11/05: Potluck/Survey

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November 20, 2005
Annual Potluck

Future Directions for the Guild

Members who were present at the potluck had a lively conversation about directions the Guild might take in the coming year. We kicked off with a sampling of responses to the recent Guild survey, which roughly fell into the categories of marketing ourselves, health insurance, group discounts on software or books, social events, and training opportunities. 

We had many ideas. Some would take only the initiative of a single member to make happen, and others were much more ambitious. Here's a summary of the ideas we discussed. Please feel free to discuss any or all of these on the email list, or to add to the brainstorm list! 

One-day conference - This generated the most excitement and was also the most ambitious by far. We thought of this as a way to meet several goals - bring Editors Guild members together from all over the Northwest, provide workshops for hands-on editorial skillbuilding, possibly bring in a noted author and advertise to the public as a way of marketing ourselves, and have some social events. This could become an annual event, and it could grow into a multi-day conference, depending on its initial success and how many people want to help make it happen. To help make the first event happen, email brie@wordyfolks.com and let us know you're interested.

Small support groups - Textbook editors, South Sound editors, new-to-freelancing editors, editors of children's books, working-mom editors: any of these groups of people could meet together to support each other and discuss the challenges of their particular situation. To make it happen, just send a message to the email list describing the group you'd like to form and ask interested folks to contact you. And if your group does meet, send a message to the email list to let us all know how it went. You could start a trend!

Games party - Scrabble, anyone? Several members have suggested social events around word play. Any member is welcome to host a game party and invite guild members via the email list (you just need games, space, and a date). Or Seattle-area members can come to an existing regular games afternoon, hosted by a group called the Third Place Gamers, held on monst Sundays at 3 p.m. in the Commons next to Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park. To make a games party happen, either email the list to ask folks to meet you at Third Place Books on a particular Sunday, or send an invitation to an event you set up. (For more info on the Third Place Gamers, visit http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/thirdplacespielers/. Note that they play a variety of board, card, and party games -- not just word games.)

Mutual mentoring - Meet with another editor or a small group of editors to break the isolation of wondering whether you're doing it right. Review each other's manuscripts and share thoughts about communicating with authors, copyediting marks, whatever seems pertinent. This is another idea that can come to life through a simple email. If you want to meet with another editor to share tips and insights, either identify someone in the member list and email them directly, or email the entire email list to invite folks to be your mutual mentoring buddies.

Other Ideas

As a way to meet prospective clients, we could host an event where 
we'd mingle with writers' groups or other groups of folks likely to need 
editors.
It's possible that we could get group discounts on books or 
software. It might make sense when a new reference book, such as a new 
version of Chicago, is published.
We can co-sponsor author readings at Elliott Bay Books, University Bookstore, or Third Place Books. Elliott Bay has invited us to do so, at no cost to us. We just need to identify the book and contact Elliott Bay early on.

A note about health insurance: The request for access to health insurance through the Guild comes up perennially, and with good reason. However, the last time we researched it, we didn't have enough members interested in participating to make the insurance available. No one on the steering committee is able to research the current insurance situation. If a Guild member wants to pursue the possibility, which would include making bunches of phone calls and polling the members to see how many people would actually use it, you're welcome to do so (and may earn yourself a few karma points). Meanwhile, there is information about health insurance options available for freelancers on the website at 
http://www.edsguild.org/insurance.htm.


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