Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor9 Jan 2025

A Deep Dive into Developmental Editing: How to Find Academic Clients, Set Your Rates, and Deliver the Final Product

In this episode I talk with developmental and line editor Ellen Tilton-Cantrell, PhD.

After serving as a visiting assistant professor at a local college for a year, Ellen decided that she wanted a more flexible career that would allow her to be at home with and available for her children. A mentor recommended that she try editing, so she enrolled in an editing certificate program and some other editing courses and got to work.

But the meat of this episode centers on Ellen’s process for developmental editing. We cover:

⚡ How clients find her and hire her

⚡ Two services she offers–a manuscript assessment and a structural edit–and what’s included in each

⚡ How she prices each service and the several project tiers she offers clients to accommodate their diverse needs and budgets

⚡ The deliverables she provides clients that keep them coming back and referring her to their colleagues

Ellen also shares information about the book development workshop she ran this summer, and her plans for a repeat in 2025. This 8-week course and group coaching program helps academic authors to finish their book manuscripts during their summer “down time” by helping them stay focused and accountable.

Watch this episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite podcast app.

Ready to take the leap into freelance academic editing? Get my free video series on academic editing and coaching:

https://AcadiaEditing.com/BecomeAnEditor

Want to work with Ellen? You can get in touch here:

https://tiliaeditorial.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellen-tilton-cantrell/

To learn more about Ellen's book development and other workshops, go here: https://tiliaeditorial.com/writing-workshops. You can sign up for her workshop interest list (https://tiliaeditorial.com/interest-list) to receive an email when enrollment opens and to schedule a 20-minute Q&A call with Ellen to learn more about the workshops.

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