Freelancing?

[OzEdInTraining]

Just read the thread in the newbie section about freelancing, and still haven't had my questions answered satisfactorily.

What I wanna know is how does one go about getting freelance work, and is it possible to freelance for the more established publishing houses or do they only ever employ in house editors?

Also, how did you get your start in the editing business? Did you simply apply to a company with your credentials or did you go with the freelancing route first?

I'm thinking of starting out small and offering free editing services to uni students whose work needs editing, and then building a portfolio of work from there and making a name for myself so that I can begin to charge people for my services.

Which brings me to my next question: What is the average charge that a freelance editor would charge and is it based on a word by word basis or a hourly rate? And if it's word by word, what would be a reasonable charge per word?

[Carmy]

You can see what one company charges here: http://www.englishgrammartutor.com/Prices.htm

If you search editing charges, Google will come up with several sites offering their services.

Publishers Lunch usually lists job openings in their newsletter. http://www.caderbooks.com/

[Kristen King]

What I wanna know is how does one go about getting freelance work, and is it possible to freelance for the more established publishing houses or do they only ever employ in house editors?

I find a lot of my work online, and the rest through networking connections with former employers, friends, and colleagues. I rely heavily on Craigslist for online job leads, which I write about here (http://inkthinker.blogspot.com/2006/11/responding-to-online-ads.html), here (http://inkthinker.blogspot.com/2006/11/responding-to-online-ads-2.html), and here (http://inkthinker.blogspot.com/2006/11/why-i-love-craigslist-part-1-of-approx.html), and I also use Deb Ng's Freelance Writing Jobs (http://writersrow.com/deborahng/freelancewritingjobs.html) and Anne Wayman's Abundant Writing Newsletter (http://aboutfreelancewriting.com/newsletter/newslettersubscribe.htm). It is definitely possible to freelance for the publishing houses, but you'll need to get some kind of track record behind you first.

Also, how did you get your start in the editing business? Did you simply apply to a company with your credentials or did you go with the freelancing route first?

I did both. I was working part time at a newspaper and part time at a magazine, as well as a couple other jobs here and there, but couldn't find a full-time editing job, which is what I really wanted. So I just started applying to editing jobs online, and the rest is history. I did end up taking a full-time office job (as an editor) for about two years, but I kept freelancing on the side, and I've been a full-time freelancer since May 1 of this year.

I'm thinking of starting out small and offering free editing services to uni students whose work needs editing, and then building a portfolio of work from there and making a name for myself so that I can begin to charge people for my services.

(Warning: I have strong opinions about this.) Never, under any circumstance, give your work away for free. The only exception is if you want to volunteer your time for a nonprofit organization that makes you feel warm and fuzzy. Otherwise, charge for your services. People are not doing you a favor by hiring you--they're hiring you to provide a service for which they have a need, which is a business transaction. Granted, you want to charge in accord with your experience and credentials, but you should be paid for your work from the get-go.

Which brings me to my next question: What is the average charge that a freelance editor would charge and is it based on a word by word basis or a hourly rate? And if it's word by word, what would be a reasonable charge per word?

There's no such thing as an average job in editing. Pricing is typically based on the level of edit required, the type and size of project, the required turnaround time, and, of course, the editor's level of experience. Some folks charge hourly, some charge by the page, and some charge by the word. Some do all of the above depending on the project.

In this post (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showpost.php?p=690293&postcount=24), I share some basic minimum rates that my freelance colleagues charge. These are just a guideline, so don't feel like they're some hard and fast rule--they're not. Same goes for the Writer's Market "How Much Should I Charge?" article--useful for context, but not a hard and fast rule.

Kristen