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Overview
For a packed house of nearly 40 attendees, three longtime Guild members presented affordable marketing techniques that have worked for them.
Plus
some others we've added here and there
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What does the area have to offer me, what might my
choices be here, what could my specific, unique editorial experience offer
this publishing scene, how does my experience match (or not) with what is
here? |
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At this point I considered everything publishing- and
word-related: technical, nontechnical, corporate, trade, scholarly,
magazine, newspaper, and so on. I ordered catalogs from publishers, reviewed
Web sites, familiarized myself with backlists, and so on. |
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I tried to look at the big picture: Before moving
here, I learned about the Editors Guild, Hugo House, Northwest Bookfest,
Elliott Bay Book Co., Seattle Arts & Lectures, the general literary
leanings of the town, and so on. All of this knowledge got me psyched about
the move and would ultimately serve me well in my informational interviews
down the line. |
Focused Research. Next, I honed in on a handful of
publishers, those I thought best fit my previous in-house and freelance
editorial experience.
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For this first round, I decided to target only my
first choices for points of contact for ultimate employment or freelance
work: for me, those were the University of Washington Press, Seal Press,
Sasquatch Books, and Marquand Books. |
Making Contact. I then obtained contact names of
the people most likely to be the hiring person; for my specific wish list, this
would be the managing editor, editorial director, or editors in chief.
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The Intro Letter. I wrote targeted, individualized, brief intro letters requesting informational interviews during my "pre-move" visit to Seattle that summer. I had a "trade" version of the letter, a "women's issues" version, and a "scholarly" version. (Amy read her June 1998 letter to Gary Luke of Sasquatch Books.) In most cases, this involved me picking up the phone and following up on the letters. After initial brief conversations, we scheduled meetings. |
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The Interview. I made sure the interviewees knew that my goal for these conversations was information--not specific employment opportunities. I wanted to learn more about each press and about Seattle's publishing scene in general. Changing that focus took the pressure off of everyone. Do your research, be prepared, don't waste their time. Tell them who you are, beyond what your skills and experience are: you want to show them that you're the kind of person they'd like to work with--friendly, efficient, professional, easy-going. For me, relationships are key. Most of these interviews led to meeting with more than one person at each press; I have found it very helpful to have a few contacts at each place. |
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Determine Your Priorities. For me, as a newcomer to the scene, the point was to make contacts, network, build relationships, get my name out there. My primary goal was to obtain information; my secondary goal was to obtain work. I'd also decided that I'd rather freelance and cobble together something interesting than be in a poor match at a full-time job. I gave myself six months to see what I could build. |
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Results. Within a few months, I had freelance work coming in from my four targets in Seattle, two clients from the East Coast that I brought with me, and I was beginning to modify this same strategy to reach out to other publishers across the country (which I ultimately did successfully). |
Tip #1: Make direct contact … and then follow up with a phone call to help you stand out from the crowd.
Example: Sending cover letters/resumes to publishing houses and then calling to ask about current needs
Tip #2: Make a point of connecting with people at networking meetings.
Example: Fellow Guild member
Tip #3: Meet someone at a meeting and then meet again later—with the emphasis on finding out about the other person’s business.
Example: A life insurance agent whom I met through a community event called to say, “I do a lot of networking, and sometimes I meet people who are looking for an editor. Could we meet for coffee so I could learn more about what you do?” The focus of the eventual meeting was me, although of course the salesman took a few minutes to tell me about his work and how I might refer others to him. It’s about building a referral network.
Tip #4: Hear someone speak … and then follow up with a letter, note, or e-mail.
Example: After a Women Business Owners lunch, I sent a letter to the speaker, praising her presentation and then introducing myself, beginning with the line “I wonder if you ever need editorial services for your [self-] marketing pieces or presentation materials?” Turned out she had been looking for an editor, so she’s been a client now for two years. (You could use this follow-up tactic with others you meet at a business-related event.)
Tip #5: Don’t wait for referrals to come to you … contact them first.
Example: One of my clients referred one of her clients to me, but rather than waiting for that person to call, I contacted her first and cinched the deal. And she since referred me to one of her clients.
Tip #6: Ask for a referral … and then follow up.
Example: A MultiCare Health Foundation rep hand-delivered a financial organizer to me, and in the course of conversation learned that I am a freelance editor. He asked, “Have you thought of contacting MultiCare? We hire freelancers from time to time.” So I asked him for a referral to the hiring person and followed up the next day with an e-mail asking, “Whom should I contact?” The foundation has been a client now for two years.
Tip #7: Help yourself stand out in some way.
Example: I made a direct contact with a book publisher, followed up with a phone call, and was then asked to complete an editing test. As I completed the test, I asked the managing editor a few questions about the manuscript. Then, before I even finished the test, she offered me a rush project, saying that she was willing to take a chance on me because I was the only one who had called to ask for clarification on the editing test. To her, that made me stand out as conscientious.
Tip #8: Become a visible contributor to organizations you join.
Example: When an author contacted a Guild member for a recommendation of an editor for his book, the Guild member thought of me because she had come to know me through our work together on the Guild steering committee.
Tip #9: Google to find connections; people like working with people they know, like, and trust.
Example: During preliminary communications with the author mentioned in the example above, I Googled his name to see what I might find. I learned he was a member of Toastmasters, which I had been active in 15 years before. I mentioned this connection, which helped us build rapport—and he hired me to edit his 120,000-word manuscript.
Tip #10: Be open to reconnecting with old acquaintances.
Example: Several years ago, I happened to hear the voice of an old boyfriend on the radio, advertising a conference at which he was to be a presenter. I Googled for that conference, found a current bio for the boyfriend, and then sent an e-mail to him, mentioning what I was now doing. I got back a brief update at the time—and another e-mail a few years later when he needed a company training manual edited. He has since referred me to his company’s marketing dept., which has become an ongoing client.
Bonus: Put it all together—work all the angles.
Example: I once saw a listing on the Editors Guild job board for an asst. editor for a local publishing house. One of the duties was “working with freelance copy editors.” This told me the company hired freelancers and I should make contact. Around the same time, I attended a local publishers networking event at which the managing editor was present. I introduced myself to her, gave her my card, and followed up later with a letter and resume, which I followed up with a phone call. She offered me a small proofreading project at “beginner’s” rates, liked my work, and then offered me a bigger substantive editing project (at a bigger rate). I’ve now edited dozens of training manuals for this client over the past four years.
Check out www.vistaprint.com for affordable, attractive, professional-looking business cards for those who cannot afford a professional designer. You enter your text online and can watch the card take shape before your eyes, changing it if you don’t like how it looks.
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For free (there’s a small shipping charge), you can get a box of 250 basic cards with Vistaprint’s URL on the back. You can choose from a small number of designs. |
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For just $20, you can get a box of 250 cards without the Vistaprint plug. You can choose from a much wider array of designs, complete with stock photos and/or artwork. (You can also provide your own art or photo, but that costs extra.) |
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For $2 more, you can get an electronic version of your business card, which you can attach to
your emails. |
(and extensions of that idea)
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You've just redesigned your business card or Web
site: drop one of your new cards in the mail, or send a quick e-mail
announcing your new look. |
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You have a change in your work status: going on maternity or medical leave / now back at work--I've done both, for new babies and for knee surgery; going on sabbatical for six months / now back in town; taking on a work partner who provides complementary services; and so on. |
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You have sudden availability in your schedule: send a
friendly e-mail letting them know your availability, especially for those
clients you may have had to turn down recently because of other
commitments--as simple as "Just wanted to let you know my schedule is
opening up in April. I look forward to working on another [name the
publisher] project soon." |
| Listing in
online membership directory. Many members get new clients this way. |
| Job Board. Ditto. |
| Staffing
agencies. The Job Board has a link to a list of Seattle-area agencies. |
| Resume notebook. |
| Meetings. Meet other editors
to whom you might refer work, and who might do the same for you. Start
building relationships! |
I have a good friend who is a talented graphic designer.
I proofread her Web site at no charge, and she designed my cards and letterhead.
I paid for printing the materials, of course, but not for her design time.
Otherwise I would not have been able to afford professional design services.
Another graphic designer friend (actually my sister) wants to leap from print to Web design. We've been collaborating on a redesign for my Web site. I'll proofread her Web site and help with writing some text for free. It's a much better deal for me, I think, but what she really wants at this point is more "meat" to add to her portfolio.
Brie Gyncild chimed in that she maintains relationships with others in other fields
(designers, indexers,etc.), who may know of projects she doesn't, and can
involve her in them or refer her to the person in charge. As part of her
nurturing of these relationships, she "gives them goodies" -- such as
books she's worked on, if they would be of interest and she has extra
copies.
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Do excellent work. Make it a pleasure for
clients to work with you, and they will refer others to you. |
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Always thank colleagues for referrals, no matter whether you take
the job. A small gift certificate, |
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Offer an
introductory rate (50% off?) for your first 6-12 months. |
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Do editing for
a nonprofit as a volunteer; add the experience to your resume, and their
testimonials to your Web site. Consider asking if you could advertise your
services in their publication, in return for your work. Nonprofit staff are
busy, so dropping by to introduce yourself may be a better way to make a connection than mail or phone. |
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Take a job in a
publishing environment, even if it's not an editorial job. Miriam Bulmer
described taking |
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giving away your services free and clear; it undercuts your fellow editors,
who must charge |
At our Portland
reprise of this presentation, panelist Jill Kelly and other Guild members
offered a few other ideas that have worked for them:
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Jill (who has a
Ph.D.) finds out when academic conferences are happening, then leaves her
business cards on every table at the conference. |
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Offer to edit
menus for a flat fee. |
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Notes when
companies are advertising for an in-house editor whose duties include
working with freelancers. Contact them to introduce yourself as a
freelancer seeking overflow or project work. |
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Develop
relationships with people in other professions who work with material that
may need editing, such as Web-site developers, designers, and people who do
word processing. |
Note: This is based on my experience
creating www.wordswithgrace.com.--
Sherri
Should
You Have a Web Site?
It helps modest people sell ourselves without having to engage in embarrassing self-promotion. You can put all your laudatory information on your site and just refer people to it.
A site communicates more information than you could ever get across in a brief phone call or meeting, or in an ad (you can list just your URL and a few intriguing words about your business, instead of having to take out a multipage ad).
A Web site is an effective way to present testimonials from clients. I’ve found it awkward / unnatural to do this in written correspondence or in person.
You can add your URL to your email signature, so that it will appear on all your correspondence, thus subtly (but not obnoxiously) marketing yourself—even to friends and others not expressly looking for an editor.
Unlike a brochure or other static print piece, a Web site is instantly updatable at no cost to you (assuming that it’s created using software that you own and understand how to use). You can add new services, accomplishments, testimonials, or other information at any time.
It can give new or prospective clients basic information about how you work, what sort of materials you accept, etc. – saving you time by not having to provide this info to each interested individual.
It says "I'm a business, I'm a professional, I'm serious."
| A 750MB site costs $3.75/month through |
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