Some just want a read-through of the book for style, flow and content. Others want the technical edit. I get a lot of these requests due to my military background (13 years working for Air Force News Agency and broadcasting detachments overseas covering military issues for radio, television and the Internet).

Some want military jargon and technical details fact-checked, others are just trying to make sure they get military service details correct such as uniforms and service-specific acronyms. Then there those who are confident enough in all of the above and just want the usual copy editing for grammar, spelling, punctuation and the like.

For an experienced editor, expectation management is second nature. Showing an author or scriptwriter what you are willing to do on one level for X amount of dollars sometimes isn’t the answer. Instead? Defining what your work does NOT cover for that fee and time commitment is sometimes the most important thing.

Once I had a potential client who decided he wanted a lot of in-person meetings, with an ever-changing set of tasks and requirements. I tried very hard to direct this person to the most cost-effective use of time and resources based on his stated goals for the project, but he wouldn’t listen–or come up with his own ideas on how it should proceed.

I got the strangest feeling he wanted company, rather than an editor. The lack of direction seemed to be a way to prolong things, intentional or not.

In the end, I had to turn down the work. It paid very well, but I couldn’t obligate myself to his ever-shifting projects and constant meetings. Sometimes even your best attempts at expectation management don’t work and you have to walk away. But for projects where you work out clearly defined goals, deliverables, and deadlines, the rewards for patience are wonderful.

My advice for the new editor is to define for yourself first what level of editing you are willing to do, how much you want to charge, and how long you think a given project should take. Knowing your own tolerances going into a project can help you to be more flexible and accommodating when needed, and assist when it is time to stand your ground where appropriate.

Joe Wallace is a freelance editor and writer. He is available for books, scripts, and video games and has several colleagues he works with on larger projects. If you need one editor or several, feel free to get in touch: jwallace (at) freelance-zone (dot) com.

Wallace recently completed a script editing project in English for a Japanese client and is currently editing a book on voice acting for a Chicago-based voiceover professional. He spends his spare time blogging about rare vinyl records at Turntabling.net and working on electronic music projects.

This directory was open to freelance editors and writers of all experience levels but we especially welcomed talented freelance newcomers to sign up. We know how difficult networking can be in the early days of a freelance career and want to help newcomers learn what their job options and resources are in a crowded market.

Simply Hired has a page filled with Editor Writer jobs based on keyword search. You can also find a collection of editing and writing jobs at Indeed.com, and there is also Employment Crossing, but they are a for-pay service and we can’t verify whether or not they have worthwhile entries at the time of this writing.

Believe it or not, Federal Government Jobs has a collection of editor/writer jobs, as does Writing Crossing.

Stay tuned for more editor/writer job-related resources.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt seeks a K-12 editor for their Evanston, Illinois office. Note that this is an on-site position, not a telecommute.

The Motley Fool is searching for an editor with an obsessive streak to work in their Alexandria VA office. If you’re a grammar freak with no problems working with a Content Management System, give this one a try. Again, this is an onsite gig.

This NY Craigslist ad looks promising–the ad requests a content editor, which is a bit different than a typical editing gig as it requires specialized knowledge of content management systems and other specialized info. Got a knack for both copy editing AND gap analysis? This could be the gig for you.

The University of Maryland has a full-time editor gig open which includes work on web-based teaching materials. Chances are you’ll edit a combination of distance learning and traditional ed coursework.

Good luck!

Chicago-based Quarsan seeks a freelance math editor/writer to work on projects at a high school math level. Apply online and don’t forget to include your educational pedigree as a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree is preferred. You’ll need experience in Algebra, Trig and other high-end math subjects.

Landor needs a proofreader for its Cincinnati office. Apply online for this freelance proofreading gig, and be ready to upload a copy of your resume to via the online application form.

This one is a bit old, but Kelly Fletcher PR may yet be looking for a freelance PR/social media person. Email a resume and a list of your media accomplishments to kelly@kellyfletcherpr.com.

Law.com seeks a news editor with five years of editing and writing experience and a four-year degree. Send an e-mailed resume and cover letter with “News Editor” and do not forget your salary requirements. Send everything to opportunities@alm.com.

That’s all the freelance job opportunities for this edition, stay tuned for more and don’t forget to send us any hot tips you might run across–drop us a line via the comments section.

But perhaps that interpretation of what this book can be used for is too inside-the-box.

What about the editor who needs a career change? Someone looking for a way to find new opportunities with or without the benefit of the freelance job boards or for-editors websites might do well to consider a book like this as a glorified phone book.

Want to move into the publishing world? Looking for new addresses to send those resumes to? So many people get wrapped up in the target audience for books like these that it never occurs to them to buy one to use when targeting companies for your resume and cover letter.

There’s more than one way to interpret a resource like this. Take a creative look at your bookstore shelves and ask yourself if a new editor job tool is hiding in plain sight.

1. Google loves sites that are deep and have plenty of content. If your site is light on the content side, try adding a professional-sounding-but-personable blog. You can update once or twice a week and see how it goes–just make sure to take the advice of the next step into consideration when writing it.

2. Use keywords the same way you would when writing or editing SEO content. Don’t skimp on the phrases that you want Google to associate with your resume page, but don’t stuff them in at every turn, either.

3. Name your images with Google-friendly file names. “Picture 1A.jpg” isn’t going to help you out much. “Freelance Editor at work.jpg” might be more helpful. Know what I mean?

4. In addition to posting your resume, work samples, and related material, try posting a page about your experiences. An about me-type page that’s tucked away somewhere on the site for the REALLY curious adds more keywords to your resume page and also gives a bit of insight into who you are, your work ethic and experience. Just don’t turn it into a commercial for yourself. Keep it personable and fun to read.

5. Get other sites to link to you–especially any professional organizations you belong to or other groups. The more incoming links to your resume page from legit sources, the better.

In King’s book, On Writing, he throws in a few pages from his story 1408, showing the before and after from his own work–but you can do the same using one of your actual clients (with their permission, of course). Naturally if you can’t get permission you’ll have to edit one of your own first drafts, but this is a GREAT way of showing off your editorial chops.

It’s even better if you can also show a .jpg of a page you’ve marked up with editing symbols and such as an extra gimmick. Nobody edits much that way any more, but it’s a good visual and very effective when positioned properly.

Writers post writing samples, why not post editing samples? Something to consider next time you revamp your resume page.

In the meantime, here is a list of links we’ve been enjoying lately-there’s a bit of nepotism here with a couple of inclusions (friend blogs) but we found some interesting things to ruminate over here:

FreelanceWriterVille

The Writing Journey

A different (but valuable) perspective on the editing game–APhotoEditor.com

Find An Editor has promise but we’re not sure how current this is…

a 2007 article on hiring editors at Folio.com

Sumner Communications needs an editor with two years of experience updating websites and blogs for its business-to-business trade magazine operation. This is a full-time, onsite position  located in Bethel, Connecticut.

JournalismJobs.com lists an editor opening at MandateWire.com, which was purchased by Financial Times. MandateWire needs an editor who can manage its editorial resarch team.

Warner Brothers Games Inc. still needs a writer for its gaming community. You’ll be writing material for wiki entries, Twitter, Facebook and Myspace as well as guest blog posts and more. For some reason they want someone with a degree to do all this instead of a 14 year -old kid, but hey, it’s Time-Warner.

Does this one sound familiar? It does to us. Lawrence Berkeley Labs needs a public affairs writer/editor for a temporary assignment for about 900 hours of work in a one year period. There are multiple openings, so if you’re reading this late, apply anyway.