Becoming An Editor

There are no hidden surprises with our guaranteed work offer.

If you pass Becoming An Editor and Becoming A Proofreader with a distinction score (at least 80%) in each final assignment, we’ll offer you the chance to take up a 10-document work trial with our partner company, Proofed – one of the world’s leading proofreading and editing services. If you successfully pass this paid trial, you’ll gain access to the wider Proofed platform and be able to accept bigger and higher-paying documents. As you build confidence and experience, you may also be invited to take on specialist work with business clients, further boosting your earning potential.

And if you don’t score 80% first time, it’s no problem. You can purchase additional attempts, and you’ll receive ample support from our friendly tutor team along the way.

With AI assistants, such as ChatGPT, do we still need editors?

The short answer is yes! While it’s easy to think that AI models would render editors unnecessary, it’s actually created a whole new area in which they are essential.

The explosion of AI-generated writing has led to an even greater demand for skilled humans to review and correct it. An AI model is great for generating ideas and drafting content, but its output tends to be clunky, repetitive, and bland – you can tell it lacks human subtlety and nuance. With the skills taught in Becoming An Editor, you will be able to polish this content to a higher standard, confidently ensuring clarity, concision, and consistency.

Furthermore, AI cannot distinguish between fact and fiction. While AI-generated text sounds confident and convincing, it is often full of errors and even hallucinations, meaning it needs a human touch to ensure accuracy and readability. While this growing need is what prompted us to create our How To Fact-Check course, Becoming An Editor also contains a detailed lesson on fact-checking and accuracy, so you can be sure that AI-produced writing is trustworthy.

Everyone is welcome to take the Becoming An Editor course, but we do expect you to understand the fundamentals of proofreading. Although it’s not mandatory to take our Becoming A Proofreader course beforehand, it is highly recommended. If you want the opportunity to benefit from our work guarantee with Proofed, you will need to complete both courses. Learn more about our course bundle here.

Although many people complete our Becoming A Proofreader course and go on to enjoy fulfilling freelance careers, our Becoming An Editor course will help you refine your skills and develop new ones.

Becoming An Editor teaches you how to improve the structure, content, and flow of a text. But that’s just the beginning! The course also explains how to work with digital content, how to edit for a global or a specific audience, how to approach different styles of writing, and how to factor in the legal and ethical aspects of copy-editing.

If you want to work on more complex documents – and enjoy a higher earning potential – our Becoming An Editor course is the right choice. Success in both courses will give you the opportunity to take up a work trial with our partner company, Proofed. For more details, please see our work guarantee page.

Becoming An Editor is made up of nine in-depth modules, each focusing on a different area of editing. Each module is broken down into lessons on specific topics. You can make your way through the course in your own time and come back to finished lessons to refresh your knowledge whenever you like.

The lessons contain a mixture of informative content that aims to teach you about the different types of editing and the industry as a whole and instructional content that describes in detail the active skills required to edit different types of writing.

As well as the educational written content, each module includes additional components to keep you engaged. Our quizzes and try-it-yourself exercises are designed to help you test your skills ahead of the final assignment and highlight areas you might need to revisit.

In the final module, we’ll take you through the main areas to review before you attempt the final assignment. In this, you’ll need to edit a document according to the instructions provided and using the skills you’ve learned in the course. You can take as long as you need to complete the assignment, and we encourage you to refer back to the course while you work. Once your edited document is graded by one of the tutor team, you’ll receive detailed feedback. If you don’t pass the first time, don’t panic! You can purchase additional attempts.

While we offer our Becoming A Proofreader course in both US and UK English, so learners can reinforce their learning by seeing the dialect rules applied in the text, we only offer Becoming An Editor in US English. However, the practical exercises are in a mix of US and UK English so there is still the opportunity for plenty of practice working in each main dialect.

In Becoming An Editor, we cover the main areas professional editors are likely to work in. However, the skills and techniques taught in the course can be applied to any piece of writing. There are lessons on working with creative, business, and academic writing, as well as any content intended for digital publication. When you’re starting out, we recommend gaining experience in all areas before you decide to focus on a particular type of writing.

One of the highlights of learning with Knowadays is that you can easily slot it into your schedule. When you purchase one of our courses, you receive lifetime access. This means you can begin whenever you like and work through the modules at the perfect pace for you.

A copy-editing career could be for you if you enjoy:

• Reading, writing, and understanding the intricacies of the English language
• Spotting errors in written text using your excellent attention to detail
• Constantly learning new things
• Developing skills such as organization and communication
• Working at your own speed and in your own time

 

Having an understanding of the day-to-day aspects of an editor’s job may help you to decide whether this is the right career path for you. It could suit you very well if you think you might like:

• Correcting mistakes in spelling, punctuation, and grammar
• Adjusting the wording and structure of text to make sure it reads as clearly as possible
• Working on a document to maintain a consistent style and tone

Absolutely. Becoming An Editor includes lessons on the various types of creative writing, the structure of manuscripts, and different narrative styles, so you can learn all you need to know about working on this type of copy.

We recommend taking on all types of work when you first start out as an editor, as this is the best way to build your confidence, experience, and reputation. The publishing industry can be a tough nut to crack, so the more expansive your background and experience, the better your chances will be.

It’s difficult to know if a course will suit you until you give it a go – which is exactly why we two lessons of the course completely free! You can get a taster of studying with Knowadays by taking our sample lessons, which include fun, interactive quizzes.

In general, when deciding whether to take a copy-editing course, ask yourself:

• Does it cover the basics?
• Does it include interactive activities to test my knowledge?
• Does it include learning support?
• Will I receive a certificate to show potential clients?
• Does it have positive reviews?

With Becoming An Editor, the answer to all of the above is a resounding “Yes!”

In the editing process, proofreading comes right at the end – after comprehensive editing, line editing, and copy editing are complete. Here’s the process:
Comprehensive editing ➜ Line/stylistic editing ➜ Copy editing ➜ Proofreading
A proofreader’s job is to remove or fix mechanical issues, such as incorrect or missing punctuation, grammar mistakes, and spelling errors.

An editor, on the other hand, makes sure that the words, sentences, and paragraphs all showcase the writer’s ideas clearly with a smooth flow and consistent, authentic voice.

However, the lines between proofreading and editing online content and copy can blur. Some clients might not know what kind of editing they need. Luckily, our course teaches you everything you need to know about the different types of editing, along with how to assess the scope of each job before you begin.

All you need is a laptop or desktop computer, internet access, and a full version of Microsoft Word (2016, 2019, 2021, or 365). You can view the course on a smartphone, tablet, or Chromebook, but you won’t be able to complete the try-it-yourself exercises on one of these devices because they don’t use a full version of Microsoft Word with the necessary tools. It’s also easier to study while using a larger screen size.

Aside from that, all you need is some time to study, a little self-discipline, and the drive to explore the world of editing!

You can still take the course if English isn’t your first language, but please be aware that you’ll need an excellent command of written English to pass the final assignment.

You don’t need to study editing in advance to take the course; however, you should have a good grasp of the principles of proofreading. Becoming An Editor is designed to be your journey to training as an editor. It’s carefully crafted to take you from complete beginner to experienced professional.

However, if you already have editing skills you’d like to expand on, or if you want to redirect your career, this course (and our guaranteed work offer) is still an excellent option.

Becoming An Editor is accredited by CPD, a professional entity that assures excellence in training. CPD-certified courses are meticulously checked by industry experts, making them an invaluable addition to your resume.

You’ll receive a digital certificate via email when you complete Becoming An Editor, to highlight your achievement and allow potential employers and clients to recognize your knowledge and skills.

You can be anywhere in the world! All you’ll need is a computer (PC or Mac), an internet connection, and a full version of Microsoft Word (2016 or later).

Please note that to work with Proofed, your country of residence must have a tax treaty with the United States Internal Revenue Service and use a currency that’s compatible with Proofed’s payment platform. These countries are listed here.

When you pass both our Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor courses with distinction scores of 80% or higher, you’ll have the chance to begin a 10-document trial period with our partner company, Proofed. Completing only the Becoming An Editor course does not guarantee work with Proofed.

From businesses to nonprofits, all sorts of companies create content that requires editing. Some will keep production in-house, but there’s a consistent need for professional freelance editors who can complete the work to an excellent standard.

The rise of artificial intelligence is also boosting demand for editors. Our partner, Proofed, has witnessed clients from an array of industries test AI in content production and seen that there’s still a significant need for humans to review, fact-check, and edit the results.

Web copy, blog posts, social media content, email marketing, theses, fiction, manuscripts, journal articles, legal texts, medical reports – there’s an enormous variety of editing work available (and that’s not even an exhaustive list)!

The rates you charge as an editor may vary based on factors such as:

• Your experience
• The complexity of the project
• The specialist subject area
• The type of client

The EFA (US) suggests a minimum hourly rate of $36–$40 (depending on the nature of the project). The CIEP (UK) suggests a minimum hourly rate of £33.30.

Editors’ annual earnings will also depend on the style of editing they do. According to Salary.com and other sources from our in-depth research, editors command these wages on average:

• Acquisition editor: $55,701
• Development editor: $65,305
• Fact-checking editor: $44,655
• Line editor: $56,166
• Copy editor: $75,000

When you begin, it might take you time to build up to charging a higher rate for your services. However, as you gain experience, skills, and clients, you can increase your rates.

Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide earn a living as editors. And there are plenty of Knowadays graduates among them!

After taking our course, you could specialize in one of these editing pathways or choose several:

• Developmental editor
• Fact-checker
• Line editor
• Copy editor
• Technical editor
• Managing editor

Just like with any freelance career, you need the motivation to develop your skills, source clients, and build experience. But if you can manage this, there’s no reason you won’t thrive as an editor. Plus, as you become more adept, and undertake extra training or accreditation, you can raise your rates.

If you pass your final assignments on Becoming A Proofreader and Becoming An Editor with a distinction score of 80% or higher, we’ll fast-track you into your first editing job! As part of our guaranteed work offer, you’ll have the opportunity to take on a 10-document paid trial with our partner company, Proofed. They onboard new editors on a monthly basis, so it won’t be long before you’re able to take on your first document from a real client.

Rather find your own clients? Or want to balance working with Proofed with working independently? There are several steps you could take, including:

• Updating your resume and applying for freelance editing opportunities
• Signing up for freelance marketplaces
• Promoting yourself on social media
• Networking with fellow freelancers in editing groups
• Cold emailing potential clients

If you’re not sure whether Becoming An Editor is right for you, we’re here to help you decide. Reach out at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

And if you do take the leap? You’ll receive ample support from our tutors along the way. Each member of the team is a Knowadays graduate, so they’re perfectly placed to give you a helping hand.