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Launching into a Freelance Career
Suzanne Meyers, ELSCaroline Define
From Suit to Pajamas: The Road to Becoming a Freelancer
Brief Personal Background
BA in English/Writing Worked at LWW (now part
of Wolters Kluwer) as production editor in both Journals Department and Medical Education Books Department.
Quit in 2004 to take a 6-month road trip and start freelance career.
All of my work initially came from LWW and the contacts I had made at LWW.
However, things change in 7 years.
Change: Ready or Not… Most major publishing houses do not hire freelancers directly anymore,
except in some cases for journals. Examples: LWW, Wiley. Full-service composition companies have largely taken over this role.
Example: Aptara, which is an exhibitor at this CSE meeting.
Also, outsourcing to other countries (e.g., India), both management and editing, is occurring and may increase in the future. Freelancer must be able to adapt to change. How:
Become a member of an organization like the CSE; it can help you keep abreast of changes and find out who is hiring.
Be flexible and open to trying new technology; the more you learn, the more you can offer; keep current with latest style guideline editions (AMA, CMS, APA, etc.).
Stay aware of the changes; talk to your work contacts about developments in their companies, because changes trickle down and will affect you.
Show Me the Money! Where there is work, there is pay.
Publishing companies, particularly for journals LWW, Wiley, Elsevier
Full-service companies, for books and journals Cadmus, Aptara, PreMedia Global (latter two are exhibitors)
Societies that self-publish journals American Society of Clinical Oncology (Journal of Clinical Oncology),
American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics Universities that publish
Johns Hopkins University Press Organizations and government agencies
WHO, UN, FDA
Survey Says… Now that you know where the work is, how do you get it? Northwest Independent Editor’s Guild survey results on
freelancers’ methods of obtaining new clients: Referrals from other clients/editors: 84% A guild website (member dir/job board/list serve): 40% Cold-calling: 21% -- includes cold-emailing Networking event: 19% Own website: 18% Advertising: 4%
Sample Job Listing Cadmus Publisher Services Group, a worldwide leader and provider of
content management and production services to scientific, technical, and medical journal publishers, seeks freelance copyeditors for complex scientific, technical, medical, and social science journal content.
Applicants should have experience editing complex material, including tables, in Microsoft Word. A thorough knowledge of AMA, CSE, or APA style is required.
All applicants must be able to commit to working a minimum of 10 hours and/or editing 100 pages/week.
Please submit both your cover letter and resume.
Aspects to Consider When Contemplating a Freelance Career
The Good…Advantages of a freelance career
Freedom: you are your own boss Pay (maximize your time) Tax write-offs: home office, Internet, etc. Flexibility if you have a family Set your own hours You can never be fired or laid off Save on commuting time and gas You can wear your pajamas
The Bad…Disadvantages of a freelance career
Social Security tax: have to pay all No health insurance through company No match for 401k Slow/heavy periods are stressful: work uncertainty
(is there enough) in slow periods and time management and overwhelming workload in heavy periods
No paid time off for sick days or vacation—if you don’t work, you’re not paid
Marketing
Why Market Your Services?Relying on word-of-mouth referrals gets you
only so farEven long-standing clients can go out of
business or change directionsDon’t wait until work dries up to find new
clients Marketing should be ongoing Incorporate marketing into daily workflow
Marketing VehiclesWebsiteSocial mediaDirect e-mailsE-mail listsProfessional organizations
Marketing VehiclesWebsite
Professionally designed site Good search engine optimization
The better your keywords are, the more easily search engines will find your site
Frequent updates (blog) Make site more attractive to search engines Show your expertise to potential clients
Linking from other sites
Social Media Twitter
Keep your tweets professionally focused Expand networking possibilities Follow organizations, publications, and individuals to keep
up with your field
LinkedIn Create detailed listing: public resume Maintain connections with existing contacts Follow contacts as they change jobs Participate in groups and discussions
Facebook Create page for your services “Like” or become fan of organizations and companies
Cross-pollinate Create blog post, tweet the URL, publish on Facebook Post tweets on blog Link blog to Facebook and LinkedIn profiles Comment frequently on other blogs to increase traffic to your
site
Direct E-mails Targets
Existing contacts Vendors Authors you’ve worked with Former colleagues Potential clients (search LinkedIn for second-/third-degree
contacts)
Send initial e-mail to announce services/availability Send periodic follow-ups
Remind existing clients of past work Offer services for future projects
E-mail lists Subscribe to Copyediting-L, Freelance-L,
FreelanceWritersEditors Access job postings Participate in discussions to increase your exposure
and promote your knowledge
Professional organizations Join CSE, AMWA, BELS, Editorial Freelancers Assoc.
Grants you access to job postings, message boards, and freelance directories
Launching into a Freelance Career
Suzanne Meyers, ELS www.suzannemeyersediting.com
Caroline Define