Beyond Borders: Inside the Lives of Editors Around the World

A new series by EFA member Rozi Doci spotlighting international freelance editors and the stories that shape their work.

What’s it like to be a freelance editor in Scotland? Canada? Australia? This series takes you inside the lives of editors abroad—not just how they work but how they grow, adapt, and stay connected. Through personal interviews, each profile reveals a theme—from mentorship to community, reinvention to resilience—highlighting what it takes to build a freelance editing career beyond traditional publishing paths.

We’re kicking things off with a UK-based editor who knows just how vital that support can be.

About Susannah Butler Susannah Butler is a UK-based freelance editor and an Entry-Level Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). After transitioning to freelance work in 2024, she now collaborates with publishers and independent authors across fiction, nonfiction, and academic genres. An active member of the Society of Young Publishers (SYP), Butler has been instrumental in supporting emerging publishing professionals through her various roles, including her recent experience with the organization’s mentorship scheme.

A Career Reimagined

When her publishing role shifted unexpectedly in 2024, Susannah Butler stood at a professional crossroads that would have been unimaginable to editors just a generation earlier. After honing her expertise at renowned institutions like HarperCollins and Edinburgh University Press, she suddenly found herself rethinking her career path in an industry undergoing radical transformation.

“Going freelance really felt like starting again for me.”

The path before her represented a profound shift in the professional landscape of publishing—one where independence is both an opportunity and a necessity, where traditional apprenticeships are yielding to self-directed learning, and where the very definition of editorial work is being reimagined in real time.

Despite her strong credentials, the transition demanded a full recalibration of her professional identity. She had to figure out how to find clients, set her rates, and navigate the solitude of independent work for the first time.

The Transformative Power of Mentorship

Throughout her career, Butler was involved with the Society of Young Publishers (SYP), a volunteer organization that supports early-career publishing professionals. It was through the SYP’s Launch mentorship scheme—a program designed for those building editorial careers outside of traditional in-house roles—that she connected with freelance proofreader Han Noss.

“Having someone that held me accountable and reassured me in moments of doubt was truly invaluable.”

“I had reservations,” Butler admits. “I’d been part of mentorship schemes before and hadn’t always had productive experiences.” But this time was different. “Noss was the best mentor I’ve had the privilege of working with. They went above and beyond to help me achieve my aims. The experience offered more than just practical advice. It provided much-needed support and encouragement at a time when the path ahead felt uncertain.”

From the Other Side of the Desk

Now fully freelance, Butler reflects on how this experience compares to her time in-house—and what each setting can teach the other.

“Working in-house, especially as a commissioning editor, you get to communicate with authors from the very start. You have the chance to get to know them, understand their communication style, and build a level of trust,” she explains. “If there have been any challenges thus far, you are aware of them.”

Freelancers, by contrast, are often brought into a project halfway through without the benefit of that established author relationship or broader context. This can make giving editorial feedback more sensitive to navigate. Butler believes that proactive communication can help: “By asking more questions about the author and their experience ahead of the project, freelancers can build a better awareness of their author’s needs, in turn improving the communication experience for everyone.”

“I wish I had done it sooner.”

Though she once found the idea of networking daunting, Butler says she’s been struck by the sense of connection within the freelance world. “The wider sense of community between editors is much stronger in the freelance world. Of course, as we are working alone, we must be more proactive with networking. This was something I initially felt daunted by but has brought a great sense of comfort and support. In-house editors could learn a lot from this approach.”

Getting Into Editing—Then and Now

Butler herself entered the publishing world via a fairly traditional path: a degree in English and History, a Master’s in Publishing Studies, internships, and eventually in-house editorial roles. For a long time, this was the standard route for UK-based editors.

But that’s no longer the only way in. Today, newer editors are charting their own paths—through online courses, portfolio-based work, community platforms, and career changes from other fields. “There are other valid routes to take,” Butler says.

Many UK publishers now offer internships and apprenticeships, and Butler notes that a degree isn’t always a requirement. Transferable skills and real-world experience are increasingly recognized. She’s also seen a noticeable shift in how people enter—and exit—the in-house world. “I’ve noticed a lot more in-house editors leaving to go freelance,” she says. “There are many freelance editors that never worked in-house, and many that have made a career change.”

Confidence, on Your Own Terms

One of Butler’s strategies for maintaining perspective amid the challenges of freelance work is disarmingly simple: a “win jar”—a place to preserve evidence of her professional impact. “Whenever something goes well, I write it down and pop it in the jar,” she explains. “If I’m having a bad moment, I open it up and take a look at all the positives.”

This practice is particularly valuable for editors, whose contributions are often measured by their absence rather than their presence. Good editing disappears into the finished work; its success is marked by the reader not noticing it at all. Client testimonials and repeat business provide external validation, but Butler’s win jar offers a personal archive of achievement that sustains her through inevitable periods of doubt.

“Receiving client testimonials is always encouraging, so are repeat clients,” she notes. “It’s a great reminder that you are good at what you do.”

Explaining the Edit: The Worth of Invisible Work

As the publishing landscape changes, Butler has found that explaining her role has become just as important as performing it. For many editors, one of the hardest parts of the job isn’t the editing itself—it’s justifying what that editing is worth.

This is especially true in the world of self-publishing, where author experience varies widely, and expectations can be misaligned. “I’ve had inquiries from authors who have extremely high expectations with a very short timeline and budget in mind,” Butler says.

“I’ve seen posts on social media that lament the cost of editing, with responses including people advising them to do it themselves or forgo it altogether.”

These reactions, Butler explains, often stem from a lack of understanding about the editorial process—and they place even more pressure on freelancers to explain not just what they do, but why it matters. Online discourse sometimes exacerbates the problem, creating a wider gap between perceived and actual value.

“I think there will be an even greater emphasis on editors to explain their services and justify their quotations,” she predicts. This represents a profound shift in the editor’s role: no longer just a craftsperson practicing their art, but also an advocate for the value of that art in a marketplace increasingly skeptical of expertise that can’t be quantified.

The AI Question

That pressure to articulate value is only intensifying as AI tools enter the editorial space—offering speed, automation, and the illusion of expertise.

For Butler, the speed of this shift has been one of the most unexpected changes of her career so far. “Definitely the role of AI in publishing,” she says when asked what would surprise her younger editorial self the most.

What’s remarkable, she notes, isn’t just the emergence of AI, but how quickly it has become a factor in editorial conversations. “I would never have thought that it would be something I would have to address with authors when signing books or think about as I take on new clients and projects—at least not at that speed!”

Final Thoughts

What does it take to thrive in an industry that’s shifting beneath our feet? For Susannah Butler, the answer wasn’t just a polished skill set—it was community, mentorship, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing you’re not navigating it alone.

Her story echoes what many of us in freelance life are learning: success today demands more than editorial expertise. It asks us to advocate for our value, adapt to emerging tools, and build support systems of our own.

And maybe the most enduring skill isn’t precision—but presence. The ability to stay flexible, stay curious, and keep showing up—for the work, for your clients, and for yourself.

This interview is part of our “Beyond Borders” series. Next up: Katherine Morton (Canada), a certified copyeditor and former NGO executive whose global perspective has helped shape editorial communities across multiple continents.

Know someone building a freelance editing career outside the US with insights to share? Reach out to Rozi Doci at rozi.doci@gmail.com to connect.

If you enjoyed this free article, consider joining the EFA for more exclusive benefits and content, including the Freelancer newsletter, where you can read about recent news and trends in freelancing, communications, and publishing and get pro tips about business, technology, grammar and language usage, diversity, equity, and belonging in the industry, and other information of professional value to freelancers.