A searchable list of freelance editors who are professional members of IPEd.
Find an editor
The Editors Directory is a searchable list of freelance editors who are professional members of the Institute of Professional Editors.
You can search for an editor who offers the services you need and has expertise in the subject(s) you are writing about. It also enables you to search for editors who can work in a language or languages other than English, or have experience working with authors from non-English speaking backgrounds.
The keyword search is probably the easiest way to find what you need. The keyword search does not enable you to search full phrases, so if you enter ‘international freelance’, entries containing either of the words ‘international or ‘freelance’ will be returned. For example, the text ‘…I have international experience…’ and the text ‘…I am a freelance editor…’ would both match.
If you are seeking a specific editor, use the ‘Editor’s Name’ box. The word or words you type here will be matched with text anywhere in their name, including any post-nominals. The search is not case sensitive. So a search for ‘John’ in ‘Editor’s Name’ will find both ‘John Smith’ and ‘Mary Johnson’; a search for ‘phd’ will find editors with the post-nominal ‘PhD’ and any with ‘phd’ in their names.
Disclaimer: This directory includes only professional members of IPEd who provide information about themselves. IPEd publishes the information in good faith and with due care, but cannot offer recommendations or give any guarantees that a particular editor is suitable for a particular task. If you plan to hire a freelance editor, IPEd encourages you to ask for work samples and check references. IPEd does not endorse or recommend any particular editor listed in this Directory.
Directory help
Accredited and distinguished editors
Accredited editors have demonstrated their professional competence and understanding of editing standards, skills and knowledge by passing the IPEd accreditation exam. Distinguished editors were nominated by their societies to prepare for and assess the first two accreditation exams in 2008 and 2009.
- IPEd accredited editors
- IPEd distinguished editors
Services
Editors may offer a wide range of services: what do you need?
Copyediting
Copyediting improves the accuracy, clarity and consistency of a document. It does not involve significant rewriting, providing a single authorial voice or tailoring text to a specific audience – these belong to a structural edit.
Illustration/photography
Locating suitable photos and/or artwork. May include obtaining camera-ready reproductions; preparing descriptions, working sketches and/or artist’s references or co-ordinates for illustrations, maps and diagrams; supervising production of final artwork; obtaining releases from and/or conducting financial negotiations with picture sources and artists; preparing labels, captions and sources for typesetting.
Indexing
Producing an alphabetical list of names and places and/or subjects and concepts that appear in a work.
A professionally compiled index:
- is clear, comprehensive and consistent in style
- includes subheadings to help the reader locate specific aspects of topics without having to search through irrelevant pages
- connects all related headings in the index through the use of see and see also references
- includes explanatory notes to put headings into context
- may distinguish page references for illustrations, tables and footnotes from page references related to the main text.
Layout/design
A copyedit or structural edit may include formatting your document with correct and consistent styles.
Some editors also provide desktop publishing services such as formatting, layout and design for print and/or electronic publishing. This might be in Microsoft Word or a specialist program such as InDesign.
Manuscript assessment
A manuscript assessment provides advice on stylistic matters and (if requested) commercial potential, and offers general advice on development. Assessment may be based on reading the whole manuscript or a representative section.
If you’re not sure whether your manuscript is ready for publication – whether you’re self-publishing or submitting your work to a publisher – you may benefit from a manuscript assessment. Some writers seek assessment if they have received several rejection slips and don’t understand why their work has not been accepted.
Print/production management
Some editors also have experience in production supervision and coordination. These services could include pre-press proofing and liaison with designers and printers, including specifications, scheduling and costs.
Project analysis/management
Editors can advise on many aspects of the publishing process, including:
- the most appropriate form in which to publish your work
- preparing text and images for production
- identifying issues of defamation, libel or copyright where you might need to protect yourself
- National Library deposit requirements
- obtaining an ISBN, barcode and CiP (Cataloguing in Publication) entry.
If you are self-publishing, you may want an editor/publishing consultant to manage all or part of the process on your behalf. Some editors offer full self-publishing assistance and will oversee the entire production process. They can liaise with designers and printers.
Project managers organise the entire production of a publishing project, including hiring staff, supervising work, liaising and budgeting.
Proofreading
Proofreading involves checking that the document is ready to be published. It includes making sure that all elements of the document are included and in the proper order, all amendments have been inserted, the house or other set style has been followed, and all spelling or punctuation errors have been deleted. Proofreading is sometimes known as verification editing.
Research, fact checking
An editor who offers research or fact-checking services can help you to avoid the embarrassment of – for example – a misattributed quote or a scene that features a character smoking cigarettes before their invention.
Structural editing
Also called developmental, substantive or content editing, structural editing aims to ensure that the structure, content, language, style and presentation of the document are suitable for its intended purpose and readership.
It could include rewriting a document in plain English.
Training/coaching
Some editors deliver training, coaching or mentoring, either to individuals or to groups, on topics such as writing for the web or writing in plain English, and basic or advanced grammar and punctuation.
Writing
Some editors are also writers, creating work ranging from classified ads to articles and books.
Subjects
Individual editors’ profiles offer more detail of exactly which aspects of these broad subjects they specialise in. A topic may be found in more than one subject, depending on the focus of the work to be done: if your book on the Sydney Harbour Bridge focusses on its social impact, an editor specialising in the humanities might be suitable; if it’s primarily about the nuts and bolts, look for someone who is more at home with technology and engineering.
Arts, crafts and design
Includes but is not limited to Architecture, Arts, Crafts, Design, Drama, Film studies, Movies, Music and musicology, Performing arts, Photography
Business, economics and industry
Includes but is not limited to Accounting, Administration, Business, Commerce, Economics, Human resources, Industry, Investment, Management, Manufacturing, Trade, Training, Workplace relations
Computing, information and communications technology
Includes but is not limited to Communication, Computers, Electronics, Information science and technology, Library science, Process design, Software, Technology
Humanities
Includes but is not limited to Anthropology, Archaeology, Australian studies, Cultural studies, Drama, Education, Family, Film studies, Genealogy, Geography, History, Language, Linguistics, Literature, Media, Military studies, Movies, Social sciences
Law, politics and government
Includes but is not limited to Government, Law, Politics
Lifestyle
Includes but is not limited to Arts, Cooking, Decorating, Design, Do-it-yourself, Family, Gardening, Hobbies, Home improvement, House and home, Pets, Recreational activities, Relationships, Self-help and self-improvement, Sport, Travel
Medicine and health sciences
Includes but is not limited to Alternative medicine, Health, Medical sciences, Pharmacy, Psychology, Veterinary science, Wellbeing
Philosophy and religion
Includes but is not limited to Belief, Ethics and moral philosophy, Logic, Mind, Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Spirituality, Theology
Science and mathematics
Includes but is not limited to Agricultural and horticultural studies, Animals, Anthropology, Aquatic sciences, Archaeology, Astronomy, Atmospheric sciences, Biology, Chemistry, Climate science, Computer science, Earth sciences, Ecology, Environment, Food science, Geography, Marine sciences, Mathematics, Nature, Physics, Popular science, Rural studies, Veterinary science, Weather, Zoology
Technology and engineering
Includes but is not limited to Aircraft and aviation, Building and construction, Computing, Food technology, Railways, Roads, Ships and shipping, Vehicles
Fiction Genres
Some editors work on a variety of fiction, while others specialise in a particular type of work. Use this list to find an editor with experience in your genre.
Languages
All editors on this directory are fluent in Australian English.
Some editors are capable of working in one or more languages other than English or have experience working with authors from a non-English-speaking background. If your work has been written in another language, or translated from another language, you may find it useful to work with one of them.