How I became a freelance copy-editor and proofreader

If anyone ever asks how I got into copy-editing I often say that it just kind of happened. But that's not really true, is it. The truth is I made it happen, and I need to take more credit for putting myself out there and making it work.

The story starts somewhere in the late 90s, I guess. I loved indie music. Oasis (I am still hurting that I did not get tickets to their 2025 tour), Blur, Charlatans, Ash. You know the type. I used to read NME religiously and thought it would be great to work in the music industry. Not being musical I chose to study Media and Sociology at university. Three years passed with the usual university antics, and I emerged with a 2:1 and a realisation that the music industry was absolutely not for me.

The next ten years went by. I worked as an editorial assistant for a magazine publisher and went on to complete the NCTJ Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism, for which I received a distinction. I tried to get jobs related to journalism but quite frankly they did not pay enough to cover my rent and food so I found myself in administrative roles instead. As time went by I built my skills and worked up to project coordinator, always taking on writing and editing tasks whenever I could. In 2010 I finally paid of my postgraduate study debts and my feet got twitchy again. With £2000 savings in the bank I moved to Paris and crossed fingers that I could find work that would enable me to live there. Well, the stars aligned and within a few weeks I had been offered a contract with the OECD as a project assistant.

Working for an international organisation, with people from all over the world, was an absolute privilege, and I learnt so much. Although my main duties were administrative, given my background I started to proofread and edit the reports my team were working on. I worked for the OECD and lived in Paris for four fantastic years, but life in a big city was starting to wear me down and so I moved back to the UK, to Brighton and Hove. Before I left I asked the publications coordinator if there would be opportunities for me to work on a freelance basis editing OECD publications. She said yes, sounds great. And so it began...

The picture below is me on the ferry I took in December 2014 from France back to the UK. Fresh faced from four years of regular pay cheques...from being able to make monthly payments into my savings account...from not having to grit my teeth and send cold emails. Nervous but excited about what lay ahead.

It hasn't always been smooth sailing, and I sometimes crave the predictability of life as an employee, but I'm still here. Still editing. Still learning. Still listening to 90s indie music.

I'm Liz, a copy-editor and proofreader specialising in non-fiction publications. I can help ensure that your publications are clear and consistent, and that key messages are well conveyed. I'm also a whizz at everyone's least favourite task...the references.