Edward Elgar Publishing, a leading independent academic and professional publisher with a strong focus on the social sciences and legal fields, has opened its doors to freelance professionals with experience in academic publishing.
Unlike the publisher’s permanent vacancies in the UK, its freelance opportunities can be particularly relevant for professionals looking for remote, work from home assignments, including potential applicants from India with suitable publishing experience.
Freelance Opportunities at Edward Elgar Publishing
Edward Elgar Publishing is inviting freelance professionals who have a background in academic publishing and can provide services in areas such as copy editing, proofreading, indexing and legal tabling.
These skills are particularly relevant to law graduates, legal researchers, academics, editors and publishing professionals who have experience working on books, journals or other scholarly publications.
The opportunity is not presented as a conventional full-time employment position. Instead, Edward Elgar is inviting experienced freelancers to share their details for potential publishing assignments.
Who Can Apply?
The opportunity may be suitable for professionals who already have experience in academic or legal publishing.
Applicants with experience in copy editing may be considered for assignments involving the review and improvement of academic manuscripts while maintaining the author’s meaning and ensuring consistency in language and style.
Those with proofreading experience can offer another important publishing skill, involving the identification of typographical, grammatical, formatting and other errors before publication.
Professionals with indexing experience may also be relevant, particularly those who have worked on scholarly books and understand how to prepare useful and accurate indexes.
For law professionals, legal tabling skills are especially noteworthy. Legal tabling involves preparing tables and related legal reference material for publications and can be a useful freelance opportunity for individuals familiar with legal texts and academic legal publishing.
Opportunity for Indian Freelancers
For Indian professionals, this opportunity can be worth exploring because the publisher’s freelance call does not state that applicants must be based in the UK.
The announcement specifically asks freelancers with relevant academic publishing backgrounds to submit their CVs and details of previous work. Therefore, experienced Indian professionals may consider approaching the publisher, particularly if they have previously worked remotely for academic publishers, law journals, universities, research organisations or scholarly authors.
However, applicants should understand that this is a freelance opportunity rather than a confirmed employment position, and the announcement does not guarantee work to every person who submits their details.
What Do You Need to Submit?
Applicants are asked to send their CV along with details of 5 to 15 titles they have previously worked on.
For each title, applicants should provide information about the publisher and specify the capacity in which they worked, such as copy editing, proofreading, indexing or legal tabling.
This means that simply having a law degree or general writing experience may not be enough. Applicants should ideally be able to demonstrate actual experience working on published academic or professional material.
Who Should Consider Applying?
This opportunity could be particularly relevant to legal editors, law researchers, academic editors, freelance proofreaders, journal editors, publishing professionals and experienced indexers.
Law graduates and academics who have worked extensively on books, research papers, law journals or edited volumes may also find the opportunity worth exploring if their experience matches the services requested by the publisher.
Candidates should focus their CV on relevant publishing experience rather than submitting a general academic or employment CV.
How to Apply
Interested freelancers can send their CV and details of 5 to 15 titles they have worked on, including the publisher and the role they performed, to:
Applicants should clearly mention whether they worked on each title as a copy editor, proofreader, indexer or legal tabler.
Since this is a freelance expression of interest, applicants should also ensure that their portfolio accurately reflects their previous publishing work.
Important Note for Indian Applicants
The announcement does not specify a particular closing date for the freelance opportunity. It states that Edward Elgar Publishing would be happy to hear from professionals with an academic publishing background.
Indian applicants interested in remote freelance publishing work can therefore consider submitting their details if they have the required experience.
This is especially worth considering for professionals who want to build an international academic publishing portfolio while working remotely from India.
Application Email: freelance@e-elgar.co.uk
Opportunity: Freelance Copy Editing, Proofreading, Indexing and Legal Tabling
Work Arrangement: Freelance / potentially remote
Suitable for: Professionals with academic publishing experience, including those with relevant legal publishing experience
Location: Potentially suitable for international freelancers, including applicants from India, subject to the publisher’s engagement terms



