I looked into this when I was in college. It seemed like it was pretty much everyone's dream job, so it was very difficult to get into. I think it helps if you live in New York City.

Now, if you just want to edit ANY old copy, you can pretty easily get a job working with media buying, where you write, review, and edit copy for advertisements.

I don't know the answer, but I do know that AskMeFi is teeming with copy editors, so you might ask over there, too.

I do copyediting. I will tell you all about it when I get a seec.

I do some freelance editing for magazines. I wouldn't say it was super fun, but it's a pretty easy, low-stress way to make a living. My specialty is health care/medicine, so I read a lot of really technical, boring articles. The weird thing is that interesting, well-done pieces are harder to edit because I get caught up in the story and forget to use my red pen.

[eagerly awaits more info on copy/editing...]

It's not exactly a dream job -- but since it's an entrée to the world of publishing it's definitely in high demand. It's also a low-skill job -- seriously, all you need is an English degree -- so the pool of applicants is, um, huge.

A terrifically funny, bitter (semi-autobiographical) novel about copyediting/fact checking at the New Yorker is Jay McInerney's Bright Lights, Big City. It's pretty dated, though. It might de-romanticize the thing for you, though.

I'm an editor (I do everything from proofreading to copy editing to substantive editing) in the publications department at a museum (so I work on everything from exhibition materials to books to brochures). It's a great job that suits me very well for reasons similar to what you mention -- I love to read, have very good spelling/grammar skills, and am quite a stickler for things being said correctly. It's extremely satisfying to see something in its finished state and know that it's in the best shape it can be in for others to read and enjoy. I just had a new exhibition catalogue published in the past month, for example, and I really do get a little thrill every time I see the book on my shelf now, or hear from someone at the museum how much they like it.

That said, editing certainly has its drawbacks, especially as it relates to any reading or writing aspirations you have outside of work. Because I'm on the computer working all day on other people's words, I find my desire/focus to work on my own writing projects (as well as reading for pleasure) can be diminished. (Also, the eyestrain of editiing should not be discounted. There are days I get home from work and can barely focus on a page in front of me.) Some authors can be extremely difficult to work with, believing that their expertise in one field makes them an expert in editing as well. (I could tell you horror stories, but I won't torture all the non-editors with them!)

I would certainly disagree with stilicho's assessment of it as a "low skill" job in which all you need is an English degree. That's generally true when you're talking about being an entry-level editorial assistant (in which your main tasks are not actually editorial in nature), but being a good proofreader or copy editor takes a lot of skill (both innate and learned) as well as years of experience, even if there's no advanced degree to be had. Seriously, it's a lot more than just being a glorified spell checker. After 10+ years in the biz (in LA, Chicago, and New York, wearing a lot of different editorial hats in different types of settings) I've known a lot of mediocre proofers/editors; I've known fewer good ones, and fewer still truly great ones.

Umm, scody? I have something that needs a little editing. Do you think you could come over to my place, say around 11 to check it out?

Okay, I finally have some time. I'm the managing editor for a small press, I do some freelance work, and I have done work for a press office, papers, magazines, and books.

To begin with, copyediting (and proofing) reqiure more than just spelling and grammar knowledge. However, many people are not aware of that, and the pool of people who want to copyedit is huge. Most of them are terrible, but it can be hard to differentiate yourself, especially when you are just starting out. One of the most important things you need to be able to focus on is style: how numbers are rendered, how street names are rendered, capitalization, etc. This changes from publication to publication. If you do academic work, you need to make sure the notes are done in the correct style. Copy editors also mark-up copy for typesetting (books) and write headlines (some papers). Proofreaders must check formatting. None of this is terribly hard, but it can be tedious. (I enjoy it, but many people do not. Some people are also bad at remembering to check everything evertime and are thus inconsistent--the worst sin.) Further, some of it needs to learned, and the best way is on the job, but as with other jobs, people want you to know it already. You may have to do some work for free.

It is also important to know when not to fix things. One of the biggest problems I run into with inexperienced copy editors is that they don't always know the difference between "wrong" and "not the way I would write it."

As for the market: A lot of it is freelance, with the attendant perks and frustrations; you have to hustle for jobs and you don't get bennies, but you have flexibility. There are staff jobs, too, as you can see from scody's post. Many of these are either at papers or in the publications departments of non-publishing focused corportions. (Pretend that dash is an en-dash, please. I am on a windows machine & am confused.) It pays okay, but not great. You get paid better for ad work or medical stuff.

So that's what you do & the prospects as best as I can figure. Everything scod said is true too. If you have other questions, feel free to email. I love copyediting, but I wish there were fewer bad or thwarted copyeditors.

(Forgive typos. I hate my boyfriend's computer.)

Goodness. Thanks, everyone, for such great information.

Tons more great info from dame! She's right about the pay, too -- I've worked in one way or another as a staff and/or freelance editor for over a decade now, and it's really only in the last couple of years that I can say I'm making a pretty good living, largely because I've been at the same place now for close to five years (plus I've built up a steady freelance clientele on the side). The first editorial gig I got (fresh out of college, so about 15 years ago) in New York didn't even pay enough to cover my student loan payments + monthly commuting costs from New Jersey into Manhattan. When I eventually got laid off (ah, the early '90s! Ah, the general downturn in publishing!), I made more working at Macy's in Paramus. I talked to someone recently about what entry-level editorial salaries were going for these days in New York, and it's not much more than what I made back then.

go to MediaBistro to find out more too.