It’s a good question, and there’s no really short answer.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines it as “a cooperative enterprise.”
It’s a group of entities, in this case professional editors, who share a common interest—providing professional editorial services—and who work together to achieve a common objective—providing inclusive, seamless, and thorough editorial services to clients around the world.
In the case of the Editing Globally collective, we also assist and support each other in our own businesses, offering advice and skills when asked, and when confidentiality permits.
We are all independent editors with our own businesses who join forces, pooling our expertise and scheduling ability, including across time zones, to provide the services clients need and expect, be the project large or small, very urgent or ongoing.
Clients can hire us as a group for large projects. They can also hire one or two of us for smaller projects. Either way, clients receive the benefit of all of us being able to consult the others if needed.
Because of the various time zones we are in, and because of our individual working patterns, we can collectively provide a 24/7 service.
Because of our different lived experiences, the different countries we live in and/or have lived in, we are committed to inclusivity and compassionate and sensitive relationships with our clients, wherever they are and whoever they are.
All of us, together as a group, and individually, polish your words, elevate your ideas, and respect your voice. No matter the project, no matter the subject matter, the words and the message are yours.
Another way of defining the Editing Globally collective is that we’re a group of professional editing friends, who like and respect each other and each other’s work and skills, and who combined forces to provide the best for clients. We also have some fun while doing it!