Club Ed Study Paths
Plus, editor Elyse Lyon shares some intel on building an editing business
Newer Editor Interview - Elyse Lyon
I’ve been asking a few newer editors to share their tips about creating successful editing businesses. This week, Elyse Lyon responded with her thoughts. – Jennifer Lawler
My background is in creative writing/literary fiction and EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching. That background has absolutely helped me in understanding clients and providing services that better meet my target clients’ needs, but they were really no help in getting work. Because I moved countries so many times after college, I didn’t have a professional or even personal network when I started working full-time as an editor rather than just dabbling in it here and there from a less-than-professionally-educated position.
What really made a difference to me was getting the best training I could, and then devoting as much time to it as I could. I also read books about editing and followed as many editing groups as I could, which gave me my first job leads that really paid off. Because I was highly trained before I got hired, my skills were quickly noticed, and I was given more and better work very quickly.
For me, taking low-paid packager work to begin with paid off. I know a lot of people really don’t approve of that, and you do have to be very careful not to get trapped in a cycle of doing a lot of that work because it’s easy and it’s there. But for me, I was making a livable (if not fabulous) full-time income within a few months, and the environment (working with other editors and learning from each other) was absolutely key to developing my skills and confidence. It also led to more and better opportunities, and I genuinely don’t know where I’d be without it, especially being the primary earner in my household.
I didn’t do as much networking as I might have early on, and I rather wish I’d done more, but even the little I did was key. For me, the value of networking is really about gaining skills and inspiration rather than getting work opportunities. Knowing how other editors are navigating their careers helps immeasurably as I continue to grow my business.
Spotlight On: DE Detective
$90 (Members: $81) - but save $30 when you buy it this week! (See below for coupon code.)
How to use sentence-level clues to track down developmental problems | 4 lessons | Self-paced | Intermediate
This class is meant for working with fiction authors. When a manuscript has obvious problems, they’re, well, obvious. The overemphasis on backstory has slowed the pacing to a crawl, the POV hops from head to head, it takes three chapters for the actual story to start. This class is about going beyond the obvious. You’ll learn how to polish your magnifying glass and search the ms at the sentence level for clues about developmental problems.
That doesn’t mean line editing or copyediting. It means using clues that pop up at the sentence level to understand the types of developmental problems a ms has—and to figure out the solution.
For example, an author who uses the word “because” a lot in a manuscript is likely to be overexplaining. This can lead to slow pacing, a feeling of the story being told rather than shown, and reader dissatisfaction because their role in figuring out what’s happening in the story has been stolen from them.
But be careful! The solution to a copyediting problem is to delete or replace the problem word (or phrase/sentence). That won’t work when you’ve tracked down a developmental problem. You have to dig a little deeper to figure out how to effectively crack the case.
This class covers a variety of clues to watch for in development, how to devise your own set of clues (as they can, and will, vary from project to project), what to do when you’ve identified a dev problem using this methodology and more!
Each lesson includes an answer key so that you can evaluate your own work.
The class is entirely online and asynchronous (you don’t have to be in any particular place at any particular time to participate).
For more information and to register, click here. Get it for only $60 through June 23, 2025 by using the coupon code: DETECTIVE
Club Ed Study Paths
People come to Club Ed with different backgrounds in editing - some have no experience, others have a lot - and so they need different approaches to training. I’ve developed three different study paths so that you can follow the one that fits your needs the best.
I call these “Choosing Your Itinerary” because of the whole Club Ed theme, but they’re basically just guidelines for deciding what classes to take and in what order.
The Beginner Study Path is for those who are just starting out. If you’ve never edited professionally before and aren’t sure where and how to begin, this is the route for you.
The Intermediate Study Path is for those who have taken some training or have done some editorial work professionally, but know they have some knowledge gaps or aren’t confident of their methodology.
The Advanced Study Path is for working editors who have a strong foundation in editing - they already have paying clients and know their skills are solid. They’re looking to build their business and improve their bottom line.
And did you know that Club Ed also has classes for writers? These classes tackle some of the common developmental issues editors encounter but from the perspective of the writer revising instead of the editor editing.
And of course if you have questions about what class to take, you can always ask me! ClubEdResortDirector@gmail.com
Get Your Copy Now!
People who are trying to avoid ordering from Amazon have asked for other ways to buy my two books for editors, so I’ve created PDF versions that you can immediately download for just $7 each.
The Club Ed Guide to Starting and Running a Profitable Freelance Editing Business does what it says: helps you get your editing business up and running.
The Business of Storytelling is for writers who are interested in exploring editing as a way to use their writing skills and to make a bit of money.
New! Mid-Year Review
Starts July 7 (two weeks).
$35/$15 for members. (Note: Members need to use the coupon that can be found in the membership program classroom.)
During last winter’s annual review, several people mentioned that they’d like to do a mid-year review so that they can tweak things as needed before the year ends. That’s why I’ve created this new class.
In this forum-based class/conversation, we’ll do a mid-year review of our individual businesses and reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what went well, and what we’ve learned.
We’ll consider how our accomplishments have aligned with our values and mission and consider ways to become more fully aligned.
We’ll talk about the challenges we’ve encountered and what may be keeping us from taking steps and work out solutions to our challenges.
But our main focus will be on taking those lessons into the second half of the year!
Class materials will include review prompts, such as questions to journal about and information to research. We’ll use the forums to talk about our answers, help each other out, brainstorm and act as sounding boards, and create a plan for the coming months.
For more information and to register, click here.
Club Ed Certificate Program - Now Accepting Applications!
A few times a year, we open the Club Ed certificate program for new applicants and one of those times is now! Through June 30, 2025, you can officially enter the Club Ed Certificate in the Developmental Editing of Fiction program.
To apply, just send an email to ClubEdResortDirector@gmail.com (or to me at jennifer@jenniferlawler.com), noting your interest in the program and a bit about your background, including any Club Ed classes you’ve taken. We’ll reply within a day or two letting you know that you’re in or that we need more information.
Classes you’ve previously taken at Club Ed (with the exception of a few listed here) can be applied towards the certificate. Beginning classes taken elsewhere may be able to be applied, depending on where you took the class(es). EFA is fine; others are determined case-by-case. Just let us know your situation when you email us with your application information.
As always, the Club Ed Certificate Program Course Bundle can be purchased for $1500. This saves you over $500 from purchasing certificate program classes individually (although you are always welcome to purchase classes individually, as and when you like). Note that this course bundle includes all of the classes you will need to complete the program.
People who buy the bundle typically complete the certificate program about six months earlier than those who don’t, and they’re more likely to complete the program compared to those who don’t purchase the bundle.
If you have previously taken some Club Ed classes, and would like to apply the purchase price of those classes to the bundle, get in touch at ClubEdResortDirector@gmail.com (or jennifer@jenniferlawler.com) and I’ll customize a bundle for you.
To purchase the certificate class bundle, click here.
For Members
New: For the month of June, I’m blogging daily on the Club Ed website, and I’m keeping track of my progress in the Accountability forum. If you’d like to join me there, I’d be happy for the company.
Use of the Accountability forum has dropped off to almost nothing lately, so after this trial run, I’ll have to consider closing the forum. But if we can get a bit more participation this month, that won’t happen.
The next marketing challenge starts June 30! Every weekday for a month, we each do a marketing task and at the end of the month a random winner gets a $25 Club Ed gift card. (Ends July 25.)
Find the coupon code for the new Mid-Year Review in the Membership Program classroom. (This class costs just $15 for members!)
New discount for PerfectIt and Draftsmith software! Save 30% off your purchase of PerfectIt and 20% off your purchase of Draftsmith. PerfectIt is a well-regarded program that many copy editors use to help ensure their edits are applied correctly across an entire manuscript. Use the coupon code you’ll find in the Membership Program classroom.
The new instructor-led class, Freelancing Through Tough Times, is available to members for just $75, but you have to use the coupon code that you’ll find on the membership program classroom page.
Upcoming Classes
Instructor-led classes starting soon:
Freelancing Through Tough Times, starts Jun 30, 2025
Mid-Year Review, starts Jul 7, 2025
Editorial Toolkit: Beta Reading, starts Sep 3, 2025
Editing for Plot and Story Structure, starts Sep 8, 2025
Editorial Toolkit: Coaching Writers, starts Oct 1, 2025
About Jennifer Lawler
I help editors figure out what the hell they're doing.
If you're an aspiring, new, or established book editor or story coach, I can probably help you learn how to do the work better and more profitably.
Through Club Ed, I offer developmental editing classes, a freelance editor membership program/support group, and a slightly bony shoulder to cry on.
I've worked as an editor for more than twenty years. I learned how to edit in the trenches of traditional publishing with its insane deadlines, pitiless competition, and crushing bureaucracy. To that I added a Ph.D in English literature with a specialization in medieval literature because of a long story.
Editorial clients have included Simon & Schuster, Girl Friday Productions, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Barnes and Noble Custom Publishing, and others, along with many independent authors.
For fiction self-paced classes, click here.
For fiction instructor-led classes, click here
For nonfiction self-paced classes, click here
For nonfiction instructor-led classes, click here
For on-demand instructor-led classes, fiction and nonfiction, click here