If you want to work from home, and you have good grammar and mechanics skills, then start an editing business. It just might be the right job for you! My editing business, Editor 911, has been in existence for two years. I started it because I want to supplement my income, which mainly consists of freelance writing gigs and substitute teaching. I also enjoy helping people and critiquing fiction and nonfiction work. If this kind of business sounds like something you are interested in, read on!
Instructions
1. Name your business. There are several editing businesses you can check out on the Internet, and then come up with a unique name.
2. Decide on your exact services and pricing. You can do a search on the Internet to find out what other editing businesses charge for services. You can also review the services they provide. Once you have looked at several examples, you need to decide on your pricing and services. Then you need to make a menu of editing services. Will you do typing? How about critiquing? What will your specialty be? What training or experience do you have? Think about the answers to all these questions, and then make your editing business fit your skills and your personality. You can check out my Web site listed at the end of this article for one example of an editing business.
3. Advertise. This can be done in several different ways. You can make flyers, business cards, postcards, a Web site, or newspaper ads. For my business, Editor 911, I use mostly flyers and my Web site to gather clients. I have advertised during speaking engagements at writing conferences or to individual writing groups. I hung the flyers on university bulletin boards as well as at coffee shops where students studied or writers hung out. Anywhere potential clients might be and it is free to advertise is a great spot to hang a flyer or leave a business card!
4. Be prepared for phone calls and emails. Make sure you sound professional and sure of yourself, especially with your first few clients. Be polite and answer questions to the best of your ability, but be firm. When graduate students would first call me about editing their dissertations, I wouldn't give them a set price, and I would say, "Well, I'll have to see your documents or notes first." Then they would very politely say, "Thanks," and never call me back. Now, when a client emails or calls, I am much more sure of myself. I know what I can offer the client and at what price. Don't be afraid to charge what your time is worth! If you study other editors' Web sites first, you will see the going rate and know that your client is getting a great editor at a reasonable price.
5. Finish assignments on time and deliver what you promise. Remember, you may have to look up comma rules or spelling errors every once in a while. This is what reference books are for. Use them! Also, when you first work with clients, make sure to get paid before you deliver their edited documents. If you follow these simple steps, you'll be a successful editor with a thriving editing business in no time!
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