Editor Highlights:
Peg Sandkam
Unlike med school for doctors and law school for lawyers, there’s no clear path to becoming an editor. Sure, you can take grammar classes and writing classes, but really, editing comes down to experience.
That’s why, in college, I took the course, Teaching Tutorial Writing, after which I spent three semesters as a tutor in the on-campus writing workshop. I was able to gain experience working directly with writers to improve their essays and reports.
But the content of college papers is very different from that of novels, which was my dream field. To start getting more experience, a friend’s sister (who was an editor herself) suggested I read Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies. This is a fantastic reference for anyone who wants to learn more about copyediting and proofreading (check out our post on the differences!) as well as the publishing field. This book also offers you chances to put your editing/proofreading skills into practice.
A few months after I graduated with a BA in English, I attended the 2013 Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago, where I learned about the editing certificate program offered by the University of Chicago’s Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. These courses (many taught by editors at the University of Chicago Press) familiarized me with the Chicago Manual of Style and introduced me to different types of editing (including copyediting, acquisitions editing, and developmental editing). My experience earning this certificate reinforced that copyediting was my path!
In 2014, I applied for an editorial internship with Familius Publishing. At that point, I didn’t have a large portfolio of work, which is likely the reason I didn’t hear anything back regarding that application.
But I didn’t let that disappointment discourage me. I spent the next year working one-on-one with authors (including one who self-published on Amazon) and editing for Fifth Wednesday Journal, a non-profit literary magazine.
When I applied to the internship again the next year, I was surprised to receive a freelance job offer rather than an unpaid, limited-time internship. I’ve been editing with Familius since 2015 and working directly with Familius authors since 2020. Seeing my name on the copyright page and knowing I helped contribute to each book is a feeling I’ll never get used to!
In 2015, I applied to the George Washington University College of Professional Studies master’s degree program in publishing in hopes that the degree would open more doors for my career. At the same time, I saw a job posting for an editor at an aerospace consulting company—PAI Consulting. I had zero experience in the aviation industry, but that’s the good thing about editing—knowledge of the subject matter is not necessary. I applied for the job because it was in the same city as the George Washington University graduate program. Soon I was accepted into grad school and offered the editor position at PAI, so I packed up and moved halfway across the country to begin my career as a full-time editor!
I began my career thinking I wanted to edit novels, but over the years, I’ve been happy with the work I’m doing for Familius and PAI, and I can’t imagine working anywhere else!
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