Editing or Martyrdom: Cult Qualifications

The Angel’s Ledger: Vol. 2

“A certificate can teach you the rules, but experience is what teaches you how to work with someone’s story without losing the heart of it.” - Cult Mama

The Weekly Update:

Want to be a Midnight Martyr, a Backstage pass holder, or a philanthropist? Well you’re in luck, because you can be all those things here at Library of Angels.

Check out our newest updates and things you can look forward to below!

• Library of Angels

  • MIDNIGHT MARTYR RIDING CLUB: launching in April 2027. This will be a super casual riding club for all the dark romance book lovers who also find themselves operating on two wheels in NYC. How much fun would it be to meet once a month for a ride through the city together? We will launch more details throughout the year, but we will in fact be launching leather jackets for the 2027 riding season in the beginning of 2027! 

  • STREETWEAR: We will be transitioning from our current merch to a more oversized streetwear approach in a few months. We are so excited to make this super cool transition.

• Gothic Angel Society

  • Our next theme has been released: Backstage. The Backstage Issue of Gothic Angel Society is all about dark rockstar romances! So, if you are looking for AD Space for this issue, that will be launching this week!

  • The unreleased wax melts for the Devotion Issue Box that is going out to recipients who are receiving the misprinted shirts is complete. The scent is called “The Victor” and will not be available for public purchase. Once the art arrives, we will ship the boxes out immediately.

  • The Powerhouse Boxes and Ritual Issue Boxes will ship out directly after the Devotion Issue box so we can make sure everything goes out in the timeline in which they were ordered!

• The Pomegranate and The Mic

  • We are almost back to regular scheduled programming! Episodes will release for The Pomegranate and The Mic at 5am on Tuesdays!

  • Our Philanthropic Mission still stands. Support the local non-profit of your choice by staying tuned for our merch!

Since we are in week 2 of The Angel’s Ledger, I’m bringing back my think-pieces and we’re starting off with a discussion on what it takes to become a freelance editor in the bookspace.

Photo Provided by Angel Vasquez. Books from her personal collection.

Certified, but Qualified?

What makes someone qualified to be an editor?

Does the fact that I took a 9-month course to get a certificate in editing make me inherently qualified to edit your romance novel? Fuck no, but it certainly is a great start for beginners who are hoping to break into the industry.

It’s been almost a year since I took the course, and I have yet to gain hands-on experience with editing because truthfully, I’m scared. Someone’s manuscript is their baby and it must always be handled with care. I fear in true Pisces fashion, I would struggle to critique in a way that isn’t considered soft. My professor told me that I should learn to find a middle-ground, but I know I would overthink my client’s perception of my work which is guaranteed to cause an anxiety spiral. So, unless I’m allowed to gentle-parent a client, I can’t imagine that I could even take on such a project until I get that overthinking in check.

However limited my experience may be, I know that there is so much discourse in the bookspace about what makes someone qualified to be an editor. In my opinion, it’s experience. A certificate can teach you the rules, but experience is what teaches you how to work with someone’s story without losing the heart of it.

I can say with full confidence that the educational experience of the course was beneficial in its access to resources and tools that aid in expanding editorial skillsets. However, the books used to teach us in the course, are currently available for public purchase and I think if someone studied the material, that would set them up with a good foundation to begin practicing. If you’re stopping here though, you’ve got so much more work to do.

Hands on experience is where it’s at and if you’re planning to take on freelance editing work. It’s important to consider that you will never be done learning in this line of work. It’s all dependent upon the client you work with, the genre you work in, or even the company you work for. From style sheets to pricing, it will all vary. 

In terms of pricing, a great reference would be the Editorial Freelance Association’s editorial rate estimator. Here are their current suggested rates for Fiction:

• Copyediting

  Per Word: 2.0—2.7 cents

  Per Hour: $40.00—50.00

  Per Page: $5.00—6.75

• Developmental Editing

  Per Word: 3.0—3.5 cents

  Per Hour: $52.50—70.00

  Per Page: $7.50—8.75

• Formatting

  Per Word: 1.1—1.4 cents

  Per Hour: $52.50—67.50

  Per Page: $2.81—3.44

• Line Editing

  Per Word:2.7—3.5 cents

  Per Hour: $50.00—60.00

  Per Page: $6.75—8.75

• Proofreading

  Per Word: 1.2—2.0 cents

  Per Hour: $35.00—45.00

  Per Page: $3.00—5.00

My limited experience in editing doesn’t make me close to an expert on pricing for these kinds of services, but it’s always good for beginners to know that there are resources out there for them. In the event that you can’t take a longer course in a certified program, you should consider taking courses with the EFA or other recognized editorial institutions that offer courses at discounted rates! Pursue that passion, practice your craft, and make sure you’re both compensated fairly and completing work in the best way that you can.