The Edit Better Blog
Editing, business, and running an editorial business.
Welcome to the Edit Better Blog!
This is where I think out loud about editing, business, and running an editorial business.
Because I work as both a project manager and a supplier of editorial services, I see projects from multiple points of view. This helps me to see the big picture and the details – the broader project requirements and each stakeholder’s individual concerns – and thereby seek solutions that satisfy everybody.
I’m also a freelancer for whom running a business is a pleasure, not a chore. I love thinking up new ideas and analysing my data to find out how best to put those ideas into practice.
Browse the categories below. Or Sign up to The Edit Better Letter to receive monthly blog updates, exclusive subscriber discounts and more.
Latest posts:
By Hazel Bird
| 16 September 2026
How to create a charity or nonprofit editorial style guide
A style guide gives your publications an identity. If you start simple and include just five or six crucial elements, […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 12 August 2026
Copyediting and AI: a manifesto
If words have power, then editors will be one of the most important bulwarks against the potential negative effects of […] Read more
By Proof Pros
| 15 July 2026
Proof Pros: how to part ways with a client respectfully and well
Pistols at dawn? Not necessarily. When we decide to part ways with a client, it doesn’t always have to be […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 13 May 2026
How to actually use your editorial learning with an ‘insights jar’
Too often, course materials and notes from our editorial learning moulder in a forgotten sub-folder. So how do we make […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 13 May 2026
How to tell when it’s time to fire a client
For freelance editors and proofreaders, the decision to fire a client is never easy. This article looks at why you […] Read more
By Proof Pros
| 15 April 2026
Proof Pros: how many words per day can copyeditors and proofreaders handle?
5,000 words per day? 10,000? 30,000? Copyediting and proofreading speeds vary wildly between projects and editors. In this post, seven […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 18 March 2026
How to choose business management software (for freelance editors and creatives)
Choosing new business management software is a big decision for freelance editors and creatives. Getting it wrong can mean lost […] Read more
By Proof Pros
| 11 February 2026
Proof Pros: what non-editing training has most helped your editing business?
Editing requires versatility, both in the work itself and in how freelance copyeditors and proofreaders run their businesses. Read about […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 11 February 2026
Why copyeditors and proofreaders are tacit knowledge superstars
As connoisseurs of context, judgement and nuance, copyeditors and proofreaders constantly draw on their tacit knowledge. Discover my three tips […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 11 December 2025
Precision with perspective: an editing approach
For me, professional non-fiction editing isn’t about choosing between being detail-oriented or strategic, artistic or analytical – it’s about being […] Read more
By Proof Pros
| 11 December 2025
Proof Pros: what should copyeditors and proofreaders be talking about more?
The questions keeping the editorial community up at night go far beyond grammar and spelling. Seven copyeditors and proofreaders unpack […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 15 October 2025
Painting by numbers: getting data right in art history books
For a creative subject, art history has a lot of numbers to get right. From dimensions to dates and sale […] Read more
By Hazel Bird
| 15 October 2025
Beyond the editor box: how discovering a hidden strength unlocked powerful insights into my freelance editorial business
Where does good marketing end and reductive self-conceptualization begin? Knowing our strengths can help us to acknowledge and cultivate our […] Read more
By Proof Pros
| 10 September 2025
Proof Pros: coping with personal emergencies as a freelancer
In the grip of an emergency or personal crisis, we may need to act quickly at a time when clear […] Read more