Are Copy Editors an Endangered Species?

The other day, I ran into a co-worker on the bus ride to work. He is a copy editor. So am I. Well, actually my title is Web Content Strategist, but I copy edit anyway, because proofreaders are born, not made.

He and I had the following exchange:

Me: So, you're a copy editor, I'm a copy editor. Do you think we'll be extinct soon?

Him: I hope not.

Me: I mean, because, have you seen the internet lately?

Him: Yup.

Me: Exactly.

You don't have to be on the internet much to notice rampant crimes against grammar, punctuation, clarity, and sense. It's not surprising. That's what happens when:

1. everybody self-publishes, and 
2. smart phone keypads make it difficult to access punctuation marks, and
3. people have such busy lives that "little things" like grammar are the first to go.

Of course, to a copy editor, grammar is not a "little thing." It is the shining, golden key to clear and excellent communication. Unfortunately, this seems to be a minority viewpoint nowadays.

Jobs That Evolve

Salary.com recently published a neat slideshow called 12 Jobs on the Brink: Will They Evolve or Go Extinct? Check it out: 

Copy Editor was not one of the "12 Jobs on the Brink" in that slideshow. But it could have been. I'd classify it as "Endangered."

Image credit: pbs.org

I've worked in publishing since 1999. In these 14 years, I've seen copy editors laid off. I've seen the copy editing function outsourced, freelanced, and just plain omitted. I've seen the hourly rate paid to proofreaders remain flat and even decline.

It's hard to show a clear return on investment for copy editing—that is, until an egregious error damages your reputation. But if everything you publish is online, you can fix an error in seconds—no more Dewey Defeats Truman.

Here's My Prediction

I predict that copy editors will become a luxury, affordable only to publishers with deep pockets.

And I believe certain industries will always employ copy editors because the stakes are high:

• Lawyers. In legal documents, a single misplaced comma can change the meaning of a sentence enough to prompt a lawsuit.
• PR and design firms. Their job is to make you look good, so one error could cost them their business.

Because it will become difficult to find a full-time job as a copy editor, editors will have to start learning backup skills. That's already the case for many editors, who branch out into project management, user experience design, javascript coding, and other areas.

Looks like it's time for me to work on those backup skills. Or maybe it's time to leave it all behind and write that novel instead. So far, people still seem willing to pay for those.