In this episode, Dr. Paulina Cossette shares her journey from academia to launching her own freelance coaching and editing business.
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Why Shift from Academia?
- First-generation scholar: Paulina pursued academia for stability and as a pathway to uplift her family.
- Academic burnout: Despite success—publishing books, earning tenure-track positions, and gaining funding—she found herself working 7 days a week, riddled with guilt and exhaustion. Constant committees, student academic integrity issues, and an unsupportive institutional culture wore her down.
- Breaking point: In summer 2019, overworked and disillusioned by deteriorating political discourse on campus, she knew she couldn’t return and moved her family back to Maine.
Starting Over on the Freelance Frontier
- Wide job hunt: Paulina applied to various roles—from secretarial work to remote UX research—but often found she was “overqualified.”
- Pivot to editing: While finishing her co‑authored book, she connected with a freelance copy editor at her publisher and realized this could be her next step. She sent emails to publishers like Routledge and editing agencies such as Scribendi and Taylor & Francis, landing her first roles as a freelance academic editor.
Learning the Business & Scaling Up
- Gaining experience: Editing for academic publishers let her learn the editing workflow and client expectations, despite lower initial pay.
- Private clients & higher rates: Later, she began marketing herself directly to graduate students and faculty—charging more and establishing a sustainable business.
Marketing Strategies That Work
- Listing with university formatting (“ETD”) offices
She reached out to graduate school formatting offices, got added to their recommended editors lists, and has remained a go-to resource for students. - Cold-email campaigns
By emailing publicly listed faculty addresses, she secured about a 5–6% response rate. Out of around 1,000 emails, she received ~50–60 replies and converted many into clients. Fast turnaround times (e.g. journal articles in 3 business days) and compelling subject lines were key. - Content-driven SEO & content repurposing
Weekly blog posts answering questions like “How do I hire an academic editor?” were cross-posted on Medium and Reddit, generating organic traffic and new inquiries.
Sharing a Winning Cold Email Example
Here’s her high-converting template:
“Greetings—As a former political science professor, I remember how quickly each summer flew by… I was stressed and guilty about not making writing progress…”
“As an editor, I revise your text quickly and effectively so you can focus on other tasks. My turnaround time for a journal article under 10,000 words is less than three business days. I’ve edited over 70 books and 1,000+ documents…”
This empathetic, benefit-focused message resonated strongly and led to multiple client sign-ups.
Adding Coaching to the Freelance Mix
- Why coaching?
Editing, while rewarding, can feel solitary. As her children grew and she found time, Paulina realized she wanted to share her journey of leaving academia and building a business. - Launching Becoming an Academic Editor
She created a coaching program to guide others through the same steps she took—addressing both strategy and the mindset shifts needed to overcome stigma and fear.
Addressing the Academic Exit Stigma
Paulina emphasizes:
- Leaving isn’t failure: Academia’s promise often hides work-life imbalance, low pay, and toxic environments.
- Capitalism exists in universities too: With skyrocketing executive salaries and adjunct underpayment, universities are far from the altruistic bastions many believe them to be.
- Set boundaries: Know your limits—smaller liberal arts colleges may still demand publication, committee work, fundraising, and alumni events—all for modest pay.
- Life over prestige: In the end, time with loved ones and personal fulfillment matter more than departmental accolades.
Check out Paulina’s resources at AcadiaEditing.com