“Dear Editor: I’m a freelance writer trying to move into editing as a sideline. I’m not sure I want to do it full time yet, but it looks like good extra income. How do I make my move?”

If you are already established as a freelance writer but want to make the transition to freelance editing, there are a couple of ways you can help yourself make the jump to editor writer, or any combination of job titles you please.

One route some freelance writers take is to volunteer their skills on a low-budget book project. Editing a book is no easy feat, but if you aren’t getting paid for your work, it’s fair to say that you can’t be expected to give earth-shattering results. As long as you get the basics covered and help your author overcome any major errors, you could rack up a credit or two with minimal fuss.

The best place to find these unpaid or low-paying projects is Craigslist.com– many first-time authors can be found asking for help there.

Another way to go is to offer your editorial services to a local charity group. Hone your chops and help out a worthy cause at the same time. You don’t need to explain that you are a new editor looking for credit–just make the offer and see what your local organizers say.

No, working for free is NOT ideal. But once you get a couple of decent credits to your name you can transition into paying work.

One last note–some places that hire freelance editors want to see examples of how you edited someone else’s copy–a before and after sample. Make sure you can provide some before-and-afters to impress your prospective new freelance client and you are well on your way to becoming that double threat editor writer.