Leaving Academia: Becoming a Freelance Editor

Paulina Cossette

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. 4d ago

    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)

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. 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

  5. Jul 9

    This Bait-and-Switch Keeps PhDs Overworked and Underpaid (and What to Do About It)

    You did everything right—the degree, the publications, the cross-country moves—and academia still didn't deliver the flexible schedule, job security, or financial comfort it promised you. In this episode, I walk through the five promises academia made to every one of us, exactly how each one got broken, and the part nobody tells you: running your own editing or coaching business delivers every single thing academia promised but never provided. In this episode, you'll hear: ➕ The 5 promises academia made (flexible schedule, job security, financial comfort, intellectual freedom, meaningful work)—and why the system was designed to break them ➕ Why the "you can only be a professor" story is a lie built to keep you underpaid and overworked ➕ How the risk of starting a business compares to the risk you already took getting a PhD (spoiler: your business can't be defunded) ➕ Real numbers: how I went from $45K as an agency contractor to $100K+ with 55 private clients working just 30 hours a week ➕ Two detailed examples of academics who turned skills they already had into editing and coaching businesses charging $75–$100/hour ➕ Why the identity shift—not the skills—is the hardest part of leaving If this episode hits home, subscribe so you never miss a weekly episode, and share it with a colleague who's been facing these same broken promises. Want to end burnout and become an academic editor or coach? Go to AcadiaEditing.com/map 1:00 You did everything right—so where's the payoff? 3:11 Promise 1: The flexible schedule 4:50 Promise 2: Job security and the tenure dream 5:56 Promise 3: Financial comfort 8:43 Promises 4 & 5: Intellectual freedom and meaningful work 10:25 The story that there's only one path for a PhD 14:12 Reality check: The laptop on every vacation 17:52 Reality check: A job market in crisis 19:34 Reality check: Frozen salaries and second jobs 22:30 Reality check: Where did the freedom go? 25:29 You're not stuck—your skills can move 28:47 How your own business keeps promise 1: your calendar 30:54 Real security: your business can't be defunded 34:33 The money: from $45K to $100K+ at 30 hours a week 42:20 Two real examples: editor and coach 45:34 The identity shift—leaving is choosing yourself Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    This Bait-and-Switch Keeps PhDs Overworked and Underpaid (and What to Do About It)

  6. Jul 2

    Group Coaching or 1:1? How to Choose the Right Path Out of Academia

    You know you're ready to leave academia. What you don't know is whether you need a program with a syllabus and a group cohort, or one person in your corner helping you move at your own speed. Here's the thing: BAE (my group program) and 1:1 coaching aren't "better" or "worse" than each other. They solve different problems. One gives you structure and community. The other gives you speed and total focus on your specific situation. For example: One of my 1:1 clients retired from academia this spring. No website, no cohort, no waiting until our program resumes in September. We spent a month together defining her niche and building her offer—moving at her pace, not a syllabus's pace. Two weeks after her website went live, she'd landed $8,000 in committed coaching clients. A month in? She'd secured $16k in contracts—almost entirely from the academic network she'd spent decades building. That's what 1:1 coaching is built for: fast, focused, built entirely around you. In this week's episode, I walk through exactly how to know which path—group or 1:1—is right for you. If you have questions, reach out. If you've been waiting for the "right" timing or the right amount of courage to reach out to people who already know you—this episode is your roadmap to move forward. 🎧 Watch the full episode and subscribe for new episodes every week. Resources Mentioned: 🐦‍🔥 Free 3-day workshop July 13-15, 11am-12pm ET — register at AcadiaEditing.com/live Interested in 1:1 coaching? Email Paulina: paulina@acadiaediting.com BAE September cohort — AcadiaEditing.com/map 01:26 My client: from academia into coaching 03:22 Activating her academic network for trust and referrals 05:10 Why she skipped the wait for the next BAE cohort 06:37 From niche to launched website in one month 07:37 The numbers: $1,000 and $2,000/month, $8K in two weeks ($16k in 4 weeks) 10:02 Yes, Paulina does 1:1 coaching too (and what it looks like) 13:48 BAE by the numbers: 2 years, 9 cohorts, 120+ members 16:02 Reason #1: Pace — group syllabus vs. your own speed 20:33 Reason #2: Life happens — flexibility when things get hard 23:54 Reason #3: Group dynamics — community boost vs. overwhelm 26:25 Reason #4: Time zones and scheduling realities 28:42 Who thrives in BAE's group program 35:09 Who thrives in 1:1 coaching 40:31 What working together 1:1 actually looks like 46:15 Paulina's own story: from burnt-out professor to founder 50:03 Wrap-up: free workshop July 13-15 and how to reach out Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Group Coaching or 1:1? How to Choose the Right Path Out of Academia

  7. Jun 25

    $10k Months as an Editor? The Exact Homepage Structure I Used to Hit This Major Revenue Goal

    Your website is losing you clients before they even scroll down. If your editing or coaching website leads with your credentials, your degree, your publications—you're doing it backwards. And it's probably costing you inquiries you don't even know you're missing. In this episode, I'm breaking down the StoryBrand framework—one of the most effective marketing approaches in the world—and showing you exactly how to apply it to your homepage so it converts visitors into paying clients. Here's what I cover: 📖 Why your website is not about you (and what it IS about) 📖 The 7 sections every academic editor or coach needs on their homepage 📖 What goes in the "hero section"—and why you have 3 seconds to get it right 📖 How to write to make your ideal client feel like you're inside their head 📖 The formula that builds trust without humble-bragging 📖 Why you should never list your services before you've done this one thing first 📖 Testimonials, bios, and contact forms—done right This is the exact framework I used to build my editing website when I was ready to stop editing for agencies and start working with private clients. It took me to my first $10K month—and it's what I teach every student in BAE. 📄 Download the free website wireframe: https://acadiaediting.com/homepage 📌 Resources Mentioned: Marketing Made Simple, by Dr. JJ Peterson and Donald Miller: https://amzn.to/4vvIk1W Building a StoryBrand, by Donald Miller: https://amzn.to/3QYq8yQ Free website wireframe PDF: https://acadiaediting.com/homepage WordPress (affiliate link): https://automattic.pxf.io/c/5804942/1919834/22744 Like and Subscribe so you don't miss an episode! 0:35 – Welcome & episode overview: What we're covering today 2:00 – Free resource: The website wireframe (acadiaediting.com/homepage) 3:30 – The provocative truth: Your homepage is not about you 6:30 – What is StoryBrand? Donald Miller's framework explained 10:00 – The core premise: Your client is the hero, you are the guide 13:30 – Yoda, Gandalf, and the 7 steps of the hero's journey 17:00 – Section 1: The Hero Section (above the fold) 20:30 – Writing your one-liner and subheading 24:00 – Your photo and CTA button: Why both matter more than you think 28:30 – Section 2: Pain Points—copy that makes clients feel seen 33:00 – Section 3: Empathy & Authority—"I get it, and I know how to help" 37:30 – Section 4: The 3-Step Process (removing friction) 41:30 – Why you should NOT list your services here 45:00 – Section 5: Testimonials (even before you have paying clients) 49:00 – Section 6: Your Bio—short, human, and not a CV 52:30 – Section 7: The Contact Form (and why "how did you hear about me?" matters) 56:00 – Practical writing advice: Google Doc first, platform second 58:30 – Choosing your website platform + domain name reality check 60:30 – Recap, action step, and BAE enrollment details Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    $10k Months as an Editor? The Exact Homepage Structure I Used to Hit This Major Revenue Goal

  8. Jun 18

    "I Can't Leave, I Need the Insurance": How to Leave Academia and Freelance With a Chronic Illness

    Is the fear of losing your health insurance keeping you trapped in academia? This worry keeps a lot of chronically ill academics stuck in jobs that are making them sicker—and the premise is worth questioning. In this episode, Paulina talks with D. Scott, PhD, JD, a former academic who developed a chronic illness during a postdoc at the University of Edinburgh and slowly realized the tenure track wasn't survivable for their body. Instead of forcing themselves into another job for the benefits, D. chose their health, moved back to the US, and built a freelance academic editing business that's now in its sixth year and booked through December. D. gets honest about the stuff nobody explains: ⚕️ how to research which states give you real support, ⚕️ why freelancing gave them more flexibility than any "stable" job ever did, ⚕️ how they pace work around an unpredictable body, and ⚕️ why raising your editing rates matters most when you physically can't work more hours. In this conversation, we also cover: 👉 Why the fear of losing health insurance is more workable than the worst-case stories suggest 👉 How to schedule and book clients when your energy isn't guaranteed 👉 How to stop assuming clients think about money and deadlines the way you do 👉 The chronic-illness and disability editor communities that make this work less lonely If you've been telling yourself you're stuck because of your health, you absolutely have to listen to this episode. ▶️ Hit subscribe so you don't miss the next conversation. To work with D., get in touch here: dscottedits.com For more on building a freelance editing or coaching career after academia, visit AcadiaEditing.com/map Resources Mentioned: 📌 Northwest Editors Guild — monthly "Editors with Chronic Illnesses, Disabilities and Neurodivergence" Zoom call (open to non-members; sign up through the Guild's website calendar): https://www.edsguild.org/meetings-events/ 📌 LGBTQ Editors Association — Slack community with a dedicated chronic illness, disability, and neurodivergence channel: https://lgbtqeditors.org/ 📌 Resources to research marketplace options and health insurance brokers: https://www.kff.org/affordable-care-act/state-indicator/state-health-insurance-marketplace-types/ https://www.healthcare.gov/find-local-help/ Timestamps: 00:00 Why chronic illness and freelancing comes up so often 04:30 D.'s path: the PhD, Edinburgh postdoc, and getting sick 09:00 Letting go of the tenure track 13:30 Researching states, Medicaid, and choosing New Mexico 18:00 Landing as the pandemic hit, and why editing was the plan 22:30 The health insurance reality: Medicaid, marketplace, and brokers 27:00 Choosing health over career and a new relationship to work 31:30 Scheduling around an unpredictable body 36:00 Money mindset: boundaries and raising your rates 41:00 Finding your people: chronic-illness editor communities Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    "I Can't Leave, I Need the Insurance": How to Leave Academia and Freelance With a Chronic Illness
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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.

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