Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor

Paulina Cossette
  • 5.0 (11)
  • Education
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In 2019, I was a political science professor who was fed up with the stress and hostility of academia–not to mention the low pay. I left my tenure-track job and went from barely surviving to thriving as a freelance academic editor. Today, I own Acadia Editing Services, an editing and coaching business that brings in six figures a year.  In this podcast, I’ll discuss the challenges of academia, what academic editing involves, and what life as a freelancer looks like. If you’re willing to jump outside your comfort zone, it IS possible to find joy, true flexibility, and a profitable and rewarding career as an academic editor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Sep 3

    From Burnout to 10k Followers: How Erin Schleiden Built The Academic Writing Coach

    You've always assumed that niching down will scare clients away, but you're getting it wrong. I know it's counterintuitive, but Erin Schleiden, PhD, is the perfect example of why narrowing your niche is the way to grow your audience and expand your client list. After grad school, Erin picked one tiny slice of the dissertation--the literature review--and became the go-to editor for it. That's what got her from a business idea to more clients than she could take on. In this episode, Erin, founder of The Academic Writing Coach, walks us through her journey, from burning out while teaching six classes in grad school, to freelancing on Upwork, to building a successful business--including 11,500 followers on Instagram. She also explains why having an ultra-specific niche worked in her favor when she was scared it would backfire, and how a year of posting on Pinterest every single day contributed to her success. Whether you've spent decades in academia or you're just finishing your PhD, it IS possible to use the skills you've developed to build the life you've always wanted. In addition to editing, Erin offers a Lit Review Writing Bootcamp and a 14-Day Methodology Momentum Challenge. Get more info and join her email list at the links below. Resources Mentioned: The Academic Writing Coach: https://theacademicwritingcoach.com Erin on Instagram: @theacademicwritingcoach Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/map Timestamps 00:00 - Meet Erin Schleiden, the Academic Writing Coach 02:58 - Burnout from teaching six courses at once 04:48 - Freelancing on Upwork back in 2012 07:33 - Building a basic website beyond Upwork 09:50 - Niching into literature review editing 11:40 - Why niching down brings in more clients 13:57 - Pinterest SEO and posting daily for a year 16:14 - Officially launching The Academic Writing Coach 18:05 - Growing Instagram from 300 to 10,000 followers 21:17 - Using a VA for voice-of-customer research 24:02 - Inside her 1:1 coaching and editing packages 26:46 - Running the 30-day dissertation writing challenge 31:48 - Her teaching background as a business asset 34:06 - Where to find and work with Erin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    From Burnout to 10k Followers: How Erin Schleiden Built The Academic Writing Coach

  2. Aug 27

    4 Signs Your Academic Business Has Outgrown You (and What to Do Next)

    You're fully booked with editing or coaching clients. Revenue is good. And somehow you still feel like something's about to fall apart. If that sounds familiar, you haven't done anything wrong—you've hit a point that almost every academic entrepreneur hits after the early growth stage. In this episode, I walk through the four signs that your editing or coaching business has outgrown the "figure it out alone" phase: 1. doing everything yourself 2. being too busy to market 3. trading time for money, and 4. decision fatigue and shiny object syndrome I share what each one looks like day to day, why the skills that got you here stop working past this point, and what changed for me once I stopped trying to solve all of it solo (hint: my business grew well past $100k). If you're past the launch phase and starting to feel the ceiling pressing down on you, this episode will show you that it's time to make a change so you can keep growing. Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/map 00:00 - Why scaling has no one-size-fits-all formula 03:00 - The BAE roadmap and why early growth is simple 07:15 - Sign 1: doing everything yourself 09:30 - Why delegating feels harder than it should 13:25 - Sign 2: fully booked but no time to market 16:30 - Building a marketing system that runs in the background 19:00 - Sign 3: trading time for money 21:30 - Pricing on value instead of hours 23:20 - Sign 4: decision fatigue and shiny object syndrome 26:30 - The shiny object syndrome story with my coach 29:30 - Refining what already works instead of chasing new offers 33:00 - Recapping all four signs 36:00 - What changed after getting the right support Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    4 Signs Your Academic Business Has Outgrown You (and What to Do Next)

  3. Aug 20

    The "House Cleaner Theory" of Pricing Your Academic Editing Services

    If you're still charging 2 cents a word for academic editing, this episode is going to make you uncomfortable—in a good way. In this episode, I break down the two beliefs that keep editors underpriced ("I'll lose clients" and "who am I to charge more?"), why the EFA rate chart is training the whole industry to undercharge, and exactly what I charge now for copy editing, developmental editing, and coaching. I also share real rates that editors inside BAE are landing right now, from US$350 journal article edits to US$2,300-a-month coaching clients. I explain why a client who leaves when you raise your rates was never the right client to begin with (and how you can attract the right clients who value your expertise). And I offer the "house cleaner" analogy to help you stop feeling guilty for raising your rates. Watch the full episode or listen wherever you get your podcasts. And be sure to register for my free training on Sept 2: "Where Are All the Private Clients? How to Stop Relying on Agencies and Start Attracting Clients Who Value Your Work" Get the Zoom link at: https://acadiaediting.com/editorslive Resources Mentioned: Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) rate chart: https://www.the-efa.org/rates/#ratechart **A note on the EFA rate chart: Since recording, I've been thinking about my comments on pricing and the EFA rate chart, and I want to clarify some things. First, I've heard from dozens of editors who charge very low rates (around 2 cents a word) because they think that charging less will get them more clients. These are experienced editors who should be learning how to market themselves, instead of keeping their prices low. This is the audience I was thinking about when I recorded this episode. Second, I think the 4-6 cents per word that the rate chart quotes for line editing in the humanities is in line with the pricing that I see among BAE members (brand-new editors), but I do think that editors with a year or more of experience and positive client feedback should be charging closer to 7-8 cents per word (yes, even in the humanities and social sciences). Furthermore, the EFA chart's rates for STEM, legal, and medical are far too low. Editors with 6-12 mos of experience (and positive client feedback) in these fields should be charging 7-12 cents per word, especially for shorter articles. Finally, I'd like to repeat my call to the EFA to release more data from the survey: what is the sample size (total and per category), what does the distribution of rates look like (total and per category), etc. The medians are helpful but they are not the whole story. Timestamps 0:00 - Why raising your rates feels so scary 2:00 - The two beliefs driving underpricing fear 5:00 - Beliefs vs. facts: unmaking the fear 8:30 - How Paulina went from 2 to 8 cents a word 11:30 - What editors in BAE are actually charging 15:00 - Clients who leave are a fit problem, not a price problem 18:30 - The house cleaner pricing analogy 21:30 - What premium clients are really paying for 24:30 - Why pricing for everyone prices you for no one 27:30 - Why the EFA rate chart is too low 31:00 - Real BAE member rates and project examples 34:00 - How to actually price editing and coaching work 37:00 - Community, confidence, and the free Sept 2 workshop Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    The "House Cleaner Theory" of Pricing Your Academic Editing Services

  4. Aug 13

    Does Leaving Academia Still Feel Like Failure? Reflections on the Last 10 Years

    Leaving academia can feel like admitting the whole thing was a mistake. It isn't—and the fear that says otherwise isn't an accident. In this episode, Paulina sits down with career coach Jen Polk (From PhD to Life) for an honest conversation about the stigma around leaving academia: where it comes from, whether it's actually loosening, and how to push through it if it's holding you back. You'll hear the "you can never come back" fear-mongering both of us heard firsthand, why the tenure-track benchmark is more arbitrary than it feels, and practical ways to rebuild your sense of identity and community outside a university. Watch the full conversation, subscribe for more real-talk about life after academia, and check out Jen and Paulina's Monday YouTube Live series for weekly conversations on leaving academia. Resources Mentioned: Jen Polk — From PhD to Life.com Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/map 1:21 – Today's question: does the stigma persist 3:45 – Catching up before diving in 6:43 – Paulina's story: fear-mongering to stay put 9:10 – "You can never come back" myth 11:33 – Stigma exists to keep academics trapped 14:21 – The "such a shame" irony story 17:37 – Coaching clients who wait for tenure 18:51 – Ticking the box before feeling free 22:38 – Hiding your job search from colleagues 24:14 – Publishing outside academia gets you shunned 31:38 – Nobody outside academia cares about tenure 32:22 – Who are you without the title 35:36 – Reframe: pick your top three hats Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Does Leaving Academia Still Feel Like Failure? Reflections on the Last 10 Years

  5. Aug 6

    How to Finish Your PhD and Launch Your Editing Business (with a Toddler at Home)

    Thousands of moms around the world are getting their PhD while juggling many (or all) of the parenting responsibilities. In this week's episode, I spoke with Laura Vasquez Bass, of Atlantic Editorial, about how she defended her dissertation and launched her editing business--while being a toddler mom AND an international student. Laura is a September 2025 BAE grad who came to the US as an international PhD student, spent years as a managing editor at a peer-reviewed journal, and eventually realized that "an intellectual is who I am, not where I am." That reframe changed everything. Here's what we cover: 🤱 How Laura turned her research background in race, gender, and postcolonial studies into a niche that lets her charge for expertise, not just proofreading 🤱 How to find your coaching niche by drawing on your own life experiences 🤱 Why the real value editors provide has almost nothing to do with fixing commas—and why that's exactly why AI won't replace you 🤱 Why you don't need to be an "expert" to coach—you just need to be a few steps ahead If you're burnt out, underpaid, and wondering whether there's a version of academic life that will give you the life you actually want to have—this conversation is for you. ▶️ Watch, then subscribe for a new episode every week. Resources Mentioned: Laura Vasquez Bass — AtlanticEditorial.com Instagram: @atlanticeditorial LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-vasquez-bass-phd/ Want to get my free training and find out how to become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/live 1:49 Meet Laura Vasquez Bass, PhD 2:41 From London to a US PhD program 5:27 When academia stopped being the plan 6:53 Discovering editing through an academic journal 9:20 An intellectual is who I am, not where I am 10:31 Rethinking what it means to be an academic 11:08 Building a niche around social justice scholarship 14:38 Why editing isn't about fixing commas (and why AI won't replace you) 16:09 Two client stories: expertise and emotional labor 19:58 Launching a coaching practice for academic moms 25:58 The loneliness of mothering in academia 32:44 You don't need to be an expert to coach 35:04 Being realistic: business is an iterative process 37:35 The marketing lesson: content vs cold email 46:07 Delayed gratification and the 3.5-year cold email 48:17 Where to find Laura + outro Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    How to Finish Your PhD and Launch Your Editing Business (with a Toddler at Home)

  6. Jul 30

    "There's No Work Out There" Is a Lie: 3 Places to Find Your Next Editing Clients

    You keep hearing there's no editing work out there. Let me be clear: That is NOT true—and if your calendar has been empty, the problem probably isn't the market. It's that your ideal clients don't know you exist... yet. In this episode of the Leaving Academia podcast, Paulina debunks the "no work" myth. Although agency work is drying up as AI floods the low tier of the editing market, people in the higher tier—the scholars and writers who want to work with a real, talented human editor and want nothing to do with AI—are still hiring. The catch? Those clients won't Google their way to your website on their own. You have to put yourself in front of them. Paulina walks you through the three categories where high-tier private clients actually spend their time, and exactly what to do once you get there. What we cover: 🚨 Why "there's no work" is really a visibility problem (and why agency contracts are disappearing) 🚨 The three categories of clients most editors overlook 🚨 How to reactivate past clients without feeling like a pest (the accountability-partner reframe that makes them grateful you emailed) 🚨 How to use LinkedIn and Facebook groups to find and connect with ideal clients, instead of posting into the void 🚨 Why "sales is service," and how showing up consistently beats showing up frantically 🚨 The 10-second elevator pitch that makes people remember exactly who to refer to you If you've ever said "I don't know where to start," this is your roadmap. 👉 Watch, then hit subscribe so you don't miss the next episode. Resources Mentioned: Ep 94: The Two Tiers of the Editing Market (listen first if you haven't already) Ep 90: Building your editing website with the StoryBrand framework Buffer — free tool for scheduling your marketing posts so you stay consistent BAE: Becoming an Academic Editor or Coach — 12-week program, September cohort (also January & May 2027) Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Get my free training at: AcadiaEditing.com/live 0:00 - "There's no work out there" is a lie 2:20 - Why agency work is drying up (and where AI fits in) 4:25 - Warm connections & referrals: your academic network 10:45 - Reactivating past clients (the accountability nudge) 14:45 - Referrals from other editors & adjacent pros 17:40 - Getting visible on LinkedIn (connect, don't just post) 23:10 - Finding clients in Facebook groups 25:40 - Slack, Discord, Reddit, newsletters & podcasts 28:00 - In person: conferences & campus events 31:55 - Libraries, book fairs & everyday conversations 35:20 - Sales is service: what to do once you're there 38:00 - Consistent beats intense: stop the spam cycle 41:20 - Run it like an experiment: test, tweak, repeat 43:45 - Ready to build this? Join BAE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    "There's No Work Out There" Is a Lie: 3 Places to Find Your Next Editing Clients

  7. Jul 23

    How to 4x Your Editing Rate without Learning a Single New Skill

    You've been editing for an agency since 2020, and you're still making the same 1.5 cents a word you started with. Meanwhile you're staring down another year of barely cracking $40K for work that's eating away all of your evenings and weekends. In this episode of the Leaving Academia podcast, Paulina lays out the real numbers most editors never see—and the way out that nobody taught you. She's not mincing words here. This is a raw look at what agencies pay, why so many talented PhDs stay stuck taking scraps, and how private clients pay 4-8 times more for the exact same skill set. In this episode, you'll hear: 🎯 What a 50,000-word dissertation earns you at agency rates versus what a private client pays for the identical job 🎯 Why agencies have frozen their rates for six years and what that really tells you 🎯 The truth about AI in editing: why it's eating the bottom tier of the market, not the segment you should belong to 🎯 The two very different types of editing clients and which one you've never been shown 🎯 The three things standing between you and private clients who pay well and treat you like a professional (hint: it's not your skills) If you've been convinced that agency rates are as good as it gets, it's time to stop believing that lie. ▶️ Watch, then hit subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. New episodes drop weekly. 📌 Resources Mentioned: Episode 90: How I use the StoryBrand framework on my editing homepage Free website wireframe to build a homepage that attracts and converts private clients: AcadiaEditing.com/blueprint 0:00 Intro: editing rates and the agency trap 3:57 Rates haven't budged since 2020 4:52 What agencies actually pay per word 5:51 The $250 dissertation: doing the math 8:01 Cranking away for barely $40K a year 9:08 Why agencies never raise pay: it's exploitation 9:55 The editors who defend the system 14:46 My story: the fear underneath "how do they find clients?" 16:22 Teaching myself marketing (StoryBrand, ETD lists, cold email) 18:12 Raising my rates to a $10K month 19:24 What I teach editors to charge 23:17 The flinch: "you just get referrals" 25:08 Your clients already pay these rates 30:13 Two pools of clients, two kinds of buyers 32:49 The role of AI: why agency work is drying up 34:28 AI is eating the bottom tier only 36:16 Why higher-tier clients won't switch to AI 38:56 The bottom is shrinking, not the profession 40:05 The 3 things you actually need 45:25 BAE, the blueprint, and 1:1 coaching Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    How to 4x Your Editing Rate without Learning a Single New Skill

  8. Jul 16

    Neurodivergent and Burnt Out? Why Freelance Editing Might Fit Your Brain Better than a 9-5 Job Does

    After a Yale University Press internship where a supervisor told her she had "a strange brain," and six months of applications with zero interviews, Hannah Bartlett stopped trying to fit into a system that wasn't built for her. She launched a freelance editing business instead—and has doubled her income every year since. In this episode of the Leaving Academia podcast, Hannah shares what it's like to build a business as a neurodivergent, disabled editor—and why freelancing can fit your brain in ways a traditional job never will. We discuss: 🧠 How posting about neurodivergence and disability on Threads became Hannah's #1 client source 🧠 The communication boundaries that protect her energy ("book editing is not an emergency") 🧠 How email templates and inquiry forms eliminate the dread of client communication 🧠 Why her autistic directness is a strength clients seek out—not something to hide 🧠 How to unlearn academia's validation trap ("I don't need an A in freelance editing") If you've been struggling to find a job that's a fit, this conversation will show you it's the environment that's the problem—and that you can build one that truly works for you. 🎧 Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and share this one with an academic who needs it. Resources Mentioned: ✅ Episode 89 with D. Scott (chronic illness, health insurance, and freelancing) ✅ Hannah's website: https://www.hannahbartlettediting.com/ **Check out Hannah's website for a link to the Writers’ Self-Care Guide and the upcoming Editors’ Self-Care Guide. ✅ Hannah's Instagram and Threads: @hannahbartlettediting ✅ Editor's Tea Club: https://www.editorsteaclub.org/ ✅ ACES: https://aceseditors.org/ ✅ Beeftext (free PC app for email templates): https://beeftext.org/ Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/map Intro: Disability Pride Month + meet Hannah Bartlett 1:52 Hannah's path: pandemic college and the MFA plan 2:42 The Yale University Press internship 3:24 "You have a strange brain" 5:37 Hundreds of applications, zero interviews 6:59 Landing the first clients: communities and free edits 8:31 Why Threads works: marketing that fits your brain 12:21 Vulnerability as marketing 16:41 Full-time work vs. freelancing while neurodivergent 20:42 Doubling income every year (and the AI question) 23:09 "Book editing is not an emergency": communication boundaries 24:58 Email templates and systems that kill the dread 30:08 Neurodivergence as a strength 35:40 Advice for new freelancers: community and listening to your body 41:40 "I don't need an A in freelance editing" Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Neurodivergent and Burnt Out? Why Freelance Editing Might Fit Your Brain Better than a 9-5 Job Does
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About

In 2019, I was a political science professor who was fed up with the stress and hostility of academia–not to mention the low pay. I left my tenure-track job and went from barely surviving to thriving as a freelance academic editor. Today, I own Acadia Editing Services, an editing and coaching business that brings in six figures a year.  In this podcast, I’ll discuss the challenges of academia, what academic editing involves, and what life as a freelancer looks like. If you’re willing to jump outside your comfort zone, it IS possible to find joy, true flexibility, and a profitable and rewarding career as an academic editor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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