Editorial Business Insights
This past year, I’ve learned so much about running and growing my business, and I wanted to take time to reflect on what this process has been like for me. Of course, everyone has a different path, and methods that have been meaningful or effective for me might not work for another editor. That said, my hope is that these insights might help someone else.
Learning
For me, editing is a second career but a first love. I’ve always had a knack for it, but I never thought to go into editing professionally. I don’t have any formal higher education in writing, editing, or English, so I’m mostly self-taught. Therefore, I’ve invested a lot of my time in learning—taking advantage of whatever opportunities I can find to reinforce my skills, discover new ones, and become a better editor and business owner. These are some of the ways I’ve engaged in training and education in the past year:
Reading books like The Copyeditor’s Handbook, Dreyer’s English, and The Subversive Copy Editor
Soaking up the abundance of information offered by editors like Louise Harnby, Katharine O’Moore Klopf, and Erin Brenner
Taking courses through the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), Poynter/ACES, The Publishing Training Centre, and Louise Harnby
Attending conferences on editing and writing
Watching webinars from EFA, ACES, Editors Canada, and Writing the Other, as well as watching That Word Chat broadcasts
Listening to podcasts on editing (The Editing Podcast, Edit Boost, The Modern Editor Podcast, and The Editor Life Podcast), freelancing (Deliberate Freelancer), and publishing (Print Run and Minorities in Publishing).
I believe it’s important for editors to continue learning, despite our original training and education. Language evolves, and publishing conventions change. Therefore, we should keep our skills sharp and learn new ones as we go.
Specializing
When I started my business, I knew I wanted to edit novels, especially science fiction and fantasy. Those were the genres I had experience with, and they’re the ones I enjoy reading most for fun. Other than that, though, I don’t think there was much about me that stood out in the beginning. I marketed myself as a freelance fiction copy editor and proofreader. Nothing wrong with that, but I was one of many.
One of my early blog posts was inspired by a book that I’d read called Warcross by Marie Lu. I wrote about why representation in media matters to me after realizing how much I’d craved seeing someone like me reflected in the stories I read. As I explored the editing world in more depth, I discovered Conscious Style Guide and the concept of conscious language. This was something I’d always been passionate about, but I’d never seen it named before (outside of it being disparaged as political correctness).
I attended a session at a writing conference about marketing and branding for writers, and I had to do an exercise that forced me to think about who I was and who I wanted to be. It was then that I realized something: I wanted to be an editor who focused on conscious language and representation. I wanted to incorporate it into everything I did. I wanted to talk to clients about it, and I wanted to talk to other editors about it. And that’s what I’ve done ever since. Now I blog about various topics related to conscious language and representation (in addition to regular writing- and grammar-related posts). I talk about it on social media. I present on it at conferences. My specialty is listed in all of my editing biographies. It’s what I want to be known for because it’s what I’m passionate about.
Not every editor decides to specialize. Some make a name for themselves as generalists, and that works well for them. For me, specializing has done wonders for my business. Not all of my clients care about this specialty, but some have specifically contacted me because of it. Other editors have also come to me with questions related to conscious language and representation.
If you’re looking for a way to specialize, ask yourself a few questions. Is there something that sets you apart in the editing world? Your genre(s) of choice? Your clientele? Your skills? Your passions? What do you want to be known for, by your clients and colleagues?
Networking
Freelancing can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be. When I launched my business, I knew exactly one editor—someone I’d worked with on multiple projects but who was not involved in the editing or publishing worlds at all. Therefore, I essentially started with no contacts. Joining the editing community and networking seemed daunting (Hello, imposter syndrome!), but I knew I had to get out there. I became a member of the EFA and its Diversity Initiative, ACES, and Utah Freelance Editors. Over time, I joined various online spaces for editors: Facebook groups (such as Editors’ Association of Earth and its affiliates), Copyediting-L, and The Editors Lair. I’m now also part of six (!) Slack groups related to editing, though some are more active than others.
I also hopped on social media. I created a Twitter account and made a Facebook page for my business. I already had a LinkedIn profile for my social work job, so I updated it to reflect my editorial endeavors. Several months later, I created an Instagram account. Here are some details on each one:
I know Twitter can be a garbage pit, but it’s been the best social media platform for me. I tweet about editing and writing, as well as occasional personal thoughts (dog pics, football, video games). I like to tweet fun typos I’ve spotted in manuscripts to show the value that editors can bring, and I share my thoughts on conscious language and representation. The #edibuddies community on Twitter is supportive and fun. I’ve been contacted by writers and other editors through DMs, and I’ve made the best professional and client connections through Twitter. Update, 12/2022: Because of all the turmoil going on with Twitter, I joined Mastodon, though I haven’t left Twitter (yet).
I’m not too active on my Facebook business page. I really only use it to share my blog posts and business news with friends and family. It hasn’t been a networking tool for me.
LinkedIn didn’t start as much of a networking tool for me. My profile reflects my freelance business, but I rarely check LinkedIn. I know that freelancers have used it successfully in their business, though. Update, 1/2021: LinkedIn has grown into more of a networking tool for me, especially ever since my first ACES webcast. Now I share some of my blog posts on there. I don’t get a ton of engagement, but I’ve added editors to my network.
Instagram is a mix of business and personal. Most of my photos are of things I spot on a #StetWalk, and I also share when I publish a new blog post. I occasionally post business-related news, but otherwise, there are plenty of photos of my dog and other personal things.
I’ve had several realizations since becoming involved in the editing community and talking to other editors:
Editors are human. We don’t know everything, and we make mistakes.
Most editors (and freelancers in general) have some form of imposter syndrome, at least in certain scenarios.
Other editors are not the competition. Okay, yes, other editors might be targeting the same clients, and you might be bidding for the same jobs. At the same time, professional connections are great referral sources, and it’s nice when you can refer clients to trusted colleagues if they’re not the right fit for you.
Marketing
Marketing has been the aspect of business that has most pushed me outside of my comfort zone. Different marketing strategies work for different people. I’m not comfortable with small talk, and I’m not always one to put myself out there. The idea of contacting potential clients through cold emails or in-person meetings made me want to hide under a table. Yes, I did them, but they haven’t been the avenues that have paid off. There have been two main ways I’ve marketed myself: content marketing and social media.
Content marketing
I knew I wanted to create a blog that was meaningful. I wasn’t quite sure what topics I would cover, but I wanted to share my knowledge with writers and other editors. There were times when I wondered if the world really needed yet another blog post about editing or punctuation or grammar. That being said, even though there are countless blog posts on the same topics, none of them were written by me. I felt like I had ideas to contribute, and even if few people read my posts, I was still offering my knowledge to anyone who wanted to find it. I publish a blog post every two weeks on a variety of topics related to writing, editing, and conscious language/representation. Visits to my blog (and therefore my website) have led to inquiries, and some clients have stated that the reason they contacted me was because of something I blogged about. Update, 1/2021: I decided that I was no longer going to publish a blog post every two weeks. As much as I love creating new content, I was putting pressure on myself to meet this expectation. Even so, my old blog posts still generate the most visits to my website.
Social media
As I said above, social media has led to great networking opportunities. Few of my posts are directly marketed to clients (where I say that I’m booking services), but I’ve had potential clients contact me because they follow me on social media (mostly Twitter).
Celebrating
Running a freelance editorial business has been an exciting challenge. I’ve learned so much this past year—about editing, about owning a business, and about myself. Even though I have imposter syndrome sometimes and know that I will always be able to improve on my skills, I have plenty of reasons to celebrate. I recently made a win jar, which is a fun way for me to reflect on my successes. My business continues to grow, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store. Thank you for being part of it with me.
Additional reading
Below are some other blog posts I’ve written and interviews I’ve done that editors may find helpful:
My interview for ACES about how I got started in editing
My interview for Outside the Book about being an editor of color
My interview on conscious language for Editorial Arts Academy
