Philip J. Smith's Blog

Thursday, January 19, 2017

IndieView with Nikita, author of Messed Up … By Choice

I was living the complete story in my mind. I could actually visualise her doing things, making friends, traveling, fighting the world as if I was watching a Bollywood movie.

Nikita – 19 January 2017

The Back Flap

Isha has a fearless and free-spirited personality. She is an observer, believes in self-talking ritual and speaks her mind all time. Her parents' faith and blind trust in her, pushed this attitude to endeavor the unknown territories of human existence. She was living a satisfied and protected life in a small town in India, until one day when she had to move out to pursue higher studies. And then, she was on her own. Eventually, her experimental approach towards unfolding the events of life resulted in – bumpy academic goals, twisted career expectations, and failed relationship(s). She messed up everything. Why? What went wrong with her decision-making skills? Did she come back on track? What happened next is a vicious circle of Karmas…

About the book

What is the book about?

It's a fiction. It's a story of a girl, named Isha who goes through a lot of twists and turns in the journey called life. She moved like a stream of water to reach the destination known as self satisfaction. In short, she lived with the flow and stayed happy forever.

When did you start writing the book?

I began writing the book in the beginning of April. I had left my job and was summoned to bed rest due to ligament rupture of the knee. So I was left with nothing to do physically. Then the stories started revolving in my mind and hence this book, Messed Up… By Choice.

How long did it take you to write it?

I took almost five months to write the book. Initially, whenever I felt to write, I did it. Ultimately, I had a pile of unlimited stories. Then I decided to string the stories together and give a novel shape. However, neither did I follow a timetable while writing, nor did I push myself with a deadline. Creative mind works in the free zone!

Where did you get the idea from?

While being the teacher in one of the premier MBA institutes, I explored my skills of observing surroundings with unconventional viewpoint, self reflection and love for writing. It seems that being a girl from small town to a city girl, living with several paying guests, always taking chances in life and fearlessness to explore new has made my perspective towards life quite holistic in nature, which is evident in my story too. I have adopted to publish a book in a way to make my voice heard and to influence people's thoughts, outlook, and response towards the mirage like the harshness of life.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

I would define the struggle as a minor phase where you have entered a new genre and have no idea what to do next. After observing the surroundings a while, that phase vanishes. I struggled with the language part. I had the whole story running in front of my eyes, but when it came to writing down the scene, the charm was getting lost. I was trying to make my words look polished and poised. This led to disinterest in writing. Finally, I took a decision to write down that scene in its most raw form and then during the final editing, I kept the soul of the story intact by just altering the tenses and vocabulary.

What came easily?

The imagination, the story that Isha wanted to convey. This was because I was living the complete story in my mind. I could actually visualise her doing things, making friends, traveling, fighting the world as if I was watching a Bollywood movie.

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Both. The names are borrowed from Bollywood actors/actresses real names or the characters they have played in the movie. As well as each story begins with the real incident's narration, but later on gets into a fictitious script.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I am an avid reader of fiction, biographies, self help books and books related to education such as GRIT, Learning Landscape. Paulo Coelho has helped me to believe in spirituality, omens, and Howard Gardner taught me how to identify children's multiple intelligences and nurture them. Along with this, Indian writers such as Chetan Bhagat, Twinkle Khanna, and Rashmi Bansal have influenced my writing pattern, i.e. to write in a simple language so that everybody can visualize, understand, and reflect on the message to be conveyed.

Do you have a target reader?

The story would appeal to people of 16-40 yrs; the one who likes to read a book with multiple themes in the form of short stories; the one who reads books that are written in simple language using a plain tone, yet demonstrating a strong viewpoint; the one who loves Bollywood movie type stories, the one who wants to begin a habit of reading books.

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so, can you please describe it?

Observe surrounding, reflect upon it, bring out the positive and inspiring elements from the surroundings, talk about it with other people to get the differed perspectives, shape it in a story form and write it down.

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

I keep a journal with me all the time. This journal is a file on the cloud which is accessible from all my gadgets. I write down the chapter titles, any incident (not the full story, but the gist) that I feel I would take that into my book and anything else, which clicks in the mind at any moment. Then, whenever I sit down to write the book, I articulate the incident in proper format.

Do you edit as you go or wait until you've finished?

As I mentioned earlier, first I write the story in its raw form. As I finish one chapter/theme/topic, I leave it as it is and move on to the next chapter. After writing down on one or two more topics, I revisit the previous chapter and edit it twice. In this way, there is a break between writing and editing. Hence, this saves from monotony while being attached to your book continuously.

Did you hire a professional editor?

Nope, I did not hire any professional editor. I did basic editing using Ginger and Grammarly.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Nope. While writing, I visualize the whole story so there is nothing else which I do.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

I had sent my sample chapters to various traditional publishers and waited for 4 months to get at least an acknowledgement which I did not receive any. Then the concept of self publishing caught my attention while surfing the net. I found this handy when one really wants her story to be told worldwide.

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I had selected the main image for the book cover from Pixabay and then the self publishing agency, Educreation Publishing (New Delhi, India) designed it.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

I am focusing on getting book reviews on Amazon, Goodreads and FB page. I have already started a Giveaway on Goodreads. Then there is a radio interview scheduled. Along with this, two rounds of promotion via Facebook marketing are done and more are planned.

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

Advice: Writing is a tool of revolution. Use it wisely. Your words would influence the readers in one or the other way. Just think upon the purpose of writing and message you want to deliver. And at the end: Just write it down anyway!

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Abu Road, a small town near Mount Abu, Rajastan, India.

Where do you live now?

Same as above.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I like to listen. I like to observe. I like to discuss. I like to talk.
I love asymmetry. It is creative and beautiful.

What are you working on now?

I am a research scholar, pursuing my Ph.D. in management. My area of research is school education.

End of Interview:

For more from Nikita, visit her blog or like her Facebook page.

Get your copy of Messed Up … By Choice from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2iF8NJL

IndieView with Nikita, author of Messed Up … By Choice

I was living the complete story in my mind. I could actually visualise her doing things, making friends, traveling, fighting the world as if I was watching a Bollywood movie.

Nikita – 19 January 2017

The Back Flap

Isha has a fearless and free-spirited personality. She is an observer, believes in self-talking ritual and speaks her mind all time. Her parents’ faith and blind trust in her, pushed this attitude to endeavor the unknown territories of human existence. She was living a satisfied and protected life in a small town in India, until one day when she had to move out to pursue higher studies. And then, she was on her own. Eventually, her experimental approach towards unfolding the events of life resulted in – bumpy academic goals, twisted career expectations, and failed relationship(s). She messed up everything. Why? What went wrong with her decision-making skills? Did she come back on track? What happened next is a vicious circle of Karmas…

About the book

What is the book about?

It’s a fiction. It’s a story of a girl, named Isha who goes through a lot of twists and turns in the journey called life. She moved like a stream of water to reach the destination known as self satisfaction. In short, she lived with the flow and stayed happy forever.

When did you start writing the book?

How long did it take you to write it?

Where did you get the idea from?

While being the teacher in one of the premier MBA institutes, I explored my skills of observing surroundings with unconventional viewpoint, self reflection and love for writing. It seems that being a girl from small town to a city girl, living with several paying guests, always taking chances in life and fearlessness to explore new has made my perspective towards life quite holistic in nature, which is evident in my story too. I have adopted to publish a book in a way to make my voice heard and to influence people’s thoughts, outlook, and response towards the mirage like the harshness of life.

Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?

What came easily?

Are your characters entirely fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?

Both. The names are borrowed from Bollywood actors/actresses real names or the characters they have played in the movie. As well as each story begins with the real incident’s narration, but later on gets into a fictitious script.

We all know how important it is for writers to read. Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write and, if so, how have they influenced you?

I am an avid reader of fiction, biographies, self help books and books related to education such as GRIT, Learning Landscape. Paulo Coelho has helped me to believe in spirituality, omens, and Howard Gardner taught me how to identify children’s multiple intelligences and nurture them. Along with this, Indian writers such as Chetan Bhagat, Twinkle Khanna, and Rashmi Bansal have influenced my writing pattern, i.e. to write in a simple language so that everybody can visualize, understand, and reflect on the message to be conveyed.

Do you have a target reader?

About Writing

Do you have a writing process? If so, can you please describe it?

Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter headings and a couple of sentences?

Do you edit as you go or wait until you’ve finished?

Did you hire a professional editor?

Nope, I did not hire any professional editor. I did basic editing using Ginger and Grammarly.

Do you listen to music while you write? If yes, what gets the fingers tapping?

Nope. While writing, I visualize the whole story so there is nothing else which I do.

About Publishing

Did you submit your work to Agents?

What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an indie publisher? Was it a particular event or a gradual process?

Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?

I had selected the main image for the book cover from Pixabay and then the self publishing agency, Educreation Publishing (New Delhi, India) designed it.

Do you have a marketing plan for the book or are you just winging it?

Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors?

About You

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Abu Road, a small town near Mount Abu, Rajastan, India.

Where do you live now?

Same as above.

What would you like readers to know about you?

I like to listen. I like to observe. I like to discuss. I like to talk.
I love asymmetry. It is creative and beautiful.

What are you working on now?

I am a research scholar, pursuing my Ph.D. in management. My area of research is school education.

End of Interview:

For more from Nikita, visit her blog or like her Facebook page.

Get your copy of Messed Up … By Choice from Amazon US or Amazon UK.

from The IndieView http://ift.tt/2iF8NJL

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Climbing Black Mountain in Winter

View of Mt Washington from Black Mountain (Jackson)

Black Mountain (2757′) is a 52-with-a-View peak located in Jackson, NH with good views of Mt Washington on a clear day. The trail up to the summit follows the Black Mountain Ski trail and passes the Black Mountain Cabin, just below the summit. This is a primitive log cabin managed by the Forest Service that you can rent out for $20/day.

The ski trail is steep and narrow. It was fairly well packed out when I hiked it, but with the recent thaws and rain, the snow was consolidated and icy. I have no idea how people can ski down this trail and live to tell the tale. The narrow run is hemmed in by woods and there are drainages with flowing water that transect the trail. Maybe there was more snow in the old days and those codgers knew how to control their wooden skis. Hard to say.

As I climbed, I passed two young men dragging a gear-laden pulk coming down the trail, their frying pan threatening to jump from the sled and make a solo descent down the hill. They'd spent two nights up at the cabin and had brought in an axe and saw to cut firewood for the cabin's tiny wood stove.

They were wearing heavy-duty Carhartt overalls, not part of the spandex-set at all, and I wondered whether they worked in trail crew for the forest service. We chatted for a while and they compared their experience at the cabin with the Doublehead cabin which they liked better, another rentable cabin, a short distance away. I've been meaning to drag some friends there on a winter cabin trip, so I filed that away.

I reached the cabin and took in the views of Washington across Pinkham Notch before climbing the rest of the way to the summit, looping around the cabin and up the back way, up an unmarked side trail that leaves from the path to the cabin's water source There are lots of occluded views visible through the winter forest, Sable and Chandler, the Baldfaces, the Doubleheads, but the woods have grown in since the 52-with-a-View list was first created, so Washington is only peak you can see completely from the mountain.

Still I had Black Mountain all to myself on a fine winter morning. This is a easy-to-moderate hike in winter, 3.9 miles round trip and definitely worth hiking if you want some exercise without having to put in an entire day.

from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2iU6vFc

Climbing Black Mountain in Winter

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Montane Alpha Guide Jacket Review

The Montane Alpha Guide Jacket is designed to insulate your core while giving greater freedom of movement for your arms. It is insulated with Polartec Alpha, a highly breathable and compressible insulation that was designed for soldiers to eliminate the need of shedding or adding layers while on the move. The jacket is intended to be used as a combination mid-layer and softshell outer garment, saving the need for frequent layer breaks, since the insulation is designed to dump excess heat and prevent perspiration buildup.

The jacket's torso is covered with a DWR coated Pertex Microlight Stretch fabric which provides excellent arm mobility and it has two zippered side pockets, high enough that you can access their contents when wearing a backpack hip belt. The hood is not adjustable but is small enough to fit snugly around your face, and the arms have thumb loops at the wrist. There's a two-way front zipper with a zipper garage at the top to protect your face, and a mesh liner inside the jacket to help wick sweat away from your base layer. Side hem adjustments round out the feature set preventing wind from blowing up and sides and robbing heat. Add up all these features and the Alpha Guide Jacket comes in at 20.5 ounces in a men's XL.

I've been virtually living in the Alpha Guide Jacket over the past four weeks, using the jacket as an outer layer over a thin Merino wool jersey in dry and cold weather from 30 degrees fahrenheit down to 0 degrees. The jacket is sufficiently warm in that range, provided you're moving, but never too warm that you sweat noticeably or feel cold while wearing it. However, while the breathability of the Alpha Guide Jacket is excellent, even for highly aerobic activities like cross-country skiing, the jacket accumulates significant perspiration when covered with a backpack.

Montane Alpha Guide Jacket - Rear View — Montane Alpha Guide Jacket – Rear View

For example, when I vigorously cross-country ski for two hours on a tracked course, I stay nice and dry, even with the hood up to block the wind. But when I put on a backpack my back sweats noticeably, soaking the rear hem of the jacket, wetting the rear of my pants and underwear. It takes about 60 minutes of heavy exertion, climbing about 1000 feet of elevation per hour, for the jacket to become noticeably damp, with the cascading failure to my pants and base layer.

This isn't all the surprising I suppose – cover a breathable jacket with a backpack – what do you expect? But the claim is that Polartec Alpha was developed for special forces who can't stop to delayer, even though they are presumably wearing backpacks to haul the 100+ plus pounds of gear they need to carry. My expectation was that I wouldn't have to delayer either and the "hyper-breathability" of the jacket would dissipate the extra heat and sweat that I generate during periods of sustained exertion.

I wouldn't mind so much if my pants and underwear didn't get wet, but chafing down there is a showstopper and even worse in winter. I think the moisture transfer is the result of the jacket's long rear hem, since I can also soak a 100 weight fleece pullover in similar circumstances, but not soak my pants since a fleece sweater doesn't drop as low over my butt. In other words, the Alpha Guide Jacket would probably be a lot better if it wasn't a jacket, but just a sweater with a hood.

Garment care is a little inconvenient since the jacket does stink up, particularly under the pits, with use. Montane recommends washing the jacket with soap that does not have a fabric softener, drip drying it, and reproofing the DWR on the Pertex shell periodically.

Given how comfortable the Alpha Guide Jacket is, I'm heartbroken that this jacket didn't perform as well as I'd hoped. I've always been skeptical about garments that eliminate the need to layer and delayer, since it is such a simple and inexpensive way to manage perspiration during heavy periods of exertion. But I was willing to give the Alpha Guide Jacket as chance to prove me wrong. Give it a pass however for winter hiking and backpacking.

Disclosure: Montane provided the author with a sample Alpha Guide Jacket for this review.

Support SectionHiker.com. If you make a purchase after clicking on the links above, a portion of the sale helps support this site at no additional cost to you.

from Section Hikers Backpacking Blog http://ift.tt/2iGdFJS

Montane Alpha Guide Jacket Review

How to Start a Freelance Fiction Editing Business

Note from Sean: So many people fail to think outside the “freelance writing” box when they’re on their quest to form their first bridge business online.

The reality is there are a LOT of different approaches you can take to do it. That’s why I love this post from Location Rebel Academy member Karen Marston.

In it, she shows us not only how to start an editing business, but she niches down even further to freelance fiction editing – which there’s a growing market for right now.

If you still haven’t figured out exactly how to get started online, take a look at this post and see if it resonates.

Take it away, Karen!

—

When you picture your perfect day, does it involve curling up—or stretching out—with a good book at some point? And I don’t just mean the latest business volume to help you get your business up and running. Settling down for a couple of hours with Evernote and your hulking great copy of Tools of Titans is all well and good, but don’t you just love to dive into a good thriller or romance or sci-fi novel sometimes?

If you answered yes, starting a fiction editing business could be the path to location independence you seek. Especially if you’re also a grammar nerd who takes a certain pride in your ability to catch and correct typos. It’s a business that can easily be run from your laptop, particularly if you work with self-publishing authors rather than traditional publishing houses.

Becoming a freelance fiction editor is not as easy or simple as starting, say, an SEO article writing business, but—for most people—it’s infinitely more rewarding. To get a better idea of whether this is the right path for you, keep reading to find out what you need to do to get started.

1. Decide Which Type of Editing to Do

Becoming a freelance fiction editor isn’t as simple as saying, “Send me your book and I’ll make it better!” No. There are different levels of editing, beginning with the big picture and moving on to the tiniest details. There are many different names for each type of editing, but the process is generally the same whatever you call each step. It looks something like this:

Macro editing
Macro editing is the big, sweeping part of the process—you look at the manuscript as a whole and address how effectively the story has been told, helping the author fashion it into something people will want to read. This is intensive and definitely the most difficult type of editing to get right. You need to know your shit to be able to do this.
Sentence-level editing
There are a couple of different types of sentence-level editing: line editing and copy-editing. It’s easy to get them mixed up because they’re pretty similar. Line editing comes first in the process, and its aim is to make paragraphs and sentences more artful in the way they flow, and more correct and consistent in the way they’re presented. Essentially, your aim is to help improve the writing. Copy-editing, on the other hand, is about correcting the writing, fixing any grammatical errors without touching any of the creative elements of the prose.
Micro editing
Otherwise known as proofreading. Technically, proofreading comes after the book has been typeset (put into book format), and is the final check to make sure no errors have slipped through the previous rounds of editing, so if you’re working on something before that stage, what you’re doing is probably copy-editing. There’s a lot of fluidity around the terms though, especially in digital publishing. So long as you’re clear about the precise service you’re offering, you’ll be fine.

Unless you have a strong knowledge of creative writing and how to tell a story effectively, it’s best not to start by offering macro editing services; copy-editing and proofreading are good places to begin your freelance editing journey.

2. Learn How to Use Track Changes

Track Changes is the function in Microsoft Word that allows you to make changes to a work without immediately implementing them. You can change things and make suggestions and comments, all while still being able to view the work in its original form. Basically, it’s the red pen. It looks like this:

Track Changes is an essential tool for an editor. It makes it a lot easier to see what you’ve changed, and rather than directly editing a text you’re simply making suggested changes, which can either be accepted or rejected. This is also nice for the author, so they can see and learn from your edits.

Sophie Playle (my business partner) has written an excellent guide to Track Changes. It’s written for authors, but you should find it useful, too.

3. Choose Your Niche/Specialism

If you’ve been reading Location Rebel for a while, I’m sure you’ve learned the importance of “niching down.” It’s much easier to make people want to work with you when you specialize in a specific niche. When it comes to editing, there are several ways you can specialize.

Simply labelling yourself as a fiction editor is the obvious place to start. Fiction editing and non-fiction editing are very different, and if you were an author, wouldn’t you prefer to work with someone who’s experienced in and dedicated to the craft of fiction?

However, you can take it even further. You could specialize in a specific genre—Sophie, for example, specializes in editing sci-fi, fantasy, and speculative fiction—or by type of service you offer. Take Louise Harnby, who specializes solely in proofreading. The final way to specialize is by type of client, which could be publishing houses, self-publishing authors or authors who want to publish traditionally. (It’s easier to begin by working directly with authors, because they’re more likely to choose an editor they feel a connection with, as opposed to publishing houses who look for more experienced candidates.)

You can specialize in one or all three of these areas. Theoretically, the more you niche it down, the easier it should be to find clients, although this does have its limits—choose a tiny enough niche and there may not be enough work to sustain you.

4. Set Your Rates

Ahh, rates. Every freelancer’s favourite topic. Hahaha, just kidding. Everyone hates thinking about rates! Because how the hell do you decide how much to charge? WHAT’S YOUR WORTH? Or, more accurately, what’s your work’s worth, since that really has nothing to do with your worth as a human being. But I digress.

Setting rates as a freelance fiction editor isn’t all that different from setting rates in any other type of freelancing, though there is, unsurprisingly, more of a focus on word count.

One of the most common ways to set rates as a freelance editor is per 1000 words, though other options include per page (a page is classed as 250 words in the publishing industry), per hour, or per project (which can be calculated using your per-1000-words rate).

You can either present a fixed rate (“I charge $18 per 1000 words”) or a ranged rate (“I charge between $14 and $22 per 1000 words”). The ranged rate will allow you the flexibility to adjust your rate depending on the quality of the manuscript the client sends you.

5. Create Your Website

As a fiction editor, you’re going to need an online home where authors can find out more about you and the services you offer. So you’re going to need to set up a website, which will involve purchasing your domain name and hosting, installing WordPress and adding content to your site. Check out this post I wrote for Sean about how to set up a freelance writing website—the instructions for creating a freelance editing website are very similar, with just a few obvious tweaks to the content needed.

You’ll still want to include a home, about, services and contact page, though obviously you’ll need to, well, talk about freelance editing rather than writing. It’s up to you whether you decide to include your rates or not.

6. Decide Your Client Work Process

Before you nab your first client, you should have a vague idea of how you’re going to actually do this, right? Editing a manuscript for a fiction author should go a little like this:

Receive an enquiry
Unfortunately, it’s tricky to actively hunt down clients as a freelance fiction editor (how do you know who’s writing a novel, and who’s ready for editing?), so you’ll need to wait for them to come for you. (Though there are ways to speed up this process—more on that below.)
Ask for a sample
This is a crucial stage of the process, and something you’ll want to do before you send a quote—perhaps before you even decide whether you want to take the client on. I highly recommend conducting a sample edit of the author’s work (preferably taken from the middle of the book, rather than the polished beginning). This will allow you to judge how much to charge for the edit, based on the quality of the work, and will let the author see the standard of work you’ll provide. Whether you charge for the sample edit or not is up to you.
Schedule the project
Once you’ve agreed to work with a client, you’ll want to clearly lay out the timeline for it: when the client needs to send the finished manuscript to you by, as well as when you will start work on it and when you’ll deliver the fully edited manuscript.
Sign a contract
Whether you sign an official contract is up to you, too. You should do what makes you feel most comfortable, but I strongly advise that you at least have some terms and conditions in place or keep a record of email agreements (in the UK this is considered proof of a verbal contract). As long as you have evidence of what you’ve agreed, you should be fine. However, I’m not a legal expert, so be sure to check the law in your own country.
Get a deposit
Many new freelancers feel uncomfortable about asking for money upfront, but it’s a completely normal part of the process. Securing the deposit gives you peace of mind and allows you to comfortably schedule projects in advance—and it’ll show your client that you’re serious. Around 25–50% is a good amount to get upfront. For more information, check out this article I wrote about how to write an invoice.
Do the work!
That covers what you need to do before you begin working on a project, so now’s the time to complete the project as agreed. Make sure you deliver the edited manuscript by the deadline, of course. I recommend sending over a “clean” version of the manuscript (with all the edits implemented), as well as a document that shows all your tracked changes and comments, and one that has the edits implemented but still shows your comments on the work.
Invoice for the remainder
Once you’ve sent the final edited manuscript over, issue your final invoice, requesting the remainder of the fee. It’s a good idea to be clear about the level of post-project communication the author can expect, too. You don’t want somebody querying you five months down the line about a specific change you made, so make it plain when they need to get their final questions to you by.

7. Put Yourself Where Clients Can Find You

As mentioned above, it’s annoyingly hard to hunt down clients cold-email style as you would with many other types of freelancing. Because just not that many people are authors who want to have their books edited, you know? And even if they were, how would you find them? It’s not like you can just Google that shit. Not like if you were, say, trying to find businesses to offer SEO consulting services to. Instead, you have to put yourself where people who are ready to have their manuscripts edited can find you. There are a few options here:

Directories
Louise Harnby has written up a fantastic list of editorial directories around the world.
Advertising
If you’re on a tight budget, paid advertising may not be your first port of call on the “finding clients” front, but it can be effective. Targeted Facebook and Twitter ads are a good place to start, as are ads placed in specialist publications (such as writing magazines), and flyers distributed at relevant events (such as literary festivals).
Networking and social media
Really, networking is simply being active in your communities. As a fiction editor, there are two main communities you can join: the editorial community and the writing community. Within those, there are smaller communities, too—fiction editors, genre editors, genre writers, self-publishers, small press publishers and so on. Keep in mind that effective networking is all about communicating with people, not talking at them.
Worth of mouth and referrals
This is hands down the most effective way to score new clients, but it’s also one of the trickiest to master, especially in the beginning when you haven’t actually worked with many (or any!) editing clients. Make sure everyone you know is aware of your new career as a fiction editor and go from there.
Your website, SEO and Google
Getting ranked well in Google is the dream, of course. In fact, I take back what I said above: this is the trickiest tactic to master. Starting a relevant blog on your website and updating it frequently is a good way to start getting noticed by Google, though.

What to Do Now

Being a freelance fiction editor can be one of the most rewarding careers, especially if you’re a creative soul who loves reading good stories and helping people to do their best work.

If the guidance above has piqued your interest but you want more information and an experienced hand to guide you, check out Start Fiction Editing, the course I co-created with talented fiction editor Sophie Playle.

Find out more about the course at StartFictionEditing.com—the next session begins on 1 February, and there’s a special early bird rate available until 10am PST Sunday 22 January.

Karen Marston runs Untamed Writing, where she’ll help you grab life by the balls, escape your mundane existence and finally start that freelance writing career you’ve always dreamed of.

The post How to Start a Freelance Fiction Editing Business appeared first on Location Rebel.

from Location Rebel http://ift.tt/2jVu6TM