Publishers are responsible for monitoring the quality of publications, whether in print or online. The editors read the manuscripts to verify their conformity with the style of the publisher, to check the grammar and the accuracy of the facts. They can select the works for publication, assist in publication design, and deal with other publication-related issues. If this type of job interests you, here are the steps to follow to become an editor.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Get the necessary work done
Step 1. Read voraciously
To hone your skills, develop an eye for good grammar, punctuation, syntax, and a sense of how text flows. Reading good quality material will help you sharpen these skills to the maximum.
- Read the newspapers for their structures. Newspapers are great for structuring information from most important to least important. Read the newspapers to get an idea of what an introduction is, or the main idea of a story, which appears at the beginning of each article.
- Read works of fiction for creativity and empathy. Works of fiction tend to examine the role of human relationships in giving meaning and creating (or eliminating) happiness. In addition to making you more socially aware, it could even temporarily increase your level of empathy. These skills are very important for an experienced editor.
- Read non-fiction works to see the historical context and have a better analysis of the information. Nonfiction works explore the stories of real events and people, which are often more unusual than fiction. A good editor will use works of nonfiction to put stories in their historical context and gain useful information from them.
Step 2. Write every day
You probably think that, as an editor, you won't be writing much. Get rid of that idea. Although they are not always recognized as writers in their own right, publishers spend almost as much time going around with many sentences and shaping the language to suit their will. Write something every day, be it the casual memoirs of a journal or the formal analysis of an essay and do not stop doing it. Don't make excuses why you don't write; make excuses why you write so much.
Step 3. Study vocabulary (even if you know you won't use it)
Vocabulary is an essential part of learning to be well read and to have a writing pen. Editors who constantly play with new words and discover new meanings in words see the world in different shades. Being a more diversified thinker is what will set you apart as an editor.
- Take a dictionary with you wherever you go. Maybe your "dictionary" is an application on your cell phone. Maybe it's a pocket dictionary. Whatever it is, use it. Every time you see a word you don't know, look it up and write it down on a list. Review the list periodically to learn, not just memorize, the meanings of the words.
- Practice the art of mot juste. La mot juste is an elegant phrase in French, coined by Flaubert, which translated means “the perfect word for the occasion”. Knowing a lot of vocabulary, and seeing it in action, will help you choose the mot juste. The best editors and writers give the impression of having the perfect words up their sleeves with prodigious ease.
Step 4. Feed your natural curiosity
Writers, readers, and editors alike (as an editor, you'll be the default three) give the impression of innate curiosity about the world. This curiosity prompts them to learn about the world, to assemble the information into interesting and accurate works, and they present them to others in the hope that they will also pique their curiosity.
If the opportunity presents itself, explore the world. Trips are great for learning about various places and cultures. Show yourself and meet people. Have interesting conversations by asking specific questions. Get involved in awkward situations. Above all, be a lover of the outdoors and don't forget to write it all down
Step 5. Perfect your way of thinking
To be an editor, you will need three mental qualities: creativity, or the ability to think of various permutations on the fly; perseverance, or the ability to spend long hours observing the same prayer; and analytical judgment, or the ability to make quick decisions about the meaning of an item in terms of its context and its veracity.
- Surround yourself with people smarter than you. If you're always the big shot in your little pond, at some point your mental stimulation will run out. You will get bored. You will be proud. Surrounding yourself with people smarter than you will force you to re-evaluate and analyze ideas from the beginning. You could even get a little intelligence from osmosis.
- He makes mistakes. Mistakes are your friends, not your enemies, as long as you learn from them. Don't be afraid to try a sentence that is not right in the end. Take that leap in logic that you know was too risky. Then re-evaluate it and think about where you went wrong. Promise not to make the same mistake twice. Literally, this is how you will improve at what you do.
Method 2 of 3: Get Training and Find a Job
Step 1. Decide what kind of editor you want to become
Identifying what industry you want to work in and the type of editing you want to do will help you determine the type of training you need. You have endless possibilities to decide what kind of editor you would like to become. Realizing the type that really appeals to you is the most fun of all!
- You must enjoy the field in which you would like to be an editor, for example, you must love literature to be a novel editor or you must love sports to edit a sports magazine. You will also need to increase your knowledge in that field.
- Knowing the types of editing can also help you determine what type of training you need. To become a content editor, you will have to improve your writing skills in order to review content submitted by others. To be a copyeditor, you will need to improve your grammar skills to correct grammar and punctuation errors.
- Some areas of expertise, such as legal, technical, or medical publishing, may require you to learn a specialized style guide. Other areas require supplemental learning skills, for example, to work as a design editor, you need to develop graphic design skills.
Step 2. Consider whether you would like to go to college to be an editor
Lots of people go to college and end up with a Spanish degree, but not many go to college to specifically be publishers. Although you should follow your dream of being an editor, if you do, keep in mind that many people who graduate with degrees in Spanish regret not having chosen a degree that provides a more solid economic path to freedom.
- Formal university training is decidedly helpful, but it is not always necessary to become an editor. A degree in Spanish, journalism, or communications will be helpful to get a position in a publishing house, plus there are degree programs and certified courses in writing and editing. However, if you know how to write and edit well, they can train you on the job.
- To be a freelance editor, it is more important to demonstrate the ability to further edit a title, although it may be necessary to obtain a title if you are seeking editorial experience before freelancing.
Step 3. Gain initial experience through volunteering or internships
If you're still in college, look for internships that give you hands-on experience. If you're out of college, volunteer your services to charities and nonprofits and friends or colleagues, or trade your services with someone whose products or services you need.
Some employers use interns to run errands rather than give them actual editing work. When in doubt, check with other practitioners in the area before accepting an internship
Step 4. Consider starting your career by writing for others or as an information checker
With editing, as with many other professions, there is usually a chain of mastery that you will need to learn slowly in order to be given the reins. Although you don't need to start out as an information checker or writing for others, it will be much easier to get into work; When you are well within and impress others with your precise writing, your keen intellect and your willingness to work, it will be much easier to climb the rungs from the inside than from the outside.
- Those who write for others very often learn to work with individual writers and build lasting relationships with them. The downside is that you won't necessarily get the credit you deserve (which is higher than you think), but the downside is that you will establish a relationship with a writer who knows many other writers and editors. If possible, nurture these contacts.
- Information checker jobs are generally basic, almost like internships. Although typically tedious and has almost nothing to do with the writing itself, this job is found by many to be excellent for gaining experience in journalism and networking while waiting for a better position. In some publications, such as the New Yorker, information checker positions could be prestigious, while in Der Spiegel, they could be very numerous.
Step 5. Offer your services to a wide range of potential employers as much as your specialty allows
Be versatile. See yourself as a reliable Swiss knife, capable of doing many things at once in many situations. The more skills and abilities you have up your sleeve as an editor, the better your job opportunities will be.
For example, you could offer your editing skills to aspiring writers as well as book publishers and book producers, or you could offer your design editing skills to advertising agencies as well as graphic design companies
Method 3 of 3: Get noticed as an editor
Step 1. Network with other editors and writers
Other editors can tell you the process it took to become an editor and send you jobs when they have too many or hand you a project they can't handle. Since the job of an editor is often overlooked and underutilized, connecting with others is a great way to stay connected to great jobs and openings.
- One way to connect is by joining an organization of professional publishers. Many have membership directories already established in the field in which you are interested in becoming an editor.
- Another way to connect is by attending writers' conferences and conventions related to the areas where you want to find a job.
- You can also network through professional social networking websites, such as LinkedIn, where you can join groups, whose members are dedicated to writing and editing.
- Stay in touch with other writers and editors. Send them genuine congratulations when you read something of their authorship or editing that you like. Never lose touch if you leave a job.
Step 2. Take the jobs or tasks that others would not take
This tip goes for a wide variety of jobs, but especially this one. If you earn the reputation of being someone willing to take care of difficult, unpleasant or undesirable tasks, you will begin to be indispensable. If you're in the right job, you probably won't be short of assignments and will be viewed with the same adoration with which a carpenter gazes at his favorite chisel.
Step 3. Pay attention to doing everything exactly right
Unlike sales jobs, or some management positions, where white lies are actually encouraged, where the big picture is more important than the details, editors must get all the details right. Whether you need to be consistent with your punctuation, make sure there are no misprints, or simply double-check the information, details are likely to matter more to editors than to other professionals. Publishers build their reputations on the small. It is definitely worth working hard for it.
Step 4. Start defining an issue that interests you
After all the generalization and odd jobs that will likely define your early career as a publisher, you will begin to learn about the types of books, topics, or categories of work that you enjoy the most. After doing general and superficial jobs early in your career, it will help a lot to be the best in your field.
Publishers cannot earn the Pulitzer Prize, but if they did, it would probably be won by those who have decided to specialize in a particular field. What's yours? Are you interested in human trafficking? Political discontent? Educational innovation in your country? Define your own interests so that others can more easily define you
Step 5. Share your love for the written word
Never stop caring about the best way to present, share and communicate language, so that you encourage others to do the same. As an editor, your solemn task is to make language easier to understand while communicating as much information as possible.
- Find someone to be your mentor. That person will appreciate the guidance and work you give them. On a practical level, it will proclaim your praises, which will help strengthen your reputation.
- Show yourself in the media as an insider. Be the trustworthy guy or girl a news site wants when it needs an interview or discussion. You will have to forge much deeper contacts to achieve this, but it is not impossible.
- Keep learning new things every day and delight in them. You finally learned the correct way to conjugate an abstruse word in which you were always wrong. Share your knowledge with others. Instead of being known for being afraid to admit a mistake, be the perfect person who lives to discover new things. That's the heart of being an editor.