By Susi Bailey, Editors Aotearoa New Zealand [Branch tag: EdANZ]
I reckon there are 2 main types of freelance editors: those who choose to have more control over their working life and perhaps a better work–life balance, and those who go freelance out of necessity due to family commitments, location, health or disability, or redundancy. I fell into the second category.
Back in 1991, I was happily working in-house as the publishing manager for an independent book publisher in the south of England. Our list included general nonfiction, and I was responsible for recruiting, training and managing a team of copyeditors and coordinating the flow of editorial work through our office. I’d started off in publishing straight out of uni, working for a branch of Elsevier and making use of my environmental science degree. I fell into it by accident, but found I loved it and so went on to work in books.
Back to 1991, and I married my husband. Through his work, he was immediately posted to a rural area and I had to resign from my job – remote working and the internet were still some years away. Instead of switching to a different field, I decided to stick with what I knew and enjoyed, and established what became a reasonably successful freelance business. Initially based in the UK, I established contacts with publishers around the country, worked in-house again on an 18-month contract, and set up a packaging partnership with 2 other freelance editors.
Then in 2001, my husband took a job in rural Aotearoa New Zealand and my little business went global. I was working with publishers, businesses and other organisations across Aotearoa, the UK and the US, and with authors all around the world. I was especially fortunate to edit some exceptional titles that went on to win national awards, proving that freelance editors can get good gigs! These included Pōhutukawa and rātā by Philip Simpson (Te Papa Press, 2005), The architect and the artists by Bridget Hackshaw (Massey University Press, 2021) and The world atlas of trees and forests by Herman Shugart, Peter White, Sassan Saatchi and Jérôme Chave (Princeton University Press, 2022).
For all that, however, contact with my clients was pretty much solely by email – I rarely actually spoke with anyone. Despite the good work I was doing, the lack of personal contact dented my self-confidence. I missed working alongside others.
To fill the gap, I began volunteering. I set up craft and sports groups, I volunteered for my kids’ sports clubs and I joined the school board. I took minutes for community groups and local councils, and I was a volunteer literacy tutor for a couple of years in Tasmania. And I joined the EdANZ committee when the branch was set up in 2019. I loved having these opportunities and interactions, but I didn’t feel that they fulfilled my professional needs.
All that changed in 2022, when an EdANZ committee member pointed out a job advert for an in-house job that matched my skill set and encouraged me to apply. The role? Science editor at an independent environmental science research organisation at the top of the South Island. I was terrified of applying – I hadn’t had a formal job interview since 1989! But after a lot of preparation and to my great surprise, they offered me the job. I convinced my husband to move across the country and switch roles, with him working from home and me going into the office, and at the start of 2023 I became an in-house editor once again.
Needless to say, things have changed a fair bit since I was last in-house in 1991. But, of course, editing is still editing, and the continuous professional development I have engaged in over the years ensures my knowledge is up to date. And how lucky am I to be working in a supportive team with another editor, helping our incredible scientists produce exceptional reports, papers and other outputs. Three and a half years on, and I haven’t regretted my decision. There are a few things I miss though …
What I miss about being freelance
- Working across a variety of subject matter and genres – I’ve worked on everything from theses and journal articles to coffee table books, travel guides, lifestyle magazines, community newspapers, websites and marketing documents.
- Having the autonomy and flexibility that comes with freelance life!
What I love about working in-house
- Having an editor colleague sitting beside me who I can ask for help, share the load with and bounce ideas off.
- Being part of an organisation that’s doing some incredible work and helping ensure that its research is communicated effectively.
- Gaining more recognition for a job well done.
- Having the predictability and security of a steady income, paid holiday, paid training and set working hours.
- Not having to worry about marketing, finding my next job or doing my accounts.
For me, at my career stage, the pros of working in-house in my current role still outweigh the cons. But I do potentially see myself circling round once more to freelance work, reducing my hours yet remaining involved in the profession we all love.
And a final piece of advice for anyone thinking of heading back in-house? Join your local IPEd branch committee – it might just change your life! (Thanks, Helen.)
Susi Bailey has been editing for nearly 40 years, initially based in the UK and now in Whakatū Nelson in Aotearoa New Zealand. Having turned 60 recently, she has set herself a year of challenges and new experiences, including a scuba-diving trip to the Poor Knights Islands in December.