Editor vs Writer Career Path

Writing your own work and editing others' don't necessarily connect. It depends on what types of editing and writing you're talking about, in large part. Some paths do end up connecting the two fields more than others, but again this depends on what kinds of each.

No, you do not need to have written a novel to edit a novel, any more than you'd need to have directed or acted in a movie to edit a movie. They're all different skill sets. It's good to have familiarity with how the different aspects of producing a finished work are accomplished, and many people like to try out different aspects, but completing some specific thing isn't necessary.

You don't mention what type of editing you're considering, or have interest in. There are many ways to learn, but it is a process and a serious skill. A lot of people tend to think that they can spot typos or awkward-sounding sentences, thus they should be able to edit. It simply doesn't work that way. Not only are these different and extensive skills, they're professions that involve a lot of convention that someone entering the profession needs to learn. I'm not suggesting you can't or couldn't - if you're interested, by all means, pursue it. Writing more isn't particularly necessary to the pursuit though, if editing is where your interest lies.

kestra said:

Hello,
I have a few questions for any of the paid editors on this site. (Freelance, salaried, part time - any type.)
How did you get into the field initially? Were you interested in writing and then switched to editing? Do you do both?
Is it common to start with the intention to be more of an editor than a writer?

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I spent a few years working in newspaper publishing and computer games publishing, mostly in sales and marketing roles. I then had an interview for a junior editing job. I screwed up the interview, so I wrote to the senior editor who had interviewed me. The company was a non-fiction packager with a specific niche: in my letter I identified the areas in which it hadn't yet published, and suggested titles and subjects which would fill those areas; and I enclosed a couple of samples of my editing work. I got the job.

I had already written a few books and a lot of newspaper articles, but I didn't ever assume that they might lead to editorial work. Writing and editing are very different skills.

Obviously, if you're a horrible writer you wouldn't be good at editing, but how much writing do you need to have done to taken seriously as an editor?
Or is it experience and editing references rather than writing that helps?

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As I said above, writing and editing are very different skills. Writing does not qualify you for editing, and vice versa.

I ask, because I think my skills and interests are geared more towards editing than writing. I'm older and have a cushy day job, so going back to school full time or interning aren't really options for me.
But I would like to learn as much as I possibly can about writing and editing. I may take part time courses; I'm not opposed to spending the money if it's actually worth it.

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The UK's Society of Editors and Proofreaders runs some good courses; I'd avoid ChapterHouse. If you are considering other courses check out the tutors before you sign up: if they don't have solid experience of editing at good publishing houses, they're unlikely to be able to teach you the skills you'll need. But even with a decent course or two to your name you'll still need to take the intern route to get a job in a publishing house; and if you want to freelance, you are very unlikely to have the skills you need until you've worked in publishing for a few years. Training alone is not enough.

I've been operating under the assumption that to be an editor I need to have more writing done/published, and I know it can't hurt. But if it isn't my end goal, I don't want to waste too much time either.

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You don't need to have written or published to become a good editor.

My eventual interests are editing at all levels all types of work except poetry and scripts.

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Editors usually specialise in one genre; they rarely work to as broad a brief as you're suggesting here.

Is it at all acceptable to edit novels when you don't have one published?

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As I've already said, you don't need to have written anything in order to be a good editor.

I'm sure I could write a novel - I wrote 3 when I was much younger. But publication is another story.

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I'm sure I can act. I performed in my school plays when I was much younger: why won't anyone give me a lead role in a big movie?

So, any stories you can give me about how you got started, or how I can get started are much appreciated.

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I've already shared my story--see above.

Currently, I plan to keep writing in the areas that interest me, which are much narrower than my editing interests, read as much as I possibly can about writing/editing, read more books of all types, do some critting and beta reading, and network more when the summer's over. I've recently joined the provincial editor and writer associations, but not much happens over the summer re: seminars and such.

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If you're not interested in an area, you can't edit it effectively; nor will you have the background knowledge and expertise required to edit it well. And networking won't help you learn to edit.

Critiquing other writers' work would help, though: get yourself over to our Share Your Work rooms and contribute to as many threads as you can.

Sorry, this became long. I'm new to the idea that I could actually make money doing something I enjoy and automatically do anyhow, and my mind is spinning with questions and plans.

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Not only is your post rather long, you've repeated several points (I've mentioned some of your repetitions in my response), you've rambled, and your grammar and punctuation are lacking in places. This makes me wonder if you really are cut out for editing, as identifying such issues and correcting them are second nature for the editors I know.

Editing well requires not just training and experience: it also requires a talent for the work that very few people have. I don't see evidence of that talent in you, and I'm concerned that you are going to invest time and money into your plan which you can't afford and are unlikely to see any benefit from.

I hope I'm wrong, and that you go on to make a huge success at this: but please be careful. Just in case.

kestra said:

Hello,
I have a few questions for any of the paid editors on this site. (Freelance, salaried, part time - any type.)
How did you get into the field initially? Were you interested in writing and then switched to editing? Do you do both?
Is it common to start with the intention to be more of an editor than a writer?

Click to expand...

I went into publishing fresh from uni; I started as an editorial secretary, and worked up to editor. I've been freelance twice - the first time by accident, the second time (current) by design, because I want to do the hands-on stuff rather than just overseeing those who do.

I should point out I'm not a fiction editor; I work on non-fiction. But it hadn't occurred to me that writing samples might be expected of an editor! Just editing samples. Writers write, editors edit, after all...

Old Hack gave some very useful advice about the sort of training to look at (I see you're in Canada, and I don't know what organisations/courses might be there). My one tip is to steer clear of courses that enthusiastically claim you can be earning megabucks at the end of them - but you probably knew that!

You say you're interested in 'editing at all levels'. I wonder if it might help you to try to focus that down (along with the genre, as Old Hack mentions). For example, I do development editing as well as copy-editing, but copy-editing is what I much prefer. And I love proofreading, especially on illustrated textbooks with lots of features and styles when there's all sorts of stuff to look out for. But I also often have to work on very dry stuff that is *ahem* a tad harder to be keen about...

I think it's wonderful to try to find a job you love, but it is extremely important to make sure you have the right skills, mindset and so on - as there are lots of other editors out there!

I worked in newspapers for about a decade. Got started as a writer who also did one shift a week as a copy editor, mainly because I had design experience and was young and enthusiastic and no one else wanted to work Saturdays. That led to five years at another paper as a copy editor, which led to five years at yet another paper as a writer. I'm now in PR, where I use all of the skill sets I developed in journalism (plus more).

Even if you're in a good job now in another field, I'd encourage you to start looking at job ads in editing now. You'll develop a much better sense of the industry, what experience is necessary and what jobs are out there now. Then you can start mapping out your eventual path in your head.

Speaking of the journalism field, I know very few people who've gone back and forth as I have between writing and editing. The vast majority stay their whole careers as writers or as editors - so experience doing one is not required to do the other.

If your goal is to edit books, however, that's a much more specialized track, and other people here know more about that than I do.

It's been my experience that one of the best ways of becoming an editor, and a pretty common way, at that, is to first become a selling writer. It's amazing how many editors I've known who became editors with this is their only real credential.