Quote:
Originally Posted by Keryl Raist
For her it's a time issue. Right now she's pregnant and working flat out at the job she has (60 hrs/wk) because the job has health insurance.
In a month she's getting married and will be on hubby's insurance, and said job will go the way of the dodo.
Once said job is gone her calendar will be opening up for new projects. And, if you feel like pming me the names of the places you're thinking of, I'll happily send them to her.
Fiction editing is what she wants to do, and part of starting low is building up a portfolio of work. Once you can point to well written, successful books with your name on them, it's easier to charge more.
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With publishers and other content providers being squeezed financially, editing is taking it in the shorts. Established editors who do good work will generally do OK, because they have a reputation and contacts. They've also had much better opportunities to learn.
This environment is terrible for new editors, especially freelancers, because they have to learn their trade in more of a vacuum. And with the way things are going, pay will continue to stagnate or drop.
Despite that, I don't discourage people from following their interests. There's a line between getting experience and being exploited, though. I figure everyone should make their own decisions about where that line is. They should at least find out what the pitfalls are, what the market is paying.
I think content farms exploit people, which is why I don't recommend working for them. But I figure aspiring editors and writers can use them for pay comparisons, if nothing else. Plenty of info is available online. I think any aspiring editor should be able to find the info on his/her own, as part of learning the trade.