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Rosemary Shipton

How to Become an Editor

Years ago, we all became editors through a kind of apprentice system. Once you had the ticket — a university degree — you were hired by a publisher or a communications department. There, a senior person on staff whipped you into shape as you did your work, followed a manual and absorbed the atmosphere. No longer: through mergers and closures there are now far fewer publishing houses, and companies looking to hire want editors with experience. Meanwhile, indie publishing has grown exponentially, and a lot of editors work full or part time for clients who know little about editing.

How, then, can you learn to edit? Fortunately, there are several options to suit different needs: self-study, seminars and in-depth courses.

In the last few years, many books and study guides have been published about editing of all kinds — structural and stylistic editing as well as copy editing. Websites and Internet discussion groups are prolific, providing quick information on specific questions as well as good moral support. They’re the virtual water cooler for thousands of editors working alone in their homes. If you can’t sort out a knotty sentence or your computer develops a glitch, post a query on the message board. Within minutes you’ll have a solution. If your client turns out to be a cad or has complimented you, spread the word. You’ll soon have a chorus to sympathize or rejoice with you.

A few universities, colleges and editorial associations offer half-day, day-long and occasionally two-day seminars on various aspects of editing. These sessions are best for would-be editors who hope to test the waters and for experienced editors who want to expand their skills. A good instructor who arrives with comprehensive handouts and helpful in-class exercises can provide an excellent overview of substantive editing, indexing, visual skills and myriad other topics in a few hours. But don’t expect training in these sessions: there’s simply not the time to work your way through a complete manuscript, communicate with an author and receive individual feedback on your efforts.

The best way to train to be an editor is to enrol in a semester-long credit course or program with one of the universities or colleges that offer them — either in the classroom or online. There you should expect to have a top-notch instructor, a variety of real manuscripts to work on and a personalized commentary on every assignment and test you do. You’ll progress through your subject in a logical order of classes, join in discussions, and gain the confidence to make editorial judgments. Good editing involves far more than applying the rules from the Chicago Manual of Style (as I suggest in What Should an Editor Be? and Twelve-Step Editing). Over the last quarter-century I’ve taught thousands of students in both short and long courses, and the question I’ve been asked most often is a complex one: “How far should I go as I edit?” That kind of decision-making can be based only on sound knowledge combined with experience in working on real text with real authors.

Ideally, having completed the in-depth course with an excellent grade, the fledgling editor then has the opportunity to work through another manuscript with a mentor. But that’s a topic for another post …

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Previous post from Rosemary Shipton: Commission of Inquiry Reports: A Special Kind of Editing.

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11 Comments on “How to Become an Editor”

  • Anita Jenkins

    says:

    “Good editing involves far more than applying the rules from the Chicago Manual of Style.” Yes! But you could never guess that from reading most of the discussions on the editing websites I read via Facebook. How can we change this common perception of what an editor does?

    • Rosemary Shipton

      says:

      One reason why most of the discussions are about technology or copy editing is that those two topics lend themselves to the quick question and response format more easily than the more complex substantive issues. Still, you’re right, Anita, in saying it’s odd that structural and stylistic editing are largely ignored.

      I hope that readers of this blog will join in the discussion and tell us how they learned to be professional editors in the kind of work they do. I know I’ll be asked for advice when I teach Substantive Editing next month – so I’ll really appreciate learning from your experience and passing the message on.

  • Very interesting post, Rosemary.
    When I decided to start my own business, I reflected long and hard on what I was good at and enjoyed doing. The answer was simple: research, writing, and editing. I’d been doing that in my various jobs as a social scientist, university professor, and (more recently) senior advisor to the federal government. But I realized that although my researching and writing were well developed, I was less sure about my editing skills. Accordingly, I took a number of distance courses from SFU in editing and read as many “how to” books and articles as I could manage. The EAC listserve was quite active back then and I learned lots from the discussions online. I now feel confident that I can offer professional editing services at a high standard. The proof? Many happy clients and referrals.

    • Rosemary Shipton

      says:

      A great combination of education, experience, specific training, reading, and participation in online discussions. No wonder your clients are happy, Ginny! Thanks for telling us all.

      • Danielle

        says:

        Hi there,
        I am a recent University grad and am investing the most cost effective means of getting into editing, publishing and writing. I have researched SFU, and would love to have some feed back on whether it is best to take the whole program, or to just do a few specific courses (ones that you found the most meaningful). I am told it is all about networking in terms of finding work.
        I would love some advice is anyone is available to comment.
        Cheers!

        • Rosemary Shipton

          says:

          If you want to get into editing, Danielle, you should take the key editing courses on offer at SFU or Ryerson (in class or on line) and then begin your job search. If you’re open to other areas such as design, production, or promotion / sales, you’ll have to take the full range of courses. Employers and clients are more interested in what you can do for them than in whether you have a diploma / certificate or not.

          • Danielle

            says:

            Hi Rosemary,
            I was looking at the courses at Ryerson and SFU. I would need online for sure. I have a degree in Visual Arts and am a photographer. It would be lovely to combine these aspects. Thank you again for your recommendations. I hope to do some courses part time. I suppose I should build a portfolio of sorts?

  • Erin O'Brien

    says:

    I learned much of what I know about editing from you, Rosemary! Since taking your class in the publishing program at Ryerson, I’ve been working for the American Psychological Association, where I’ve learned a lot from on-the-job experience and a comprehensive publication manual. After more than 10 years, I’m still learning!

    • Rosemary Shipton

      says:

      So nice to hear from you, Erin – and I’m delighted to know that your editing career is working out so well. As you suggest, we’re all involved in lifelong learning … and nothing could be more interesting.

  • Rosemary Shipton

    says:

    Reply to Danielle’s April 25 comment: It sounds as though a combination of editorial and design courses would be good for you, Danielle. At Ryerson, for instance, Copy Editing, Substantive Editing, Visual Skills, Design, and Digital Publishing. That way you could handle illustrated publications both in print and online.

    • Danielle

      says:

      Hi Rosemary:
      Thank you so so much for all your valuable information. It is so crucial these days to receive the industry standards in real time, and any info in terms of how to break into a new industry in general is like receiving gold. Thank you.

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