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Original poster

Anyone a member of the SfEP?

14 replies

lucysnowe · 23/02/2009 13:33

Hi all

Thinking of joining the Society for Editors and Proofreaders. Is anyone else a member? I was wondering if it was worth doing the additional proof reading test to become accredited and if you got any extra work due to your membership.

Thanks!

OP posts:
giantkatestacks · 23/02/2009 14:36

At work we might pick a freelancer over another one if they had the equivalent amount of experience. But we dont need it to give work out if that makes sense.

Original poster
lucysnowe · 23/02/2009 17:06

Thanks GiantKate! Do you find that the majority of your freelancers are members?

OP posts:
editrix · 23/02/2009 17:37

Hi Lucy,

I'd say it depends partly on how many contacts - both those who might give you work and other freelancers who are there for support/networking - you already have. If you don't have any then it would be a good idea to join the SFEP. I worked in-house in publishing for 13 years and have been a freelance editor/project manager for 7 years. I'm not a member of the SFEP (though I do still ponder joining) as I'm lucky enough to have built up a good list of contacts during my time in-house, but if I didn't have this I'd definitely have joined the SFEP. It can be very useful for networking and being in the directory does mean you may get offers of work from all over the place (and getting accredited would definitely help in this regard). When I was in-house and recruiting freelancers many of them were members of the SFEP but an equal number weren't. These days, with so much more work being freelanced and so many more people chasing that work than was the case when I first started in publishing, anything which differentiates you (i.e. SFEP accreditation) is bound to help you build up a good client base.

One word of caution, if no-one has mentioned this, the SFEP can be hopelessly optimistic about the sort of rates proofreaders can achieve in certain areas of publishing and I worry that sometimes people's hopes get raised only to be dashed when they find the rates they were hoping for aren't that common. Hope this helps.

giantkatestacks · 23/02/2009 17:53

editrix - I was going to say that about the pay as well at the last count they were a few pounds an hour out...

giantkatestacks · 23/02/2009 17:54

Oh and sorry, didnt answer the question - the majority of ours arent but we are in quite a specialised field and so the specialism counts more than the accreditation iyswim.

Original poster
lucysnowe · 24/02/2009 13:14

Ta yous!

kate - thanks for answering my question! Editrix I have worked in the field for eight years and have made quite a few contacts but lots of them don't have much budget . So from what you say I think membership will be useful for me. Am a bit scared of the super-hard proofreading test though!

(You mean I won't make a minimum of £20 an hour proofing? bah!)

OP posts:
TheShipsCat · 24/02/2009 13:28

lucysnowe - I've been in publishing for quite a few years - and I've never even heard of SfEP. I have to admit, that if a freelancer approached me for work and mentioned it, it wouldn't make a jot of difference to whether I commissioned them. Our budgets have been cut quite a lot in the last month or two and now the only freelancers I would commission are those I know will be very good with reasonable rates...

editrix · 24/02/2009 17:40

at £20 an hour. Oh, wouldn't that be lovely ... (Editrix repeats to herself "I do this because I love it, not for the money. I do this because I love it, not for the money ..."). Good luck with the test!

giantkatestacks · 24/02/2009 18:58

You'd only get that if you did those weird middle-of-the-night-and-taxi-home law firm jobs...ugh.

Lancelottie · 24/02/2009 19:14

...ummm, I do get over £20 an hour for one firm I work for. Please don't tell them everywhere else pays less!

giantkatestacks · 24/02/2009 19:41

wow...well done

Lancelottie · 24/02/2009 21:43

Yes, but they haven't yet realised that I work for peanuts for everyone else! They do tend to give deadlines of 'tomorrow's OK, but lunchtime today would be better'...

Original poster
lucysnowe · 25/02/2009 08:55

Haha lancelottie, is your client a nice old-style editor who is scared of the internet and still thinks of copyediting as a craft?

TSC, thanks! I confess I too hadn?t heard of the association till about two year ago but then I do work in mags and it does seem to be more focused on books/journals maybe. Thing is, I do have my contact and my specialisms but would like to branch out too? I have set up a budget for this kind of career development thing but there?s so much out there I could easily spend it on.

OP posts:
Lancelottie · 26/02/2009 12:34
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