Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base

Want to become a copyeditor, improve existing skills, find some new editing tools, network with other copyeditors, or look for editing jobs? The Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base is the place to find what you’re looking for. (Inclusion in the Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base of information about a program, organization, publication, web site, or blog does not necessarily imply its endorsement by KOK Edit. All entries are supplied for informational purposes only. If you know of information that would be a good addition to the Copyeditors’ Knowledge Base, please e-mail KOK Edit.)

Style Sheets

Ever wonder how a copyeditor maintains consistency in a manuscript? There are a good many things that a copyeditor must keep track of in a manuscript to ensure that the finished book or article is consistent throughout and doesn’t jar the reader by odd deviations from its intended structure, message, or voice.

What are some of these? Proper spelling and capitalization of jargon, for a start. There’s much more, such as chronological numbering of chapters and references, physical and personality traits of fictional characters, and how ranges of numbers are handled.

To document choices about such items, a copyeditor creates a style sheet for each manuscript. It then serves as a reference for anyone who deals with the manuscript later in the process, including the author, the proofreader, the production editor, and the indexer.

KOK Edit Newsletter

The periodic KOK Edit newsletter, available here in PDF format, is sent to all clients by snail mail. For best results, make sure you have the most current version of Acrobat.

Mentoring

Are you new to freelance copyediting and looking for a mentor? E-mail KOK Edit to inquire about Katharine O’Moore-Klopf’s availability as a mentor. The cost of being mentored? You must agree to mentor others as you gain more experience.

This is Katharine’s mentoring method:

Mentees e-mail as often as they wish, for as long a time period as they wish. Some work with Katharine for only a few weeks; others, for several months. Mentees ask questions on all sorts of topics: education and training, grammar and syntax, starting their own business, office equipment, setting up a work schedule, finding work, setting rates, nurturing editor–client relationships, balancing personal life and work life . . . Katharine answers to the best of her ability and as quickly as possible, given her full workload and life outside of work. She sympathizes, motivates, cheerleads, listens, and advises. She doesn’t provide study exercises or have a syllabus or give out certificates; she doesn’t provide work or project leads. She doesn’t share her clients' contact information.

Getting Started as a Freelancer

Are you thinking about becoming
a freelance copyeditor?

Want to become a freelance copyeditor? Maybe you’re ready to leave the corporate world or you’d like to have the flexibility that working for yourself can offer. How do you market yourself to establish and build your business? Do you know what skills you need, and what resources are available for you to develop those skills? What computer resources will you need? And what about money—how do you charge for your work, budget for the slow periods, and deal with invoicing and contracts?

Getting Started as a Freelance Copyeditor, a 16-page onscreen booklet from KOK Edit, will tell you what you need to know. It’s expertly written by Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, ELS, who has 26 years of experience in publishing, the last 15 as a freelance copyeditor.

The booklet covers these topics:

Starting out
- The freelancer personality
- The basic skills you need
- The resources that can provide advice and support
- The different types of work available
- What kinds of software you need
- What equipment and reference works you need
Building your business
- Getting the word out
- Getting first clients
- Ongoing marketing
- Determining whether you need a web site
- Using social media
- Unifying your online presence
- How to get more skills
Managing time and money
- What to charge for what kinds of work
- Whether to charge by the hour, the page, or the job
- What work pace is considered usual
- How to plan your time
- Putting aside money for vacations, sick days, and taxes
- Budgeting for an unpredictable income
- Expenses
Communicating as a professional
- Dealing with contracts
- Invoicing
- Dealing with clients who haven’t paid on time
- Communicating with clients and authors

To purchase this information-packed booklet by credit card or bank-account debit for only U.S.$40.00, go to the "Payment" section here. When you’re prompted to input an invoice number, just type in Getting Started. After you do so, either click the credit-card icon or press the Enter key on your keyboard. This will take you to a new page where you can fill in the amount you are paying and other transaction details. During this process, KOK Edit will not be given any information about the credit card or bank account that you are using to make payment. You will be sent the booklet by e-mail during normal business hours, within 24 hours of receipt of your payment. (Please keep in mind that KOK Edit is located in New York State, in the Eastern time zone.)

(Note: The booklet is onscreen only. To prevent infringement on its copyright, it is security-protected so that it cannot be copied or saved as a new file.)

Resources

If you need a graphic artist or an editorial freelancer in another specialty, such as proofreading, design, indexing, or desktop publishing, try these directories and providers.

American Society for Indexing
The American Society for Indexing (ASI) is the only professional organization in the United States devoted solely to the advancement of indexing, abstracting, and database building. Use the Find an indexer link on the ASI web site's home page to find the indexer you need.
Directory of CE-L Freelancers
Copyediting-L (CE-L), an e-mail list, was founded in 1992. Its subscribers are some of the most intelligent, detail-oriented, and helpful people around in the service of making prose safe for readers everywhere. As a service to its subscribers and to those who want to hire an editor, CE-L maintains a list of those of its subscribers who are freelancers, with their specialties and contact information.
DK Research, Inc.
Do you need a permissions editor? Diane Kraut of DK Research, Inc. can research text permission clearance and photographs for use in textbooks of various disciplines from a broad range of commercial and noncommercial sources, edit images for publication, handle photo caption and credit information, prepare spec lists and photo logs, acquire and traffic reproduction rights for photographs and printed material, handle permission agreements, and negotiate usage fees. For more information, contact KOK Edit.
Editorial Freelancers Association Directory
Editorial Freelancers Association’s membership includes experienced editors, writers, indexers, translators, and other editorial professionals with expertise in everything from anthropology to ’zines.
Elsa Peterson Ltd.
If you need a versatile freelance editor, go to Elsa Peterson. She is experienced in developmental editing, permission clearance, and in picture research. She has worked in a wide variety of disciplines in the social sciences, arts, and humanities, and her special skills include reading music (piano reduction and open score) and foreign languages (French, Spanish, German). Highly intelligent, she is down-to-earth, professional, and pleasant to work with. For more information, .
FranciTexte
Marina Dufour of FranciTexte is a professional translator, editor, and proofreader with a bachelor’s degree in translation. She provides French editing and proofreading to native and non-native French speakers, as well as English-to-French translation.
Korean Consulting & Translation Service, Inc.
Your ability to communicate and understand in a Korean context determines the success of your work in Korea and with Koreans. For nearly a decade, Korean Consulting & Translation Service, Inc. has been helping clients overcome the formidable obstacles in Korean work, enabling them to achieve their goals.
Master Cabinetworks, Inc.
When you need furniture and cabinetry, new or retrofitted, that is tasteful, elegant, enduring, rugged, and made to your specifications, contact Master Cabinetworks, Inc. for custom work by the master, Edward O'Moore-Klopf. He does on-site lacquer finishing, cabinetmaking, furniture building, finish carpentry, and finishing.
Titivillus Editing for the Health Sciences
Timothy DeVinney of Titivillus Editing for the Health Sciences is a talented copyeditor whose clients include many publishers and journals in the health sciences. He is meticulous, dependable, and pleasant to work with.