Analyze Edited Content:
If a professional editor works on your writing, make sure the person uses the change-tracking function in Microsoft word or the word-processing program he or she works in. When you receive the edited version, activate the feature and study each change the editor has made. If you don’t know why the editor created a particular revision, consult writing or editing handbooks or online resources and study the problem until you understand it and know how to avoid making similar errors. If you don’t understand the problem, ask the editor for clarification.
Read A Lot:
A good editor has their finger on the pulse of the literary scene. You need to know what forms of stories are trending and what readers are looking for. Read anything and everything you'll to help guide the writers you work with craft a story that readers can get, enjoy, and share with other readers.
Be Consistent:
If possible, choose a single style guide and one dictionary as resources of record. If you’re a freelance editor with multiple clients, you may have to consult different style guides for various projects (such as the Chicago manual of style for book manuscripts, the associated press stylebook for websites, and the american medical association manual of style for articles to be published in a medical journal), but otherwise, find out which guide your employer uses and stick to it. If you simply need a resource to assist you to edit posts for your own blog, select your own resources. In any case, keep such resources handy and consult them often.
Complete Coursework:
Take one or more editing courses through an accredited continuing-education program. Some programs offer online courses, but you might get more out of an experience in a physical classroom with real-time interaction with the instructor and fellow students, so attend a real-world class if possible.
Don’t Read - Edit:
It’s easy to succumb to the temptation to edit at a reading pace. But editing must be slow and deliberate. To train yourself to work slowly, read content aloud, or pause after each punctuation mark, or read from the end to the beginning, sentence by sentence or paragraph by paragraph. Also, if you’re editing your own writing, delay editing for a day or two so that you’re revising with a fresh perspective.
Treat Substantive Editing And Copyediting As Separate Steps:
If you’re asked to provide both structural editing and mechanical editing for a project, or you’re editing your own work, divide these diverse tasks into two phases. On the first pass, focus on big-picture aspects: organization, narrative flow and sequence, and, for fiction, setting and characterization and character motivation. Then, revise to improve grammar, syntax, usage, and style. Better yet, take a couple of passes for every phase, but take a break between every pass. These strategies can help you do a better job with each aspects of editing.
Read Superior Writing:
Just as keeping yourself on a diet of excellent prose helps you be a better writer, it'll conjointly aid you in editing by modeling effective word also and phrase, sentence, and paragraph structure. You needn’t exclusively consume top-notch writing, but include plenty of it in your reading material.
Build A Network:
Grow your community of editors. Join professional organizations like the editorial freelancers association (EFA). The more contacts you have, the greater the chance work referrals come your way. Connect with a self-publishing group to meet writers who can like an editor to review their work.
Market Your Professional Editing Services:
To make it official, start promoting yourself as a professional editor. Start by making a website. Use keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) to make traffic. You might consider starting a blog about editing to increase the chances of people finding your site. Start contacting literary agents and publishing houses who may be able to send clients your way or hire you on a contract basis. Remember to print up business cards and to always have them on you, ready to hand out.
Start Taking On Your Own Clients:
Before you know it, clients can begin reaching out, and you’ll be making a living as a successful editor. You might even have the opportunity to work on a book that becomes a bestseller. Remember to put that one at the front of your portfolio.