The Concierge (Blog)

As a member of several expat groups on Facebook, I see versions of this question all the time: “how does a US citizen get sponsorship to relocate to live and work in other countries these days?” There are, ahem, obvious reasons why someone might want to do this, but the problem is that this is…

One of the easier ways to break into fiction editing is to offer a lower-priced, lower-skill service, such as proofreading. (Beta reading is another good possibility for a lower-priced, lower-skill service and actually the one I would recommend, since it can lead to developmental editing, a more lucrative and sustainable business.) The reason I don’t…

More than twenty years ago, when my daughter was born with significant disabilities, I couldn’t keep a staff job because companies weren’t flexible enough. More than twenty years later, and the workforce is still pushing mothers out because companies are not flexible enough. I admire people who push for change but I also understand that…

Once upon a time, I read a novel where I couldn’t figure out who was speaking the entire time. Well, I say I read the novel, but what I mean is I read about a chapter and when I was still completely confused, I put it down and never picked it up again. The plot…

Newer editors often express frustration to me about how long it takes to establish themselves in business. Often they’re concerned because they don’t have a lot of spare time and they feel like they’re spinning their wheels. They want to do something big and bold to grab attention – if only they could figure out…

When you’re first starting out as a freelancer (and at other times, too, such as when business slows down or a major client closes shop), it’s tempting to work all hours of the day and night to keep things moving. There’s a strong hustle culture around freelancing that suggests you should be working twelve- and…

A while back I subscribed to a software service that backs up my website. No more than a week later, I got an urgent message from the company saying that I was running out of room for backups and that I needed to upgrade my plan. They threatened that they wouldn’t be able to save…

One of the best ways to dip your toe into the developmental editing waters is by beta reading. This is basically reading a manuscript and responding to it: where you were confused, where you lost interest, what character you enjoyed the most. How to Beta Read When you’re doing a beta read, you’re not trying…

How can someone effectively combine writing and editing skills to make a good living? By establishing what I call a “hyphenated career”: becoming a writer-editor! Combine Writing and Editing Skills In my book The Business of Storytelling, I talk about how to create a writer-editor career, where you use what you learn as a writer…