“Editing Jobs Near Me”

The search term “Editing jobs near me” is apparently a popular one (or so my SEO guru tells me), and of course I completely understand why: people think of jobs as a thing they commute to as an employee and if they have to have one of those, they’d rather it be near them.

But as a freelance editor, I can safely say there are a lot more editing jobs near me than there would be if I were looking for a staff job – say, “developmental editing jobs in Los Angeles” (where I used to live) or “English editing jobs in Málaga, Spain” (where I live now).

In other words, the number of possible jobs in a specific geographic location will always be small compared to the number of possible jobs in the whole world, even if, as in my case, you have to narrow that down to “English-speaking world.”

Freelancers can work anywhere and find clients from anywhere. I’ve worked from my living room in Kansas, from my favorite cafe in Los Angeles, and now from my super-cute home office in Málaga. Over the years, my main clients have been from New York and Boston and I’ve never lived near either place.

Now that I run Club Ed, I have students from Australia, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, Korea…I’ve lost track of where everyone lives. None of them are actually in Spain, and only a couple of them were in Los Angeles when I was.

Of course, not all editing jobs are able to be done remotely or as a freelancer, for various reasons. But you greatly expand your reach when you can take on work from anywhere in the world, rather than only within fifteen miles of your house.

The best way to find a freelance editing job near you is to be sure you have adequate editorial training (and of course Club Ed is here to help with that!) and then to spread the word about your existence.

While you can answer job ads, it’s always better to do your own marketing to make sure potential clients hear about you. There are lots of possibilities for spreading the word: creating a good website and paying attention to SEO; joining editors’ organizations and connecting with other editors; engaging on social media; attending writers’ and editors’ group meetings – and that just scratches the surface.

Instead of looking for an editing job near you, think about creating an editing job near you!

Start Your Editing Business Now!

Course package – $150 (through July 31, 2025)

Lately I’ve been writing a lot of posts about taking the leap and starting your editing business, so I’ve put together this package to help you do it on a budget. These classes would cost $230 separately, but you can save $80 by buying the bundle.

Get all the essentials for starting your editing business in one place. This course package includes four webinars, a full self-paced class, and a book!

• Marketing Toolkit: SEO for Editors (normally $50)

• Marketing Toolkit: Content Marketing for Editors (normally $50)

• Marketing Toolkit: Social Media for Editors (normally $50)

• Website Basics (with Carol Stambaugh)

• Finding (and Landing!) Indie Author Clients (normally $80)

• Plus, a PDF of The Club Ed Guide to Starting and Running a Profitable Freelance Editing Business

Go at your own pace with this collection of webinars and written materials intended to help you start your editing business now.

For more information and to sign up, click here.

Course Fees Increasing This Fall

Like everyone else, Club Ed is feeling the pinch of the economy, and that means I will be raising course fees on instructor-led courses this fall.

Self-paced classes will remain the same price, but instructor-led classes will be going up by about 15% (so a class that now costs $330 will cost $375 starting in September).

You can save by registering for fall instructor-led classes now (catalog here).

I hope everyone understands!

For Members

The accountability forum has changed its name to open forum to reflect the suggestion that we leave it active but change its focus a bit. You are still free to post your weekly goals and accomplishments, but it will be more of a place for asking questions and sharing ideas.

The current marketing challenge is underway. You can join the next one starting October 17, 2025.

New discount for PerfectIt and Draftsmith software! Save 30% off your purchase of PerfectIt and 20% off your purchase of Draftsmith. PerfectIt is a well-regarded program that many copy editors use to help ensure their edits are applied correctly across an entire manuscript. Use the coupon code you’ll find in the Membership Program classroom.

Upcoming Classes

Instructor-led classes starting soon:

• Editorial Toolkit: Beta Reading, starts Sep 3, 2025

• Editing for Plot and Story Structure, starts Sep 8, 2025

• Editorial Toolkit: Coaching Writers, starts Oct 1, 2025

• Editing for Character Development, starts Oct 6, 2025

• Editorial Toolkit: Book Doctoring and Ghostwriting, starts Oct 29, 2025

About Jennifer Lawler

I help editors figure out what the hell they’re doing.

If you’re an aspiring, new, or established book editor or story coach, I can probably help you learn how to do the work better and more profitably.

Through Club Ed, I offer developmental editing classes, a freelance editor membership program/support group, and a slightly bony shoulder to cry on.

I’ve worked as an editor for more than twenty years. I learned how to edit in the trenches of traditional publishing with its insane deadlines, pitiless competition, and crushing bureaucracy. To that I added a Ph.D in English literature with a specialization in medieval literature because of a long story.

Editorial clients have included Simon & Schuster, Girl Friday Productions, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Barnes and Noble Custom Publishing, and others, along with many independent authors. 

For fiction self-paced classes, click here.

For fiction instructor-led classes, click here

For nonfiction self-paced classes, click here

For nonfiction instructor-led classes, click here

For on-demand instructor-led classes, fiction and nonfiction, click here