Where to find an editor, copyeditor, or proofreader

I provide editing services, so you’ve found one editor* already! However, I may be already booked or lack experience in your genre or for some reason give you the heebie-jeebies.

Please don’t feel obligated to hire the first editor you contact. Good editing is an investment. It’s much better to take a little time nailing down what services you want or need and what your budget can afford, and then finding the right person to provide those services.

If you get a quote that’s outside your budget, ask the editor if there are ways to reduce the fee. Sometimes an editor will do only one pass over a manuscript instead of two or more, or will have other suggestions depending on the specific manuscript.

Here are some U.S.-centric resources:

• Editorial Freelancers Association
  www.the-efa.org/dir/search.php
• Copyediting-L Directory of Freelancers
  www.copyediting-l.info/freelance.html#A
• Bay Area Editors’ Forum
  www.editorsforum.org/search_editor.php
• Editors certified by the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences
  www.bels.org/findeditor/freelance_search.cfm

U.K. editors can be found here:

• Society for Editors and Proofreaders
  www.sfep.org.uk/directory/directory.asp

Canadian editors (French and English):

• Editor’s Association of Canada
• www.editors.ca/ode/search

Australian editors:

• Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd)
• iped-editors.org/Find_an_editor

*I’m using editor here to refer to anyone who offers editorial services: developmental editing, copyediting, proofreading.