FAQs for Applicants

Editcetera has more than 100 members, and we are always looking for skilled freelancers to add to our pool. The following information will help you determine whether Editcetera might be right for you and what you need to do to be considered for membership.

Our selection committee will next meet to review applications in March 2012.

What is Editcetera?

What are the benefits of being a member?

Who can apply for membership?

For potential members who meet the initial criteria and want to apply in one or more categories, what’s the first step?

What is the Basic Skills Test?

What happens after Editcetera receives an application?

What other tests or sample reviews are required of applicants?

Who reviews the tests and samples?

How soon does Editcetera let applicants know whether they have been accepted?

Does Editcetera provide feedback on tests or samples?

May an applicant who is not accepted try again?

What happens when an applicant is admitted to membership?

Does Editcetera keep its members supplied with work?

What is Editcetera?

Editcetera is a nonprofit, self-governing association of freelance professionals in print, software, and online publishing and communications. It was founded in 1971 to help freelancers find work, share resources, and improve their skills. It now has more than 100 members. The criteria and procedures for applying to become a member follow.

What are the benefits of being a member?

• Editcetera markets your services to a broad range of clients.
• It handles the task of providing clients with your résumé and other required background material.
• It bills your clients, collects payments, and follows up with clients who don’t pay on time.
• It consolidates some tax information (1099s).
• Because our selection process is rigorous and time-consuming, clients generally do not require further tests or screening—they know that they can trust Editcetera.
• Editcetera members are generous about sharing information on methods, resources, and business practices. If you have a question, another member can probably answer it—whether by recommending a specialized dictionary, discussing a specific convention, or sharing knowledge about how to work with a particular kind of client.
• When you need extra help with a job, you can call the director for a referral and be confident that another member will provide high-quality service.
• If you have to turn down a job, you can refer the client to Editcetera knowing that you in turn will be called during a slack period to handle work that another member referred.
• If a scheduled job suddenly falls through, the director can often find you work within a short time.
• You can improve and broaden your skills and become marketable in new areas of publishing through workshops and consultations with other members.
• Annual members’ gatherings give you a chance to socialize and network with other members and share experiences about freelancing, clients, and tricks of the trade.

Who can apply for membership?

To apply, you must meet three initial criteria:

• You must either be an active freelancer or expressly commit to leaving full-time employment within 4 months.
• You must have at least 4 years’ experience in print, software, or online publishing or communications.
• You must reside in one of the following California counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Lake, Madera, Marin, Mendocino, Merced, Monterey, Napa, Placer, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, or Yolo.

Editcetera qualifies members in the following categories:

Publishing track

• Proofreader
• Copyeditor
• Substantive editor
• Developmental editor
• Writer
• Indexer
• Print production coordinator/project manager

Business/technical track

• Editor/proofreader
• Writer
• Indexer
• Print production coordinator/project manager
• Online producer or software project manager

At this time we are seeking new members in only the following categories:

• Copyeditors in the publishing track
• Substantive editors in the publishing track
• Writers in the publishing track
• Print production coordinators/project managers in the publishing track
• Editors/proofreaders in the business/technical track
• Indexers in both the publishing and the business/technical tracks

If you wish to apply in another category, please check here again for updates.

For potential members who meet the initial criteria and want to apply in one or more categories, what’s the first step?

Send us all six of the following:

• A cover letter (please specify the track or tracks—publishing or business/technical—and category or categories in which you are applying)
• Your résumé
• A list of representative projects with descriptions of the work you did on them
• At least three current references and your professional relationship to them
• An application fee of $75 in the form of a personal check (which will be returned if you are not selected for further review)
• Your completed Basic Skills Test (see next question)

Our address is

Editcetera
2034 Blake Street, Suite 5
Berkeley, CA 94704

What is the Basic Skills Test?

Editcetera requires that you submit, as part of your application packet, a completed Basic Skills Test, obtained from this website. (If you cannot download the skills test using Acrobat, call our office at 510-849-1110 to request a copy.) Print out the test, read the directions carefully, and take the test on hard copy. Please note that we use this test only as a preliminary assessment. If you pass the test, we will require you to take more rigorous tests or submit samples in your specific skill area(s). Passing the basic skills test alone will not qualify you for membership.

What happens after Editcetera receives an application?

Our selection committee meets four times a year to review the applications on file and determine which applicants to assess further. The committee takes into account the current composition of the membership and Editcetera’s anticipated needs for new members with particular skills. We plan to meet next in March 2012.

Our clients usually call Editcetera about work that requires strict attention to detail and solid experience with conventions of the trade. Our selection process reflects those needs.

Editcetera does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, country of origin, physical disability, sexual preference, or age.

If our committee requests additional tests or samples, we will accept your check. If we do not choose to consider you for membership after reviewing your initial application, we will return your $75 fee.

What other tests or sample reviews are required of applicants?

Editcetera has different review processes for applicants in different categories:

Editors and proofreaders (publishing track) are sent tests to complete and return within 30 days. We have a proofreading test, a copyediting test, and a substantive editing test. You need not take all three, but you must take and pass our copyediting test to be considered as a substantive editor. Completed tests are scored by at least two and usually three reviewers.

Editors/proofreaders (business/technical track) are asked to submit two or more marked-up samples (totaling the equivalent of approximately 20 double-spaced pages) along with the clients’ guidelines. Samples must show substantial revisions or corrections (more than minimal work). If the samples are from clients who require nondisclosure, you should not submit them without the clients’ permission. The samples are reviewed by at least two members with experience in the subject area of the sample.

Writers (in either track) are asked to submit two or more samples of manuscript as they were submitted to the clients (totaling the equivalent of approximately 20 double-spaced pages), together with the clients’ guidelines, and to complete a questionnaire about each one. The samples should be of different types of writing and for different clients. If the samples are from clients who require nondisclosure, you should not submit them without the clients’ permission. The samples are reviewed by at least two members with experience in the field of the samples.

Indexers (in either track) are asked to submit two indexes, along with the indexed text and the client’s instructions for each index. The samples are reviewed by at least two members: an indexer and an editor with experience reviewing indexes.

Print production coordinators/project managers (in either track) are asked to submit three recent projects and to complete a questionnaire about each one. The submissions are reviewed by at least one member with experience in project/production management. If the review is positive, you will be interviewed by telephone about your experience in this work.

Online producers or software project managers (business/technical track) are asked to submit three recent projects and to complete a questionnaire about each one. The submissions are reviewed by at least one member who does online or software project management. If the review is positive, you will be interviewed by telephone about your experience in this work.

Who reviews the tests and samples?

Reviewers are Editcetera members who do the same type of work that you are submitting. Each reviewer makes a recommendation based on your tests or samples. The standards for passing tests and reviews are high. If you pass, Editcetera’s director presents the recommendations to the board of directors, along with your tests or samples, your résumé, and a summary of comments obtained from your references. The board reviews all the materials and votes on admitting you to membership.

How soon does Editcetera let applicants know whether they have been accepted?

The entire selection process, from receipt of your application packet to the board’s decision, typically takes 6 months to 1 year. This time is required for reviews at meetings, assessments by multiple reviewers, reference checks, and so on.

Does Editcetera provide feedback on tests or samples?

Because of the large number of applicants and the limited time of our staff, we are not able to give specific feedback to applicants who do not pass.

May an applicant who is not accepted try again?

You may reapply 2 years after you are notified that you were not accepted.

What happens when an applicant is admitted to membership?

At first, you will become a provisional member. You will pay a 15 percent commission on Editcetera jobs and $75 annual dues, and you will not have voting rights. Your work must be reviewed by a qualified full member on at least one job assignment and for as many jobs as the reviewer considers necessary.

Once you complete the provisional review process successfully, you will be eligible for admission by the board as a full member. As a full member, you will pay a 12 percent commission on Editcetera jobs and $75 annual dues, and you will have voting rights in the corporation.

Does Editcetera keep its members supplied with work?

Editcetera does not guarantee work to any member, but we have an excellent reputation as a group, and hundreds of clients depend on us for referrals to qualified freelancers. Our members are typically well established in the trade and obtain a variable portion of their freelance assignments through Editcetera.

If you have further questions about Editcetera, please contact us.

Editcetera

Barbara Fuller, Director
2034 Blake Street, Suite 5
Berkeley, California 94704

510-849-1110 (phone)
510-848-1448 (fax)

Send email.