3 ways for editors to get more work. Part 1

Susan Pierotti, Creative Text Solutions Like most other industries, the editing world is changing rapidly. Previous modes of employment and working have been abandoned as the publishing world reacts (rather late) to the digitisation of just about everything. Gone are the old silo structures of project managers doing the substantive editing, passing it along to a copyeditor and in the final days before print, to a proofreader – all in-house. Either one person does the lot, thereby and inevitably forsaking some quality control, or publishing houses outsource. But freelance editors can’t even rely on outsourcing for work any more. What to do? Rollercoaster or riding the crest of the wave? [caption id="attachment_214" align="aligncenter" width="150"] Rollercoaster...[/caption] Most people I meet in business tell me the same thing – the old ways of doing things aren’t there any more. This is good news! It means we are all in the same boat – we are all having to reinvent how we do things. Instead of silos, we now have the opportunity to collaborate with more people, more businesses than ever before. This is the ideal working set-up for small businesses and, as a freelance editor, you are in a prime position to take advantage of this. So rather than feeling as if you are on a rollercoaster ride where you just cling on and hope you arrive alive at the end, imagine yourself on the crest of a wave. The wave has more power than you, it can easily dump you, but by balancing and enjoying the ride you get a lot further, and you get a much bigger picture from the top of the wave than you do with your eyes shut in fear on the rollercoaster. 3 ways to get more work I would like to share 3 ways to ‘ride the wave’. The first one is to rebrand yourself. Personal branding is a buzzword in business – your unique selling proposition, your niche talent, etc, etc. That’s not what I’m referring to. (I can hear the sighs of relief.) How do you describe yourself: an editor, a writer, a proofreader? [caption id="attachment_215" align="aligncenter" width="150"] ... or riding the wave?[/caption] How would others in your industry describe you? How would your prospective customers describe you? At a party, business function or talking with strangers, when I say that I’m an editor, people go glassy-eyed. They don’t relate to the label. If we want work, we have to describe ourselves in a way that customers can understand. Rebranding We work with words, so rebranding can be fun! A plumber friend of mine said that when he did his training, he was taught to think of himself as ‘saving the health of the nation’. I really like that! People tend to associate plumbers with dirt and muck, whereas he is really a hero saving lives. I work mainly in the area of non-fiction. Among other things, I edit brochures, write blogs and articles and format newsletters. I think of myself as an editor but my customers relate to me as their ‘copywriter’. I would never have thought of describing my work in that way, but that’s how they ‘get’ what I do, and more importantly that’s how I’m getting more work. Be flexible Prepare to change how you’re labeled because it may put you in a better position for more lucrative work. It’s how others see you, not how we see ourselves, that will generate more income. Parts 2 and 3, with two other tips, will appear soon. If you want further information on this topic, please feel free to contact me at info@creativetext.com.au