“Sorry, but we’re in crisis mode over here. Everything nonessential is getting cut. But call us when this COVID thing is over.”

Just like that, my two-year university contract doing international education strategy development vanished. Worse still, my consulting business appeared to be sliding straight toward a cliff. Higher education was on the skids, and my source of income had flatlined.

Could I wait this out, or was it time to cut bait? In March 2020, no one knew how things would play out. What I did know is that I was 62 with no evident skill set that I could, in a pinch, or a pandemic, leverage to generate revenue. My background included a PhD in political science and a lackluster academic career that I had left 15 years earlier to run an educational foundation, which I then parlayed into consulting work in international education. But with existing gigs evaporating and universities concerned for their survival, the prospect of hustling new clients looked bleak, not to mention exhausting.

It was time to move on. I just needed to find a talent that I could monetize, was good at, could do anywhere, and was in demand. Being late in life to cook up something new, the next venture had to be somewhere in my bag of tricks. No pressure at all.

Growing up, I had always wanted to be a writer and, although I hadn’t pursued it explicitly, realized I had actually been writing my entire professional life. The bulk of this writing experience had been academic, so I decided scholarly editing was the most feasible opening move in my new life plan.

The booming academic editing market was eye-opening. An estimated two million scientific articles are published yearly in English-language journals by academics around the world, the majority of whom are nonnative English speakers. Including books, doctoral dissertations, grant proposals, and research reports, the number of manuscripts that require expert editing is staggering.

Needs range from developmental editing to copyediting to proofreading as scholars seek to enhance readability and the odds of being published in a top-ranked journal. I got my foot in the door with a few small providers and spent the first six months learning the arcana of the comma and the en dash and the idiosyncrasies of APA, MLA and Chicago styles. I considered this first stage an apprenticeship of sorts. I wasn’t getting paid much, but I was learning a craft and upskilling. And I liked editing; it was like solving puzzles.

As I got the hang of it, I improved the quality of my work, increased my volume and speed, and grew my income. I also learned my way around the field, which essentially comprises three types of organizations: academic publishing groups (e.g., Elsevier and Wiley) that typically contract editing firms directly; editing companies (e.g., Editage , Edanz, and AJE) that have massive volumes of work and require an editing test; and brokers (e.g., Editor World) that facilitate editor-client transactions. Member associations such as The Society for Editing and Editorial Freelancers Association also have job boards and other resources. Today, I work as a freelancer with five editing firms in the U.S., India and Israel. Editing may not be God’s work, but I have helped over 1,200 people from 30+ countries publish their research. That’s gratifying. It’s also gratifying that I now fully support myself through editing.

Most importantly, editing has become a gateway to my own writing. The ideas and creativity of the manuscripts I read — from theories of aesthetics to sustainable development goals to the future of AI — are a constant source of inspiration. With a secure income stream from editing, I have the freedom to explore the world of paid freelance and literary writing. A dream came true, with a twist. I am making a living with my words and those of other people.

Bio Brief:
After careers in academia and international education as a political science professor, director of the U.S.-Colombia Fulbright Commission and founder of her own consulting firm, Ann Mason has recently crossed the Rubicon into the world of academic copy editing and writing. She is developing her writing chops as a member of the Burlington, VT Writers Workshop and has recently published her first creative nonfiction piece in the Green Mountain Writers Group Literary Review. https://greenmountainwriters.com/tarot/o-fortuna/