First, think about what you know about reading and how well you can do it. For instance, are you interested in reading and capable of reading critically? There is a big difference between reading a book for simple pleasure and reading a book to see whether it is going to end up on the best seller list after all, and you are going to need to take a moment to look into how you are going to be able to move forward. The more you are able to read critically, the better off you are going to be. If you can look at a passage and tell that there is something wrong with it, or something that rings false, you are in a great place to get this kind of editing job.
Another thing that you need to think about doing when you are looking to get into editing is that you need to be able to read fast and concisely. If you are looking through dozens of manuscripts a day, you need to start looking around at what kind of speed you can muster up. Can you read quickly and still make a good effort at finding quality writing? Being able to read quickly is an important part of being able to edit well, so think about how much you like to read and how quickly you can do it.
Currently, the publishing industry has gone through a fair amount of upheaval, and you may need to look into a position that is going to be a bit tedious when you are getting started. One position that you might be able to get when you are looking at publishing is that of the slush pile reader. The slush pile is the manuscripts that come in without an agent. These are the manuscripts that are typically of vary quality and there are many of them. In most cases, your editing job will be to do the initial rough sort that will pass the quality manuscripts up to another reader.
Consider where you might like to be when it comes to the publishing world. If you love to read and you know a good story when you read one, take some time and look into how you are going to be able to enter the publishing industry. There is a lot of room for editors and slush pile readers, so see what kind of position you might be interested in!
