I’ve been speaking with a few newer editors about how they find clients and how they cope with the ups and downs of freelancing. This week’s interview is with Maria Georgiou, who has been a freelance developmental editor and beta reader specializing in romance for two years. Here’s our Q&A: 1. Tell me a little…
A few years back, I ran a class called Naked Editing for newer freelance editors who wanted to follow along as I did an actual manuscript edit. I’m a developmental editor, so people were curious to see how I identified developmental problems and how I addressed them in the edit. It’s a very different process…
I asked several experienced editors if they’d give some suggestions for newer editors about the all-important issue of finding clients and dealing with the ups-and-downs of freelancing. Khelsea Purvis (website here) has been freelancing for about eight years, part-time. She works mainly as a story editor for children’s books but also edits other types of…
It happens to all of us from time to time: work slows down, and we need to generate quick income. Note that this is not a blog post about how to start your business as a freelance book editor tomorrow and make fifty grand by Friday. That’s not gonna happen. Tips for How to Make…
The first time I had the entrepreneurial urge, I was about seven years old and I sold jokes, written on little scrolls and tied with string, to neighborhood kids for five cents each. As soon as my parents found out, they put a stop to it. The next time I had an entrepreneurial urge, I…
If you’re trying to build your freelance business, you’d probably like to know how to make more money as an editor. One way to do that is to offer a wider variety of services to meet client needs. Expanding the services you offer is also a great way to add some variety to your day….
A newer freelance editor reports that she’s having trouble booking clients for developmental editing at the fees she’s asking. She wants my help to figure out what to do next. The Problem “Most clients [who decline booking a DE] tell me that the reason is the high fee (for them) for the service. Some of them choose…
Not long ago, I came across this question (paraphrased) on a site for freelance editors: “A potential client has written a science fiction novel (350,000 words) and is asking me to proofread the manuscript, offer inline fact-checking on the scientific accuracy, and provide overall feedback about the project. How should I price a project like…
I’m often asked, “For beginning editors, do you recommend doing some edits for free to get a start?” To answer, I want to distinguish between a beginning editor who has no idea what they’re doing and needs to learn and a beginning editor who knows what they’re doing but doesn’t have a lot in the…
It’s important for editors to recognize that authors have different stages of ability: Most of our author clients are at Stage 1, 2, or 3, and how we shape the edit will depend on which it is. If we expect an author at Stage 1 to be able to spot their own errors, we aren’t…