Editor Insight: Andrew Hodges

I’ve been talking with newer and more established freelance editors about how they find clients and deal with ups and downs in freelancing.

This week’s editor is Andrew Hodges. Here’s our Q&A:

How long have you been freelancing as an editor?

I’ve been running a full-time editorial business since 2019, and I edited for five years part-time before that alongside academic jobs.

Tell me a little about your background and the kind of editing you do

I trained as a cultural anthropologist and started my editorial career as an academic developmental and line editor. I then branched out into speculative fiction (which I write—queer romantasy and literary horror at the moment!) and LGBTQ+ fiction. I’ve tried everything: Big 5 publisher work, academic publisher work, and working for academics and fiction authors directly.

I most enjoy working with writers directly on heavy edits that involve consulting.

How do you typically find clients? Through social media, content marketing, etc.?

I get roughly 1/3 of clients through editor referrals, 1/3 through author referrals, and 1/3 through organic search/SEO. I used to blog a lot, which is how I got my SEO in a good place, but I don’t have as much time for blogging these days.

What is your top marketing tip for newer editors?

Network! Editing is all about relationships rather than audience building.

What is your top tip for handling the ups and downs of freelancing?

Schedule time for rest and holidays. Taking a week off can feel scary when starting out – that’s a quarter of my monthly income lost. But from another perspective, only 1/52 of my annual income, so don’t stress it. And try to build toward having emergency savings you can dip into if needed.

Anything else you’d like to share?

Check out my academic business The Narrative Craft and my fiction writing and editing website Second World Editorial.

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Jennifer Lawler has been a freelance editor for more than twenty-five years and has been teaching editing skills for more than fifteen years. She is the founder of Club Ed LLC.