This is another Twitter-inspired blog about a thread that I found interesting. A fellow author asked this very question: what makes someone an expert? I took it as a commentary on the large influx of editors on the platform looking for work, some aggressively so in my DMs to the point I block them. I get they need to find work, but maybe check out the person's bio quickly before you repeatedly message them? I always do before I answer solicited advice to see how far someone is in their writing journey. I never wish to talk down to someone who perhaps knows as much or more than I do.
I'm the type of person who looks everything up. That includes editors looking for work, even though I'm not interested in hiring them. First, the rates for editing are high! I feel bad for indie authors who pay for editors, although I agree they are necessary. Do the editors deserve that much money? Many do because extensive study is needed to be an expert. So I beg the question, what makes someone an expert? More importantly, where do they find the confidence to call themselves one?
So we all know the basic definition of an expert: a person with a specific skill backed by knowledge and authority. Take me, for example; I was afraid to call myself an expert even with six published books, three degrees--two in English and one in drama--and a career teaching writing and grammar. Compare me to... let's call her Jane. Jane took an online copyediting course and got a certification and has self-published three books. Some reviews of her books complain about grammar, wording issues, and inconsistencies. Jane highly relies on Grammarly for her clients' writing to get through it quicker. She has the experience, but is she a credible expert who should be charging 6+ cents a word? Some would say yes, that no one is perfect, and Jane could at least improve someone's writing. But this does not sit right with me.
I don't have an issue with the Janes of the world because an author should vet their editors by thoroughly researching their expertise. In a perfect world, Jane would not get as much work as those with better skills, would need to lower her rates, and then seek to improve to get where she wants to be. What I have an issue with is the lack of confidence in myself to see that I have more qualifications than Jane and that I should indeed call myself an expert. Many of us in the feed realized this. Someone posted what part of the problem was.
It is difficult for women to be confident without backlash. The standard still is modesty is attractive and confidence is too aggressive. We feel guilty about saying we are experts or charging expert fees. I am highly confident in my writing. Will everyone like it? No. But I'm writing what I love. I'm skilled in grammar, and have editors through my publisher, enough that the common person is unlikely to find errors in my writing. I'd like to think close to perfect in grammar since it is rare to find a book without at least one typo or error. Editors are all human. And yet I had trouble wrapping my mind around being an expert in the form of copy editing.
It was time for me to be more confident and prove to myself I am the expert I know I am. I volunteered to copy edit an anthology for three authors and myself to contribute to our project since I could not assist financially. That led to one of the authors wanting to pay me to copy edit his manuscript. I charged half of what the industry does and that still felt like a lot. My efficiency and ease with editing made it take me about 24 hours (over a busy 2 weeks). The money felt fair, but not a fee where I could quit the day job. I understand the rates a bit better now.
The experience was great in lifting my confidence and making me believe I am skilled enough to be an expert. However, I am still not comfortable with asking for money. I suppose it is different for editors because they have set prices on a business website. Will I become a full-time editor? Not yet. It's a lot to take on business-wise. If someone were to hire me and take care of everything and just let me edit, I would. Then again, word-of-mouth might force my hand into becoming an editor for one author, then another, and another. This expert might just let the chips fall as they may and see where I land.