Who hires music editors (part 5: crescendo)

In this series about editing in the music niche, we’ve covered what editors work on, resources they use, their backgrounds, and common errors. In this final installment, our specialists tell us where the work comes from.

• Publishers hire editors for books, or the author of a monograph (or self-published book) might hire an editor directly.
• Performance programs might be coordinated by the musician (or their manager) or the design firm producing it.
• Liner notes are coordinated by the musician’s manager or label.
• Theses are managed by the student, or in rare cases, the thesis supervisor.
• Scores are handled by the composer or publisher.
• Conservatories put out a lot of print materials, and they hire editors.

As with any niche, getting work depends on getting known by the people who do hiring. Editors can meet them at industry events, find them listed on a masthead, and write to them directly, saying they are available for work.

In non-music circles, let your music and editing expertise be known. That way people can think of you when the time comes to make a recommendation. That’s what networking is essentially about.

Thanks again to our experts in this series:

Michele Satanove is a classical-musician-turned-editor in British Columbia, Canada.

Katherine Noftz Nagel is a freelance technical writer, editor, web designer, personal tech coach, and mezzo-soprano in New York state.

Pam Smith specializes in editing in music, the arts and humanities, management, and corporate work in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Kate Unrau is a professional violinist and editor freelancing in Toronto, Canada.

Read other stories in our 5-part series

• Part 1: What editing music is about
• Part 2: What makes a good music editor
• Part 3: Resources for editing music
• Part 4: Common problems in editing music

This article was originally posted on the Copyediting website, June 5, 2017.