In the current job market, many editorial workers have turned to freelancing as a matter of survival. I receive many queries from applicants regarding how to go about freelancing.
Here I will address what, in my opinion, is the single most important asset you need to build a successful freelance career. See Part 2 for more.
EXPERIENCE:
You need a minimum of three years (five is ideal), preferably as a full-time employee. Clients will feel more comfortable in your knowledge and abilities if you can demonstrate that you've performed your duties in the past, full-time, at an established institution.
Each industry has its own "lingo". Experience in an industry allows you to understand it and communicate effectively with your clients. As a proofreader, a potential client [eg, a reference book publisher] might say:
"I have 300 pages that need to be proofed. The footnotes and illos will be sent separately. Please make sure there's a hole for each illo and that all footnotes run consecutive, beginning anew with each new chapter. The chapter title is the right running head, there is no left running head. How long do you think it will take to complete this job?"
With no experience in publishing, it would be difficult to begin to assess the job. Before giving an estimate, some questions you would ask are:
There may be four or five more questions that need to be asked before you can realistically assess how long it will take you to complete this job.
Experience in the industry allows you to have the necessary knowledge to ask the right questions to judge each project.
Knowledge of your industry will also enable you to decide how to charge for the job. Some jobs are billed on an hourly basis, others are billed on a project basis, and still others are billed as a page rate.
Again, if you know your industry, you will be able to effectively calculate how much time the job will take and what billing method to use.
See Part 2 for remainder of article.
About The Author
May be reprinted with inclusion of the following: Yuwanda Black is an entrepreneur, author, speaker and syndicated small business columnist whose focus is controlling your destiny through small business ownership. Her most recent e-books, How to Really Make a Living as an Editorial Freelancer and Advice from Successful Freelancers: How They Built Their Careers & How You Can Too! are available for immediate download at http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/bizguides.html Visit her on the web at http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/bizguides.html for a complete list of how-to, small business books and articles.
http://www.inkwelleditorial.com/bizguides.html
Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareMix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself... Read More
It's easy to feel overwhelmed by marketing. First, there's so... Read More
Let's Discuss Publisher Ethics:If you are an ezine publisher or... Read More
Do you love someone very deeply? A spouse, son, daughter,... Read More
Every writer eventually develops her own unique style of writing.... Read More
Short Story Writing Tips ?We all have different tastes in... Read More
Each author has special editing needs. To save yourself time... Read More
You've finished your story, and you're pretty happy with it.... Read More
The freelance writing market is a growing market to be... Read More
If you have been online for any length of time... Read More
A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in... Read More
It never ceases to amaze me when a prospective writer... Read More
For those looking at the jobs listings for writers, they... Read More
Writing technical articles is a challenge. There you sit, surrounded... Read More
EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent... Read More
There is an image most people carry of the artist... Read More
Whenever you sit down to plot a story (or even... Read More
First impressions count in writing too! So it is always... Read More
When you read a letter from someone, we are immediately... Read More
You can make a lot of money by writing and... Read More
My bookcase take up one whole wall in the family... Read More
It would be very selfless or noble of me to... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
Open up your favorite calendar and circle today's date.Why? Because... Read More
Has the thought run across you mind that you might... Read More
Antigo wedding limo ..Freewriting is a release from the prison of rules. It... Read More
Creative Writing Tips ?Whichever theme you choose, all the elements,... Read More
We writers are a powerful lot. We control time. We... Read More
1. PLAY A GAME LIKE SOLITAIRE....for half an hour or... Read More
When you run an online agency for freelance writers, editors... Read More
A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent... Read More
Your struggling to sell just a few copies of your... Read More
The purpose of this article is to consider Print-On-Demand publishing... Read More
There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just... Read More
No matter what your fifth-grade English teacher says, some grammar... Read More
You have a new website, or a new business, or... Read More
1) Can you summarize the story in about a sentence... Read More
All Writers need the press, especially new writers. As a... Read More
The first step in the writing process is to put... Read More
The following rules are essential if you want people to... Read More
Writing for the web is very different from writing for... Read More
Have you ever wondered why certain writers are able to... Read More
If you dread the thought of writing, if you fear... Read More
In this article you will find tips on: How to... Read More
With the advent of email communications in the workplace, it's... Read More
Many writers write for the experience. Others dream of having... Read More
WRITING THE PERSONAL STATEMENT TO GET INTO UK UNIVERSITYHOW DO... Read More
All the famous writers I heard of could paper the... Read More
User documentation is all too often written by programmers for... Read More
When the writing bug hits you, get out your pencil,... Read More
Writing |