Editor Spotlight – Zainab Mirza

I’m sharing success stories from newer editors. The following is from Zainab Mirza. – Jennifer Lawler

A few weeks ago, you asked folks to share their success stories. I have a couple of wins I’d like to share.

Story #1:
When I first moved back to Kuwait after college in 2012, I built relationships with a couple of writers in Kuwait through my blog (which was anonymous). While I discontinued that blog over a decade ago, the friendships have only strengthened. One fellow blogger went on to become a published writer and then a creative coach. I did a few sessions with her when she needed to complete the hours to receive her coaching certification, and shared that I was looking to start freelance editing.

She later recommended me to one of the writers she was coaching, who reached out to me immediately and became my first paid DE client, back in 2023. She’s the author of the book I’m now editing for a second round for the Advanced LE course.

Story #2:
In October 2023, I got a complimentary ticket to a very overpriced conference (that I’d been wanting to attend), and managed to get leave from work to attend it (which took four rounds of approvals). I sat at an empty table, and a woman later came and sat next to me. We got talking; she was a fashion designer, and I introduced myself as a writer and editor, never dreaming that anything would come of telling her what I did on the side, considering our very different lines of work. It turned out that she had a friend in Lebanon who was writing a book, and was very excited to connect us the same day.

I had a call with the writer and even though she had a limited budget, she was keen to work with me after I sent her a sample edit. Unfortunately, I had to apologize to her because of my dad’s hospitalization.

My dad recovered thankfully and I thought about that client for months. I felt so bad at not being able to work with her; it really felt like it was meant to be because what are the odds? The opportunity pretty much fell into my lap without any effort on my part on finding her!

I shared my regrets with a friend (whose book I edited for the Advanced DE course!), and she encouraged me to reach out to the writer to check in and see where she was in the editing process. So I did, letting her know that I’d love to work with her if she still needs an editor. And she did! She was my first regional client which felt like a huge milestone and I’m so happy it worked out (and so was she!).

I’ve collected lovely testimonials from the few writers I’ve worked with. Beyond that, I’ve never done any online marketing for my editing services. But these serendipitous experiences validated me. I know that if I put in the effort, I will attract clients, especially because I live in a region where freelance editing services are rare, and I have the cultural background and awareness to appeal to writers of different ethnicities and backgrounds. I’ve just felt a little put off by the expectation—which is an assumption, really—that I’ll need to convince beginner writers that they need an editor because of how underserved the writing community is.

Lately, I’ve found myself stepping into opportunities I’d always wanted for myself but couldn’t access in my last job, especially around designing and delivering writing workshops. I didn’t plan for them; they came through the connections and friendships I built over time by simply being present in communities, sharing my writing, and supporting other writers (and taking a little initiative). It’s made me realize that what we invest in slowly and consistently often leads us somewhere valuable, even if we don’t know when or how.

Thanks for reading!