Hello! My name is Louise Harnby and welcome
to 10 Ways to Get Editing Work Quickly.
This webinar is for any editor in a fix.
So maybe your work's dried up or you're
stuck with one client who can't fill
your schedule. Perhaps not all ten of
these tactics will be right for you but
most editors should find that at least
seven are appropriate. And the aim with
this webinar is to help you make changes
quickly so that you can get some peace
of mind and some headspace that will
allow you to rethink your longer-term
marketing strategy. If you're in famine
mode I'm guessing you want to crack on
quickly and solve the problem, and with
that in mind I've kept the focus on
action ... things you can do rather than
dwelling on the detail of theory. I'll
mention various tools and resources
you'll need along the way, and the links
to each of those are provided in the PDF
tip sheet next to the video. Just click
to download it. So first of all, I want
you to check that all your ducks are in
order.
Most of the tactics I'm offering here
won't work if they're not. So, one, I'm
assuming you're fit for market. It
doesn't matter how clever any marketing
strategy is if you can't do the required
job. So your editorial skills must be
top-notch. Two, it might well be that some
of the tactics push you well out of your
comfort zone. It's tough and I know what
stepping out of that feels like, but in a
crisis we need to do this stuff anyway.
Try to remember that even if you're
shaking in your boots, only you will know
that. Three, I'd ask you to approach this
with a readiness to work intensively.
Doing only a bit of each thing won't
bring the desired results. In crisis
times we need to go really hard at the
problem and follow through. And finally
you need to be prepared to act right now
if you want to fix the problem quickly.
Tactic 1 is to contact publishers,
project management agencies, pre-press
agencies and packagers. This segment is
the first port of call for any editor,
experienced or not, who wants to get
clients quickly. There are far too many
benefits to ignore this group and that's
why I'm discussing them first. They know
exactly what we do, how to evaluate our
suitability, and what they need from us.
In other words, they already have their
hands raised and that means we don't
have to spend oodles of time worrying
about how strong our brand is, or whether it
shines through on our web copy and
headshots. They expect to hear from
people like us. There are other benefits
too. First, they do all the client
acquisition work for the editor. In other
words, they're doing your marketing for
you and that means a potentially wide
variety of work, perhaps from some
well-known authors that you wouldn't
normally have access to. Second, they have
a lot of projects available so once
you're on their list and they're happy
with the quality of your work you can
expect to be offered work regularly. And
if you can acquire a bank of around 10
publishers with a regular work supply
you're likely to have a full schedule.
That means you've turned short-term
crisis management into long-term
business health. Third, because the
different levels of editing are
understood by this client group you're
less likely to experience scope-creep,
particularly in the academic and
professional publishing sectors. Fourth,
projects from a mainstream-publishing
portfolio look great on your
website and evoke trust in independent
authors, students and business owners who
might seek your services further down
the line. And, finally, publishing is a
small world. An in-house project manager
might refer you to a colleague working
for another press. Now some editors have
found that fees can be lower for this
client group. Not all publishers
pay low fees but that has been some
editors' experience. Now my view on this
is that this is not the time to be
worrying about that. The accessibility of
this market trumps that. There are not
many industries where a self-employed
person can easily locate a relevant
client who they know needs their services,
find out who to contact, and know that
they'll be welcome to.
So we're far luckier than most in that
sense. And in famine mode we need to feed
our businesses quickly so that we can
make them healthy again. And once we're
back on track, that's the time to start
thinking about replacing with less
accessible but better-playing clients.
So here's how to do it. Answer these
three questions. What are my subject
specialisms?
What are my editing specialisms? Which
publishers in my country and in other
countries have lists that I'm a good fit
with? Now create a list that records the
name, address, email, and telephone number
of every relevant publisher who fits the
bill. Use the phone or email to find out
the name of the person in charge of
managing the freelance list. Titles vary.
It might be the editorial manager, the
managing editor, the desk editor or the
book production manager.
And when I say build a list, I don't mean
of three or four. I mean
70 or 80. I mean a list that makes your
Excel spreadsheet creak under the strain.
And for simplicity
I'm going to refer only to
publishers from hereon in but assume
I'm talking about project management
agencies, pre-press agencies and packagers.
too. The bigger the pool the more likely
you are to achieve success. Some might not be
interested in you because you don't have
enough experience. Others will be
prepared to overlook that if you have
excellent training credentials and are
prepared to take a test. Some won't have
space on their freelance schedules and
some won't even bother to reply. Still,
you don't need 70 new clients. Even one
will take the pressure off for now so
go for quantity to maximize your chances
of a hit. Onscreen now are some tools to
help you track down your list of
publishers. All of the links are in the
resources PDF. First off is Google. Type
in medical publishers, social science
publishers, fiction publishers, whatever,
and see what comes up. Next up is
PublishersGlobal. This is a free global
directory of publishing companies. It's
particularly useful because of the
indexes that enable you to search by
subject, genre and country. Then we
have the Writers & Artists Yearbook.
This is revised and updated every year.
It's available directly from the W&A
website or via Amazon. Then Wikipedia.
This is a rather good search tool for
publishers actually. You can search by
subject area. So, for example, pop in legal
publishers and see what comes up. And
then finally the Writers' Handbook. This
is published by firstwriter.com and
updated every year. It's available
directly via Amazon but there's also a
searchable online database available on
the firstwriter.com website for a
small subscription price.
So here are some examples to give you an
idea of how you might approach this.
Remember to use your prior editing
experience, your career background and
your educational qualifications. Even if
you're desperate to edit a particular
genre of fiction you're far more likely
to be taken on by a social science
publisher than a trade fiction publisher
if you have an economics degree but no
fiction experience. Don't forget, this is
about getting work. Dreams can be
fulfilled later as you diversify and
expand and shift your business in new
directions once you have the space,
experience and visibility to do so. For
now it's all about best fit, convincing
the publisher that you speak their
language and have the editorial skills
they need so that they have the
confidence to hire you fast. Now I'm not
going to go through all of these. Just
hit the pause button to review the six
examples. But in example one I've
imagined someone with a degree in law
who's practised for 10 years before they
trained as a proofreader.
So the initial publishers to target
would be law publishers and social
science publishers with legal lists. And
don't forget that some publishers offer
a variety of subjects so you're
likely to be offered work in other related
disciplines too.
Now send a cover letter or email and CV
to the named individual. Getting a
publisher's attention requires a strategy
that's skills- and experienced-focused so
you want to customize each letter so
that it shows why you're a great fit for
this publisher. Emphasize the following: so
first of all, professional training and
any other relevant qualifications you
have, for example a teaching degree. Then
the type of editing you specialize in,
for example, proofreading, copyediting
structural editing, formatting. Then any
relevant experience, especially if you've
worked with other publishers before. And
if you can supply references from
in-house editorial staff mention those
too at the end of your correspondence.
Tell them you're happy to take a test.
Some publishers will overlook a lack of
experience if you can demonstrate
competence. That's because they're
interested in seeing whether you can hit
the ground running. And in the resources
PDF there are links to a couple of great
articles written by Cassie Armstrong and
Rich Adin about taking tests. Publishers
are stupidly busy so make it clear that
you appreciate the necessity of being
able to follow an in-house manager's
brief and meet a deadline. Your
educational career background if it's
relevant to the publisher can be really
helpful too. It can demonstrate your
familiarity with the subject matter. It
tells them that you speak the language
of the content they publish. Also mention
recognized and relevant style
referencing guides that you're familiar
with, for example APA or OSCOLA. Many
publishers have their own in-house style
guides that are adapted versions of some
of the most well-known reference manuals
but it can still demonstrate competence and
engagement with the publishing sector.
And, finally, tell them what software you
use. Most publishers have digital
workflows of one kind or another and
they'll expect freelance editors to be
comfortable with, or at least prepared to
embrace, those. Tactic 2 is to create a
single piece of content ... a hero piece.
Something that's absolutely knockout.
Here, we're focusing on creating the
right content, targeted content. It's
about quality not quantity
all the way.
Content marketing is about creating
high-quality useful stuff that solves
clients' problems. Those who are
passionate about it, like me, commit to
creating content regularly via a blog or
a vlog or a podcast. Now even if you've
already decided it's too much for you,
please keep listening. I do have a
solution for you
because even if a full-on content
marketing strategy isn't for you and
you've decided that you're not prepared
to invest in regular content creation
you can still create one great piece.
Just one. That's doable for any editor
who wants to make a big impression on
potential clients. If you decide to
expand your content marketing programme in
the future, great, but for now create one
fabulous hero resource. That resource
will make a powerful impression on
anyone who visits your
website via another route in the next
few days or weeks. So let's say they come
to you via an editorial directory or
social media or a colleague referral.
So why does it work? Well, first it
demonstrates your passion and engagement
with your clients' problems. It makes the
story all about them. Useful content that
solves problems is memorable.
It makes clients feel something ... grateful,
happy, relieved. If a client is browsing
for editors and finds four websites that
are all about the editor, and one - yours
- that includes a free goodie that makes
their life infinitely easier, they're
more likely to hire you. And it will
also drive trust. Non-publisher clients
might never have worked with an editor
before and don't know whether they can
trust us. An editor who's devoted time to
giving away something amazing for free,
something that must have taken them time
to create, will seem more trustworthy
than an editor who talks only about
themselves and how great they are.
Most editors in the global community
still aren't doing this so you
absolutely will stand out if you give it
a try. How to do it ... answer these three
questions. What is my specialism? Who is
my target client? And what is ONE of
their biggest problems? Now show the
client how to solve that problem by
writing a really comprehensive article
in Word or something like Google
Slides. Use headings, bullet points, and
images to make your resource easy on the
eye. Don't forget to include your contact
details and an invitation to get in
touch with you if they need assistance.
And aim big with this resource.
Since it's your flagship hero resource
it should be knockout. Cover all the
bases ... by that I mean assume that you're
solving problems for absolute beginners.
More advanced readers will be able to
skim over the info they don't need
whereas beginners will thank you for not
leaving anything out, and that way you'll
maximize the appeal of that
resource. And consider also using a
smaller page size when you are designing
it so that the book has more pages.
That will give your client the
impression that they're getting more
value for no money. I like the slide
format for that reason.
So here's an example of a PDF booklet
that I created for my crime writing
audience. I repurposed this from a
3.5K-word blog article.
Now I'm a weekly blogger but if I'd not
been I could still have created this one
flagship booklet. If you want to take a
look at it you can download a
copy and look at the interior via the
crime writing page on my website. So once
you're happy with the content you save
it as a PDF. Grab yourself a beautiful
free image for the cover. Pixabay and
Unsplash are two options. Then go to Canva.
Upload your cover image, add a title and your
logo or business name, and download as a
JPG. There's a link in the resources to
a tutorial that will help you with this.
Now create a dedicated page on your
website for this resource. So upload your
booklet image, and link the PDF so that
the visitors to your site can download
it. Explain on the page who it's for and
what it does, and emphasize that it's
free. And if you create a good title for
the webpage it might even rank in the
search engines quite quickly. There's a
tool called Keywords Everywhere which
can help you decide what might get
attention in Google and the like. And at
the bottom of the screen you can see an
example from my own stable, again using
my crime writing page. And I used
Keywords Everywhere to develop this. So I
have a bank of resources on that page
which affected the keyword-friendly
title that I chose.
You can also place a smaller image on
your home page and create an internal
link to the dedicated booklet page. And
don't forget to share this piece of hero
content on your social media channels
and with your editorial network, and also
add a link to as many of your directory
listings as possible, and a picture if
the listing allows it. And then, finally,
add your hero resource to your email
signature too. If you can't add images
just use text. You can create a shortened
URL using something like Bitly. So here
are some examples to give you an idea of
how you might approach this. Remember,
always focus on solving your clients'
potential problems. When you solve a
problem you evoke positive emotion and
are more likely to be remembered should
that client decide to seek professional
editing help. So in this example you're a
specialist fiction editor or proof
reader and your target client is a
self-publishing author. The problem for
the client is that they struggle to
punctuate dialogue, so your hero resource
could be a booklet explaining how to
punctuate dialogue according to
mainstream publishing standards. And you
could even include examples from
published works. Don't forget to
repurpose your hero resource too. You've
done most of the work, after all, so why
not think about whether there are other
ways that you could use it
that might be more convenient for some
of your busier clients? So in this case
you could perhaps turn your booklet into
a webinar using PowerPoint. I love
PowerPoint because you can add audio
voiceover on a slide-by-slide basis via
the Insert tab and then the Audio button.
And when you're done creating your
slides and audio, use the save-as
function to create an MP4 that you can
upload to YouTube and embed on your
website.
So in example 2 the target client is a
law student because you specialize in
editing legal material, and that student
struggles with formatting in-text
citations and references according to
OSCOLA guidelines. So your hero resource
could be a PDF booklet showing examples
of how to format every element of the
reference. And then for repurposing
perhaps you could add or create an
additional one-page summary cheat sheet,
a PDF that can be downloaded from your
website. And in example 3 you're an
editor who offers B2B editing. Your
target client is a business executive. So
the problem is that their Word documents
are formatted inconsistently. Think
about the reports, internal memos and
briefings, in-house style guides,
conference write-ups. So for your hero
resource you create a comprehensive
video tutorial demonstrating how to use
Word's styles function. I'm not talking
about a 3-minute rush job. I'm talking
about a hero tutorial that shows them
how to master styles. And you can record
your screen using a cheap but sturdy
piece of software like Snagit. And I
forgot to mention in example 1 but video
is really chunky, really greedy on
bandwidth, and it will slow down your
website if you upload it directly, so do
create a YouTube channel and upload your
videos there, and then use your website's
embed-code tool to link the video. And
then, finally, consider repurposing by
creating a booklet with the written
instructions and screenshots. Tactic 3
is to get in touch with every client
you've ever worked with ... 2 weeks ago or
10 years ago. Obviously this won't work
if you're a completely new entrant to
the field but if you do have prior clients
and have entered a famine patch it's an
excellent way of drumming up work fast.
You have nothing to lose and everything
to gain. These are people who know you
already, and assuming you did a great job
for them in the past you've already
earned their trust. And another thing,
you've already got their contact details
on file so this will be a huge
time-saver. It can be very effective with
publishers and with businesses if you
offer B2B services. Self-publishers?
That's a tough market because
they might not be writing another book,
and even if they are and they're in the
middle of the project they're much less
likely to have immediate work. And even
series authors who are seasoned DIYers
are likely to have planned their editing
in advance. Still, get in touch anyway,
whomever the client is, because the fact
is, you just never know. Do be prepared
for a rejection. This isn't a reflection
on your capabilities. It's just the state
of play at the present time. The
important thing is that, at the very
least, you've put yourself back on the
client's radar and that means that even
if you don't secure work immediately you
might get something a few weeks or
months down the line. You've lost nothing.
So I know it might feel humiliating to
ask prior clients if there's any work
available but just do it anyway. Honestly,
if you handle it like a professional it
won't be perceived as an act of
desperation, just a polite and friendly
inquiry.
Remember, they already know who you are
so providing they were satisfied with
your previous work you're a lower risk
for them. And in times of famine we have
to be prepared to step out of our
comfort zone and do things we'd rather
not. It's the hard truth of running one's
own business. You don't have to give a
reason about why you have space in your
schedule but if you do, consider one of
these: Tell them it's because of a
surprise cancellation, or perhaps you've
finished a project earlier than planned,
or another client has shifted the date
of their project. Or you can say that
you're revamping your website and you'd
love to include a testimonial from a
valued client, and then add a note in at
the end that you'd be delighted to work
for them again and have some current
availability.
Remember, you've got nothing to lose and
everything to gain.
And on the subject of testimonials, if
you are able to secure any from these
nudging emails, add them to your website
immediately. Now there's nothing wrong
with having a dedicated testimonials
page - I have one. However, if you're
already running out of space
on the tab ribbon of your website
you needn't put that page front and
centre.
Why? Because you can turn every page of
your website into a testimonial by
dotting them all around. Testimonials are
proof of your expertise so you don't
want to make it difficult for your
potential clients to find them. Tactic
4 is to review every page of your
website. The key question to ask is: who
is the story on those pages? Is anyone
who visits your website in the next few
days or weeks going to find a story
that's all about you or all about them?
It should be all about them ... their
problems, their struggles, their projects.
You are important, of course you are, but
only from the point of view of how you
can solve those problems, how you can
guide and support them through those
struggles, and how you share their
passion for those projects. I'm not
asking you to remove all the information
about you and your excellent
qualifications and training, but rather
to place that content so that it's not
necessarily front and centre. It's
probably not about completely rewriting
but about tweaking so that the focus is
shifted. You want your clients to land on
your website and think, 'Ah, what a relief!
Someone who gets me!' Making changes to
your website messaging might not seem
like something that can have an
immediate impact but I'm here to tell
you that it can. The message really does
make a difference. Last April, I wasn't
in famine mode but I wasn't attracting
the type of clients in the main that I
wanted to and so I reworked my message,
particularly that on the home page. That
copy had previously been all about me. My
qualifications, my training, my experience
my editing skills ... me, me, me, me, me. Now I'm
a big marketer so I was getting traffic
but it wasn't the traffic I wanted. Plus,
the message was that I was prepared to
work for publishers,
businesses, students, academics, authors. I
was a jack of all trades. And when I
shifted the focus of my message so that
it spoke to my target clients, when I
said, 'I specialize in working with
self-publishing fiction authors', when I
shouted it from the rooftop of my
website and focused on those clients'
problems and the solutions I was
offering, plus directing them to my key
hero content, I noticed an immediate
increase in requests to quote. This was
new traffic, new leads. Here's a table I
created from the data I collected. The
black areas show the number of new leads
from fiction authors. You can see the
increase in leads that took place
between March and April 2017. And that's
important. This didn't take months or
years. The impact was immediate.
I noticed the shift within a week and
within four weeks I'd doubled the number
of target clients getting in touch. Even
if you're in famine mode, make the pages
on your website serve your target
clients' needs. Talking to them about them
is much more likely to encourage them to
ask for your help than if you're talking
about you. Think of it another way.
Imagine you've got flat arches. You're
desperate for some comfortable running
shoes and you visit two shops. In the
first shop, the sales assistant tells you
all about his feet and how amazing they
are. In the second shop the sales
assistant tells you all about your feet,
talks to you about orthotics and other
types of support, and offers to help you
find the perfect pair of shoes. Who do
you want to buy your running shoes from?
Our clients are no different so make
sure your editing shop is all about them.
Tactic 5 focuses on your editing
directory listings. Now there are two
possible approaches here depending on
what you've already done, either
freshening or creating. There will be
limitations and restrictions to
what else you can do to jazz up your
directory content but consider each one
individually and do the best you can. So
let's look at freshening first. Remember
this slide from the previous section on
reviewing your website? If you're already
advertising in editing directories,
exactly the same applies to them. The
client, not you, is the story ... the kind of
projects they work on, their struggles
and their problems. So review your
entries and check that the focus of your
message is in the right place. I've
included some images from one of my own
directory listings to give you some
ideas because I noticed an increase in
leads from
this directory as soon as I focused on
my client and my specialism.
So first of all, on specialism, this
could include the types of editing and
the subject areas you cover. If you can
incorporate these in your listing title, that's
really great because it makes them stand
out. Remember that the client is likely
to be looking for something specific ... a
student looking for a proofreader for
their PhD thesis, an author looking for a
a crime fiction editor and so on. And if
your listing is general your message
will be diluted and you'll be competing
with everyone else in that directory. If
you niche things down you'll show up less
in the searches but you'll look much
more interesting to your target clients
and increase your chances of at least
being asked a quote. So is your latest
headshot included? If not, upload one so
that it's consistent with what's on your
website. If you don't have a pro headshot,
get one and upload it. If the directory
won't allow it
lobby them for it. Headshots add trust
and bring personality to your listing so
any 2018 directory really should include
one, especially if you're paying to be in
it. In your directory copy, include links
to your home page, and especially to the page
with your hero content. Now some
directories (Reedsy is an example) won't
allow you to include third-party links
because they're worried about leakage
but that's all the more reason to make
sure that your listing's copy absolutely
sings and is full of searchable
keywords and tags. So thinking about
keywords, many directories, for example
Find A Proofreader, Reedsy, SfEP, are
searchable by keyword. An entry that
describes you as 'a proofreader who's
happy to undertake work for a wide range
of clients and subjects' will border on
useless because that's not how clients
search. Plus, it's deathly boring and
uninspiring to someone who's going to be
paying you to work with their words. Use
the words and tags that you think
clients might search for, for example
sociology, economics, politics, or romance,
erotica, adult fantasy. Or reel off the
science subjects you specialize in.
Pharmacology, pharmacy, chemistry,
biochemistry, and drug metabolism. Use
macro categories and micro keywords to
cover all the bases and help clients see
whether you're the best fit.
Use images, headings, bullet points and
colour if you can. If the directory
doesn't include formatting functionality
just be as creative as you can. Try
capitals for headings or asterisks or
tildes for bullet points. Keep
paragraphs short so that clients
searching via mobile aren't hit with a
wall of text. And now just quickly about
the creation side of things ... if you're
not yet advertising in editing
directories, get that fixed right now.
They're much smaller than the biggest
directory in the world:
Google. Clients use these directories
every day. If you're not in them you
certainly won't be found - not today, not
tomorrow, not ever. If you're not sure
whether they'll be effective, at least
test them. You can't know until you try.
There's a list of links in the resources
PDF to get you started but do the
research to find out what works best for
your specialist field. So, for example,
sciences, social sciences, fiction and
commercial nonfiction.
Tactic 6 is a quickie. Update your
website portfolio. Will it get you a
immediate work? I don't know but it's one
of the easiest things.
The reason why a portfolio can be compelling is that it's
rich in relevant keywords by the search
engines. It demonstrates experience and
it acts as proof of ability. Clients
searching online might be low on trust
if they've not worked with an editor
before so having an up-to-date portfolio
might be the one thing that tells them
you could be a good fit, especially if
you've worked for known publishers and
businesses. I realize that these can be
bulky and difficult to organize, plus
some clients might have imposed
confidentiality clauses that prevent you
from publicizing your work with them, but
it doesn't hurt to ask them. In fact, this is
a good opportunity for you to get in
touch with them and get back on their
radar ...
just like I talked about in
Tactic 3. I also realize that self-
publishers don't always take their books
through all the rounds of editing and
the books might not reflect the value of
your editorial contribution. To be honest,
only you can decide how selective to be
but a professional editorial website
that demonstrates no evidence of
experience is at a disadvantage. Tactic 7
is to ask other editors if they'd be
interested in a fee-based referral
system. This tactic will only work if
you've already invested time in building
relationships with other editors, either
via, say, social media or some other
business network like your professional
editorial society. It's absolutely not
about strangers getting in touch with
strangers. Editors who market themselves
consistently often have a surplus of
work leads. They might not have a problem
triggering clients to get in touch but
those clients might not want to wait for
six months and it's frustrating to have
to miss out on opportunities when
they've invested so much time in being
visible. After all, time spent on
marketing does have a cost to it.
That editor could be doing something
else in that time ... leisurely stuff,
attending to family commitments, even
editing work. And if those editors can
send work your way you benefit from
their marketing and pay them a small fee
if you convert the lead. That means
they're still earning a little bit from
their promotional efforts and you've got
work in hand.
Now, I'd recommend you keep the details
of the discussion private. Finder's and
referral fees can sometimes be a bit of
a contentious issue in the online
editorial community, and have led to
lengthy and sometimes tense discussions
on Facebook, so either pick a few editors
whom you know and trust and approach
them via email or Facebook Messenger, or
post a message on your Facebook business
page. I'd recommend not using your
profile because monetization on profiles
is a breach of Facebook's terms and
conditions. If you want to use online
editing networks, check with the admins
first as to their take on these kinds of
discussions and requests. So frame the
question as an acknowledgment of the
other editor's investment in marketing
and the hard work that goes into it, and
summarize your specialism, your core
skills and experience so that they
understand what you're offering. However,
bear in mind that there are existing
online editing networks where work is
often offered with no discussion of
finder's fees or commission, so do check
out those first. There are at least two
spaces on Facebook where I know this
happens, and the SfEP, for example, has a
forum called Marketplace. So check your
national editorial society's website to
see if there's anything on offer in the
discussion groups. I've included links in
the resources PDF. So as I said before,
choose editors with whom you have an
existing relationship. For example,
perhaps you've joined in discussions
with them in a professional networking
group. If a complete stranger gets in
touch with them they're unlikely to be
interested. They don't know anything
about you or why they should trust you
and they probably already have people
they can refer work to
whom they already know and they
know they can rely on. Trust is really
important because they won't want to
point a potential client in your
direction if they don't know that you'll
do a good job and that you'll reflect well
on their referral. And consider
complementary and contrasting skills. So
for example, I have this kind of referral
system with a colleague whereby she pays
me a referral fee for every lead I send
her way and that she converts into
paying work.
The system works really well for us
because, in part, our business focus is
similar, but also because she can fill
gaps in my skills base while I fill gaps
in her schedule. So we both offer
line editing, copyediting and
proofreading, and we both specialize in
self-publishers, particularly those who
write crime, mystery, thriller and
suspense, but she also offers
developmental edits and critiques, which
I don't. So she has editing skills that I
don't but I have marketing skills and
visibility that she doesn't. And that
means she has space in her schedule for
work that I can't fit in and that I'm
not qualified for. Another way of
thinking about it is that it might be
that some of the editors you get in
touch with are frequently offered work
that they don't want and can't fit in.
For example, they specialize in B2B work
but get contacted by fiction authors.
There are no rules when it comes to this
type of arrangement. The editor who
receives referrals from me pays
me 10% if, and only if, she converts the
lead into paying work. If she acquires
more work from the client within the
following 12 months the fee still
applies. Thereafter, I don't get a cut.
That's the way we've chosen to do it.
It's up to you to decide what offer you
want to make, how much someone else doing
your marketing work for you is worth, and
what, if any, extension period you would
have. Some people have asked me how I
know my fellow editor is being honest
about converting the work. Actually, it's
really down to trust,
although sometimes authors do come back
to me and thank me for the lead and
to say what a great job she's done, so I
know anyway. But my friend's never let me
down, and why would she? She benefits as
much as I do. All of which is to say
that if you do set up such an
arrangement, do be absolutely honest
about what happens with the lead. Trust
is a hundred times harder to repair once
it's broken than to build from the
outset. If you begrudge paying another
editor for the work they send you, this
tactic isn't for you.
Tactic 8 is using social media
purposefully. Try a seasonal offer. Frame
it as a bit of fun rather than just a
shout-out for work and that way you can
keep the focus on value. The social media
platforms you choose should be those
where your audience is hanging out.
Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are
popular with editors and their clients
and so I'm going to focus on those here
but if you think your audience is
hanging out somewhere else, like
Instagram, then you should go there. When
things are tough this is a much more
valuable way of using social media to
get work quickly then devoting time to
moanage in Facebook groups. It's really
easy when we're feeling down to let all
our anguish out in groups but actually
taking purposeful action is a much more
productive option. So first of all, get
the foundations ready. Design your offer.
Perhaps the Easter bunny has a lovely
gift in her basket. Perhaps some special
daisies have sprung up in your editorial
garden with a 10% discount. Or maybe
you're offering a little winter cheer
with a third off your manuscript
evaluations. Consider setting a deadline
to create a sense of urgency. Then head
to Canva and create some images that
tell the fun story of your offer. Perhaps
you could create a series of images with
those daisies emerging from the garden.
And use text to support the images. You
can use one image on its own on your
social media campaigns or group them
together and upload the full story to a
gif-maker like Giphy or a video-maker
like MoShow. There's a link to a MoShow
video in action on my Twitter feed in the
resources PDF. It's actually the one
where that I use to tell people
about this free webinar. There are a
number of different designs and free
music options.
Honestly, MoShow is the sweetest app I know
of. It's really easy to use and even the
paid-for version is inexpensive.
Another option is Lumen5. So for
Facebook use your Facebook business page
so you don't breach Facebook's terms and
conditions around monetization. Upload
your MoShow video and add some text
announcing your seasonal offer and the
deadline. And remember to keep things fun
and celebratory. Don't forget your
call-to-action.
Tell people how to contact you via
Messenger. And I say Messenger because
that's a better option than including a
link to your website because the
Facebook algorithm will penalize you if
you include links that take people off
their platform, and your post won't end
up in as many people's feeds. Another
option is to perhaps carry out a
ManyChat trigger-word campaign. ManyChat is
a chatbot tool and in the resources
PDF there's a link to a walkthrough
that I offered authors, and I think it's
something that you could adapt for your
seasonal offer. For LinkedIn, again upload
your MoShow video, then add some text
announcing your seasonal offer and
deadline. LinkedIn will penalize you if
you include links to third-party sites
but reward you hugely for receiving
comments, so try asking people to comment
with their preferred time frame perhaps,
and then in the comments you can
encourage them to continue the
discussion with you via the Messaging
tab or via email. You could also upload a
single picture rather than a video which
explains your offer and again encourages
people to comment. Now all the social
media platforms are rewarding video at
the moment though, so I'd urge you to
give this a try. For Twitter, use the
Media Studio. The link to this is in the
resources PDF. Now from the Media Studio 1008 00:38:40,030 --> 00:38:44,319 you can add in metadata including a
clickable link in the video to your
website. And using the Media Studio means
you only have to upload the video once
but you can use it repeatedly and
shedule it to run at particular times,
perhaps over the course of a week. And
include a short description about your
fun seasonal offer and then use some
hashtags like a #proofreader,
#proofreading, #copyediting
and so on. And include your
deadline to create that sense of
urgency that I mentioned before.
Tactic 9 is especially for those of
you who are B2B specialists. Just like
with publishers in Tactic 1 you're
going to go big. Now this is a tougher
audience because, unlike the publishing
industry, not all businesses appreciate
how they might use you. Again, though, you
have nothing to lose. Some are more
likely candidates than others. So for
example, think about marketing, corporate
communications, and PR agencies. These
organizations send out a lot of press
releases, they create content for
their clients, and manage social media
accounts, and those with a healthy client
account base have money to spend because
their clients - usually corporates
themselves - want high-quality materials
and are prepared to pay. Now I hardly do
any of this type of B2B work because I
choose to specialize in fiction but the
work I have done in the past has been
needed on a fast-turnaround basis and
the agencies haven't blinked at my
tripled rates. They're not the only type
of businesses you can contact but it's a
good place to start. Some of their staff
have journalistic or publishing
backgrounds and they absolutely
understand the power of words and the
impact of when those words go wrong,
so they're a good start for first
best-fit business clients. So how to do
it ...
Google is your best friend when it comes
to searching for marketing comms
agencies. Go local first, then expand
regionally, and then nationally until you
have a list of at least 50. Then you need
to email them, introducing yourself,
explaining why you can help them. Again
we're focusing on problem-solving.
Mention any relevant experience and
attach an up-to-date CV or resume, and
offer to speak to someone by phone if
that's preferable for them. The B2B work
I've done has usually been with people
who wanted to chat first.
After all, these people are
communications people so they do
like communicating. It's worth thinking
about your business language. Review the
agencies' websites to get a feel for the
kind of clients they work with and
customize your message accordingly. You
might want to talk to them in terms of
language polishing, error correction,
attention to standard English grammar,
respect for corporate voice and identity,
ability to make language accessible,
respect for confidentiality, and, as
mentioned before, your readiness to offer
a fast turnaround. Look at whom they
serve to help you think about what
solutions you might offer. Tactic 10 is
freelance agencies. Now these aren't
always popular with editors. There's a
lot of online debate about low rates,
high expectations, scope creep, and
unrealistic turnaround times. However, not
all agencies are the same and some
editors do make these organizations work
for them. And these agencies do
have a lot of work so if you have the
right qualifications you might be able
to secure work quickly. Plus, crisis time
is not where we worry so much about the
fairness or otherwise of a rate, not if
we're worried about paying next month's
mortgage or rent. That's better left for
when things are back on track and you
have the space and peace of mind to work
on getting in front of your perfect
clients. So here's how to do it. Visit the
websites of broader freelance agencies,
and online marketplaces, and more
specialist editing agencies and
directories. Evaluate whether you're a
good fit in terms of specialism,
educational background, professional
qualifications, and experience. For some,
there's no bar to entry. Others are
selective. Sign up with those that feel
right for you. Remember where possible to
make your listing as persuasive as
possible so that you're as compelling as
possible. In the resources PDF there's a
link to an article by Anna Sharman that
was written way back in 2012 but I think
a lot of the guidance will still be
useful, and there's also a link to a list
of academic editing agencies, though some
of the URLs might be out of date. Still,
you can search by the name on Google. And
there are also some separate entries in
the PDF for organizations in the blue
box onscreen now. One final bonus tip ...
think about how you can avoid ever
getting in this situation again.
Marketing only during times of famine
means we're running our businesses on
the fly, thinking only of what's
happening now. It's a reactive approach
and our choices are forced, based on
panic.
When we promote our businesses during
the good times we're thinking ahead,
taking the long view, and that enables us
to act strategically and think about
what lies ahead in the following months
and years. It's a proactive approach and
choices are informed and based on goals.
Marketing during the good times
enables us to take our time and to plan
ahead. And I realize that not everybody
enjoys marketing their editing business
as much as I do but
promoting yourself to ideal clients is
infinitely more satisfying than sending
emails to those who are playing lower
than desired rates for material that's
outside your comfort zone. And that means
we're in a stronger negotiating position.
Marketing during the good times means
we're in a psychologically strong place
when it comes to a negotiation. So
imagine your self-publishing author asks
you to knock 30% off your quote and the
price negotiation is in regard to a
project that will take place in four
months' time because you're fully booked.
You'll feel more empowered to stick to
your guns. If the negotiation is in
regard to a project that you need now
because there's nothing else on the
horizon and no discernible reason why a
better offer might come your way,
you'll feel pressed into revising your
offer. Also editors in panic mode don't
necessarily make the best decisions. If
we're upset and anxious we might not get
the tone of our emails right. If we're
asked to take her test, nerves might
impede the quality of our work. And,
finally, think about how promoting for
pleasure offers learning opportunities.
Just as a quick example from my own
backyard, when I was creating my crime
writing series – Aid and Abet - I learned
so much because I put in such a lot of
research into developing that content.
And, yes, it took me time but it was a
form of continuing professional
development as well as a strategy for
drawing in crime fiction authors, and
that's a much nicer proposition than
having to create a piece of content out
of necessity.
Once you're back on track, and to avoid
emergency marketing in the future, commit
to developing a plan. And commit to
making this plan an ongoing part of the
way you run your business. Develop a
strategy, not just for tomorrow but for
way beyond. Those are my 10 tactics for
getting out of a fix quickly. If
you found this useful and would be
prepared to offer a really short
testimonial that I can include on the
webinar page on my website, that would be
wonderful.
If you prefer to use just your initials
to identify yourself, or you want to
remain anonymous, that's fine. To send me
your comment, just click on the Tell Me
What You Think button and that will
find its way to me. So that's it! Thank
you so much for watching and listening,
and don't forget to download the
resources PDF. Bye for now!
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