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Posts Tagged ‘copy editing’
Get It Right
5/20/2008 10:14 AM By ArtisanWhile freelance copy editors are not usually hired primarily to check facts, it's useful to have a wide range of knowledge and the ability to spot errors.
It's also important to have a gentle touch when editing or rewriting writers' facts. While the writer's expression may have needed some work, the editor who introduces an error into the story has done far worse damage than if the awkward sentence had been left alone. That's why accuracy is often cited as one of the ABCs of editing (the others are brevity and clarity).
Freelance Editing for the Web
3/20/2008 10:14 AM By ArtisanA growing area of freelance editorial work involves shaping content for websites. If you don't already have experience editing for the web, you'll want to read up on such subjects as SEO (search engine optimization) and web usability, to help you understand how readers interact with text on the screen.
As you work on web content, you may pick up some basics of HTML coding, and become accustomed to working in different content management systems (CMS). There's no one standard CMS throughout the industry, but once you've learned how to operate in one CMS, others will be easier to master.
Book Doctoring
1/20/2008 10:13 AM By ArtisanIf you have experience in book publishing, you may be able to find freelance jobs helping authors prepare manuscripts for submission to agents or publishers.
These jobs can be time-consuming and difficult, depending on the author's personality and knowledge of the industry. You'll want to be very clear about your rates and get a signed contract before beginning the work.
Be wary of authors who expect you to turn an unpolished manuscript into a bestseller, or who want to hand you their work and walk away. The best editor-author relationships are those where the author participates in the process and learns from the editor's knowledge.
