Home
>
Writing
>
Editorial Freelancing: 5 Must-Know Tips to Getting Your Foot in the Door

Editorial Freelancing: 5 Must-Know Tips to Getting Your Foot in the Door

So, you want to freelance as an editor, writer, copy editor, copywriter, graphic designer, proofreader, etc.? But, how do you go about it?

My mother was fond of saying, "If you want to know something, go directly to the source." Taking this advice to heart, I interviewed professionals in the industry for the e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer.

Publishers, editorial directors, human resource managers and editors, among others were a vocal lot regarding freelancers and what they should/should not do to get their foot in the door.

What nuggets of information can you glean from them? Here are five concrete points about which they were adamant.

1. Know your craft: Most clients like to see direct experience. This usually means working in the industry full-time for a number of years before going out on your own as a freelancer.

A vice president of publishing at a major trade publisher says, "Experience is key for us. Three to five years minimum, with a proven track record on our types of books. We don't linger over education, but I suspect most have a four-year degree."

As an editorial recruiter, I generally advise two to three years of full-time experience in the position/discipline for which you want to freelance. Five or more is better. Also, provide samples - published or unpublished. If unpublished - say so.

2. Time: Don't pester and/or waste the time of those in a position to hire. One editor responded, "Don't call me and call me and call me. I would actually NOT hire someone who calls me after I've said I'd call them."

Additionally, find the right person to contact. Most agreed that you should bypass the human resources department and contact the editorial department directly. Why? It is rare that materials will be passed on to the right person, especially if they are in another department.

3. Rate: Most companies have pre-determined rates and wiggle room is tight, if nonexistent.

An editorial director at an educational publisher commented, "We have a standard freelancer's rate for whatever discipline is involved - copyediting, graphic design, etc. Occasionally, a project will come along for which we'll make special arrangements. These can include special rates, working on premises, etc. I also try to be flexible while working within departmental budgets."

Usually, after you've worked with a client for a while, you can adjust your fees. Although, not by much. Editorial, especially general trade, is notoriously low paying.

4. Contact: Email seems to be the preferred method. However, to cover all bases, if you contact via email first, send a follow-up note with your credentials via snail mail. Remember, keep all contact brief and to the point. And please, do not send samples unless/until they are requested.

I personally have received books, an envelope full of clippings that weighed more than two pounds, and a magazine or two before I ever spoke with a prospect.

These are not more likely to get you a call back. If anything, it's presumptuous and can frustrate a potential client. Desks are usually pretty full without figuring out where to put more stuff. Above all, if you send it, do not expect it back; even if you send a SASE.

If your skills are sufficient AND a client has the need for your type of service, your resume / credentials alone will get you an interview.

5. Professional Presentation of Material: A Director of Public Information at a large nonprofit noted, "This should be implicit, but I wouldn't be mentioning it if in fact it was - any material that is sent should be neatly presented and visually clear with no typos, correct grammar, etc. Material should demonstrate that: (1) you know your job; and (2) you care about it, hence the potential client will care also."

An editor at a financial magazine added, "On a resume, I look for copy editing accuracy and consistency (if you can't copy edit your own resume, how can I count on you to copy edit my magazine?)."

I know you're sending out tons of materials to many contacts. To avoid this problem, try to spend one day organizing and preparing your material, and another day to do the actual mailing.

I've found that most errors occur when you try to do everything in one day. Breaking marketing down into parts helps to simplify the process, thereby cutting down on the chance of mistakes.

So, there you have it. Although no one method can guarantee success, focusing on these areas will boost your chance of landing more clients.

Original, copyrighted material. May be reprinted with inclusion of the following in full: Parts of this article are excerpted from the e-book, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer, by Yuwanda Black. It is available for immediate download at http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/bizguides.html.

About The Author

Yuwanda Black owns Inkwell Editorial, an editorial temporary staffing agency in New York City. She is an entrepreneur, author and syndicated small business columnist. Yuwanda has been an entrepreneur for 11 years and has over 16 years experience in the editorial industry. Contact her at http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/bizguides.html for interviews and/or a link to the book for review.

elite cleaning services Glencoe ...

In The News:

Uber teen accounts now feature live video streaming from the driver's camera, but encrypted recordings stay on Uber's servers for up to 14 days.

Router firewalls and software firewalls serve different roles in protecting your home Wi-Fi from unwanted traffic and suspicious connections.

A Chrome extension with 70,000 users and a 4.7-star rating began injecting fake update warnings after a threat actor acquired and weaponized it.

Amazon's Alexa+ rolls out free to Fire TV devices across the U.S., but hands-free microphones and stored voice data raise key privacy questions.

Meta's new teen accounts settlement sets a default two-hour daily limit on Instagram and Facebook, plus night mode and school mode restrictions.

The CareCloud data breach exposed Social Security numbers, banking information and medical records belonging to more than 3.75 million people.

Waymo reveals its custom 5-nanometer chip and dual computing systems designed to take over instantly if the robotaxi's primary computer fails.

Identity theft now includes account takeover, phone hijacking and payment card exposure. Here's what to look for in identity theft protection services.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

The FBI and Justice Department seized domains tied to QScan and QTRouter, tools allegedly used by China-linked hackers to breach NASA and other agencies.

Uber Eats drone delivery launches later this year through a Zipline partnership, starting in Dallas and Houston with a goal of one million daily flights.

Medicare Open Enrollment scams start with data broker targeting months before October. Learn why August is the time to remove your personal info.

The World Humanoid Robot Games' crashes show how far the technology still needs to go to be useful, "Survivor" reality TV star and robotics scientist Christian Hubicki says.

X-Humanoid's TianGong Ultra ran 100 meters in 9.32 seconds at Beijing's World Humanoid Robot Games, beating last year's winner by more than half.

A tap-to-pay charity scam is turning small $15 or $20 donations into charges of nearly $5,000, with victims losing thousands before they notice.

Kurt Knutsson shares seven emergency preparedness lessons from surviving Hurricane Katrina inside a New Orleans hotel as conditions turned desperate.

A contractor stored credentials in a Google Doc set to "Anyone with the link," and Google Search autocomplete eventually surfaced the password string.

New Orleans 911 uses Carbyne AI to triage repeat auto crash calls, but strict limits keep human call-takers in control of all other emergencies.

A single card skimmer can generate $1 million in stolen funds, and Secret Service video shows criminals installing them in under two seconds.

ChatGPT, Meta AI and Google now use memory, connected apps and past chats to personalize ads and responses in ways most users overlook today.

MagicalAuth by Glide.id uses cryptographic SIM credentials to verify bank logins without sending SMS OTP codes that scammers can intercept or phish.

A humanoid robot named Lightning Bolt ran 100 meters in 9.39 seconds at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, edging Usain Bolt's record.

An AI agent using Claude AI canceled another person's gym booking after finding a security flaw in the reservation system's authorization checks.

Trump signed a memorandum allowing vetted private U.S. companies to conduct cyber operations against foreign criminal organizations under oversight.

Your Social Security number appeared in a breach, but exposure and identity theft are not the same. Here's how identity restoration actually works.

Editorial Freelancing: 5 Must-Know Tips to Getting Your Foot in the Door

Writing