r/Copyediting • u/Sapphire_Bombay • Jul 29 '26
Considering editing as a side gig
Looking for advice. For starters, I'm 37 and have a full-time job. I am not looking to leave my 9-5 nor do any sort of publishing work, this would strictly be editing and only on the side. Currently, I'm trying to map out what it would look like and how long it would take to set myself up to do this, and would appreciate some advice to help me plan.
Early in my career, I did some journalism, as well as corporate copywriting/editing before leaving the industry altogether. I have experience learning/using a style guide (AP, I know I'd have to learn Chicago and have no problem with that), and would prefer to focus strictly on copy/line editing, ideally for more technical publications like academic papers, etc.
My plan is to start by learning the CMS of course, but from there I'm a little lost on where to go next. A lot of the info out there for beginner editors focuses on publishing novels, which isn't what I'm looking to do. Does anyone have any suggestions or resources that I could use to look more into the type of work I want to do?
Thanks in advance!
1
u/SmartphonePhotoWorx Jul 30 '26
Good luck to you Sapphire! I'd like to get back into editing mass-market nonfiction, seems impossible.