacts.”

“I left in-house publishing two years ago after seven years in the industry, two at Ed Victor Ltd and five at Simon & Schuster. After going travelling I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so in the interim I took on work from friends in the industry—structural editing, proofreading and copy-editing.

"The experience I had as an in-house editor was invaluable in building trust and contacts. People were willing to try me out and the work spiralled from there. Although I can’t deny that it isn’t hard: publishers get so many applications for freelance work and, as an editor, it is difficult to take a punt on someone who isn’t personally known or recommended to you. However, many editorial departments have been downsized, so there is more work available.

"I am based in London and now work independently for many of the big publishing houses: copy-editing for Orion and Old Street Publishing, proofreading for Grove Atlantic and on various jobs for Pan Macmillan, Hodder & Stoughton, Headline and Canongate. I also consult unpublished authors for the Arts Council initiative YouWriteOn.com and give editorial feedback for the Literary Consultancy. Publishers dictate pay, offering between £12 and £17 per hour—it’s easier now I have more experience.

"The reason I went into publishing was to work with words but it had become much less a part of my role as an editor. Now I am back to the essence of publishing—working on plots and characters, and with authors. If people have the experience and contacts they should go for it as there are not enough young talented freelances in London.”

Hannah Davies job freelance