Freelance Editing Jobs
You might wonder why I am devoting a few articles to freelance editing jobs and proofreading jobs on a site about building a freelance WRITING career. Actually you might assume that editors are somehow not true writers, or that they are even in opposition to a writer’s success.
Well, we’re talking about becoming a successful freelance writer in this section, with a specific focus on keeping your eyes open for any writing opportunities that may come your way (particularly on the Internet).
If you have read some of the other articles I have written, you already know that I am totally against any line of thought that suggests exclusivity when it comes to your writing business. You won’t always get the chances you want, and that means having a diverse range of skill sets that you can get by on while you wait for your perfect opportunity to come up.
Editing: The securest freelance position of all
Offline and on, there are a lot of starving freelance writers. What you will never find is a starving freelance editor, because in essence no one considers editing an art form.
A lot of freelance writers I have read or talked to seem to degrade editors, which I find kind of humorous because for the most part, there are far more gainfully employed editors than there are writers. In fact, I would go so far as to say that were we to take the average pay per year of the two occupations (and yes you “writing writers” also get to use the combined salaries of Stephen King, J.K. Rowland and other seven or eight figure earners) the editor side would come out on top. Why? Because everyone, EVERYONE, uses the services of an editor or three.
What this means for your freelance writing business
For you, this means that editing jobs can be a very important part of your freelance writing career. Opportunities abound, and moreover you will probably find that editing jobs end up paying more per hour than writing jobs, with much easier work to boot. I expand on that a little bit more in another article, along with some specifics about editing jobs.
The point that you need to take from this is that when it comes to building a true career in freelance writing, you have to get away from many of the pretensions, snobberies, and mistaken beliefs that can be seen in so many writers.
Freelance editing jobs can be a great boost to the bottom line of any freelance business that is just starting out, and they may also lead to work in the form of writing. In fact if you look at the careers of many offline writers, you may find that some of the most successful landed their first deals after working as an editor in some capacity.
So never turn up your nose at freelance editing jobs. Not only will they serve to line your pocket, but they can also be a great step towards the writing work that you really want to do!
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