As someone who recently moved to Spain from the US, I’m part of a few expat groups online, and people are constantly posting warnings such as, “Watch out! My friend didn’t get her visa renewed because she didn’t keep her private health insurance!” The backstory: For some types of visas, you have to have private…
Newer editors are often unsure of how to stand out from other editors. So they’ll do things that are the equivalent of wearing a fedora or a monocle. “Notice me!” these efforts say. But there’s a better way to stand out. My #1 Tip to Stand Out as an Editor The very best way to…
One of the things I love about having a freelance editing career is that I can do it from anywhere. Sometimes this is not a very fun place, like my daughter’s hospital room. Other times, it’s Paris. The Flexibility of Remote Work Recently, out of a burning desire to escape the circus that is my…
I’ve been asking a few newer editors to share their tips about creating successful editing businesses. This week, Elyse Lyon responded with her thoughts. – Jennifer Lawler My background is in creative writing/literary fiction and EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching. That background has absolutely helped me in understanding clients and providing services that…
One of the big challenges in starting and maintaining a freelance editing business is the need to continue pushing forward even when you’re not getting a lot of results. This means marketing when you don’t really feel like it and pushing through self-doubt to keep going, even when you’re not yet seeing much a return…
You know the saying, “Actions speak louder than words?” It’s a good one to follow when working with clients. It doesn’t matter what anyone says they’re going to do. It matters if they do it. Caution: Client’s Words and Actions Don’t Align If you’ve got a publisher client who says they pay within thirty days…
When you’re a newer editor, success – that is, booking clients regularly enough to pay your bills – can feel elusive. And when people who’ve been working as editors for twenty years give advice, it can feel as if their gems of wisdom aren’t especially pertinent to the current year. So, I asked some students…
Back when I edited a custom magazine, I assigned and edited a package about an upcoming event (similar to a business conference) which included profiles of some of the attendees and speakers, a how-to-get ready checklist, a travel piece on side trips to take at the location, a celebration of highlights of the event over…
Newer freelancers sometimes come to me in a panic because a client has approached them to do work that’s outside their typical scope. Commonly this is something like the freelancer offers copyediting and developmental editing but the client wants coaching. What should they do? They don’t know how to coach, they don’t offer coaching services,…
Years ago, I was reading a book by Carl Hiaasen (I think it was Carl Hiaasen) in which a character made an impulsive decision with, to quote, “reckless serenity.” And I just stopped in that moment and reveled in that glorious phrase. The best things I’ve ever done in my life have all been achieved…