One of the challenges of building a small business – like a freelance editing business – is that it builds slowly over time and it requires a lot of consistent, persistent effort over that time. Every quarter, I run a marketing challenge for Club Ed members. The idea is just to do one small marketing…
Some people at Club Ed (including me) recently received a scam email about an editing “opportunity” and I thought this was a good time to remind everyone about how to spot these. When you receive an inquiry (usually by email), before responding, always stop to consider whether it’s a true request for services or a…
“The road to success and the road to burnout are the same for too many people,” a friend mine, a leadership coach, recently said to me. This struck me as one of those truths that you have never articulated but feels so obvious once someone has said it to you. I’ve been thinking about burnout…
If I want to give myself a break, normally I will take Friday afternoon off. But recently I took a Monday afternoon off and I loved it. I’m always very busy on Mondays but it occurred to me that I could reduce the stress of that day if I just focused on the main things…
Freelance editors typically want to get as many potential clients into their net as possible, in the hopes that this will result in a consistent income stream. I understand this, but it’s a great way to waste your time weeding out the people who will never turn into good clients, including those who aren’t the…
I’ve been talking with newer and more established freelance editors about how they find clients and deal with ups and downs in freelancing. This week’s editor is Shellah Inman, who has been editing part-time for four years. Here’s our Q&A: Tell me a little about your background and the kind of editing you do. I’ve…
A few years ago, two students started taking classes at Club Ed. Both had solid backgrounds that helped them quickly grasp the principles of developmental editing – one had a teaching background and the other had a journalism background. One of these students recently celebrated their first $10,000 month. The other student got bogged down…
I’ve been talking with newer and more established freelance editors about how they find clients and deal with ups and downs in freelancing. This week’s editor is Andrew Hodges. Here’s our Q&A: How long have you been freelancing as an editor? I’ve been running a full-time editorial business since 2019, and I edited for five…
It happened again this week: a writer got in touch with me, told me some information about their book, and asked for some guidance about next steps. They weren’t asking about my editorial services, they were just asking what happens next in the writing process. This is a very common ask, and I have a…
I’ve been talking with newer and more established freelance editors about how they find clients and deal with ups and downs in freelancing. This week’s editor is Diana Courtney-Smith. Here’s our Q&A: How long have you been freelancing as an editor? I’ve been freelance editing full-time since 2020 (Thank you, COVID!) Tell me a little…