Monday 10 June 2013

How To Become A Professional In The Copy Editing Service Sector

By Lucille Lamb


By the term copyeditor, most people would have the image of a man hunched over troves of papers, a pen in hand, and looking at the papers through smudged glasses. This was the image in the days when publishing firms were the controllers of writing flow from writers to readers. With advancement in technology however, copy editing service has improved. But still, there is a need for a person to hire these editors.

Some of the functions of these service providers include correcting errors that touch on grammar, spelling and punctuation. Another thing is to ensure that the house styles are adhered to. They also ensure that meaning conveyed by words in a text are clear. References too must be corrected to ensure that they have been quoted correctly. Pictures are also checked to ensure that they have the right captions.

It is a common practice for most publishing firms to outsource copyediting. Some authors are not able to get publishing contracts, so they choose to self-publish. This involves hiring freelancers to help them in editing and producing their works. A good number of copyeditors would be found working in their homes, and they mostly freelance for independent publishers or publishing houses.

Copyeditors working in-house would work within the normal working hours, that is 9 am to 5 pm. However, in order to beat deadlines, they may have to work extra hours. For a freelance copyeditor, he or she would normally work from home. They decide the number of hours to work. However, they will also need to deliver as per the agreed deadline.

The annual take-home of a copyeditor is between $16,000 and $33,000. This amount is not constant, and varies according to the location of a publishing firm, as well as its size. When it comes to freelance copyeditors, the society for copyeditors and proofreaders set a guideline on the minimum hourly rates. Publishers are however not bound by these rates.

Their minds will often read what they think they wrote instead of what is actually on the paper. A stranger will always be more efficient because he or she does not have any emotional attachment to the work.

Professional copyeditors know the sort of mistakes that most people make, so they will be looking exactly for these. Given that they are seeing your document for the first time, they are able to bring sharp and fresh perspective. They are able to analyze each word, phrase or sentence. The end result is that they catch mistakes that you missed, and analyze the work for clarity, flow, conciseness and style.

The contacts that you make in the industry will be very important for you especially if you are considering becoming a freelance copyeditor. There are some publishing firms that have on-job training programs. Use these to better your copy editing service further.




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