As consolidation has reshaped publishing, the business has seen a steady stream of editors leaving their jobs at major houses to go independent. But a 2020 survey on freelance rates conducted by the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) indicates that while going independent may lighten an editor’s workload, it does not necessarily pay well. The survey, which polled members of all kinds including proofreaders and copywriters, put the median editorial freelance income of respondents at $25,974 annually. Of the 576 members who participated, only 11% had other income streams. At the high end, the survey recorded that 5 percent make between …