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ANSWER Congratulations on embarking
on your business, Erica! I will do my best to answer your question, but there are quite a few variables that affect my response. They include some of the following:
Some steps I suggest you take are finding some good marketing resources in your area. Great online resources include Marketing Mentors; Peter Montoya's Web site (branding expert extraordinaire), Web Digest for Marketers, and Wizard Academy. Look into a virtual membership with Shared Vision Network - it will give you access to some of the best marketers in the country. If you are willing to work virtually, I'd spend some time learning about Internet marketing, make sure you have at least a basic Web site, and then pour your energy into marketing via the Web. Craigslist is an unbelievably good resource - look at the column on the far right for your city...or advertise to all of them. You can also build MySpace account and advertise there. You also can place bids for work on Elance and Guru.com - although the consumers there often tend to be shopping for rock-bottom prices. If you'd prefer to stay local, hit the Web and locate the networking groups in your area - then start selectively visiting meetings. If you are a skilled book editor, natural fits are groups, events, and organizations that draw speakers, coaches, and authors - such as National Speakers Association or your local book, author, and/or publishing associations. If you're new to networking, it does require planning. Research the organizations to see if the members appear to be a fit for your work. Networking can take a lot of time and eat a lot of dollars (many groups have annual dues, on top of the weekly or monthly meeting fees), but there are some good free and/or inexpensive groups out there. You just have to take the time to do some thorough research. You ask whom to market to - but that goes back to the question of your expertise. Virtually anyone in any industry who does any form of marketing themselves needs a good editor - however, the challenge lies in convincing them of the value of your service. Figure out where you want to niche and go for it! I suggest you take a look at the difference between editing and proofreading, as I think it's very important that you be able to distinguish between the two. I am an outstanding editor, but only an adequate proofreader. To say you do both may mean you are not sure which is your strongest skill set, and I promise you that you are stronger in one than the other. I work exclusively with small-business owners and entrepreneurs, and I limit my work to Web copy, articles, books, and e-books. I offer editorial consulting for an hourly fee. I do not ghostwrite, and I do not proofread. I have people to refer to or contract with for those aspects of the business. It does not matter in which form clients bring their original copy to me...but they've got to come with something in hand. Transcripts from an audio recording, bullet points, or one giant 5-page paragraph...but they must bring me something. This does two things for me...it lets me know they have an idea about their own content and what they want to say, and it preserves their voice. If I create the words from scratch, they're created in my voice - and that does nothing to help my clients project themselves as the experts in their fields. I am among the most expensive in my market - but as I always tell my clients, they may find someone to do it less expensively, but they will not find someone to do better work. Wishing you much success! Laura |
