Finding freelance work as a proofreader/editor - what has worked for you?
I know that I offer an excellent service - all my past customers have said so. However, finding new ones is proving to be difficult!
Originally, I sent emails to overseas students at UK universities (targetting the dissertation/thesis market), but I was accused of spamming and had to stop. The same applies to other target groups, such as translators and small businesses run by non-native English speakers.
Advertising in newspapers (etc) has proved to be expensive and has produced hardly any results.
I have seen questions on LinkedIn relating to the use of Elance and similar services, and the answers are not all that encouraging.
So what do you recommend? What has worked for you?
(FYI - I have been doing this work for about five years, but my stock of recommended customers has now run out!)
Good Answers (3)
Philip S
Director Owner at Minutecoach Limited
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (8), Starting Up (5), Blogging (3), E-Commerce (3), Computers and Software (3), Web Development (3), Internet Marketing (2), Business Development (2), Organizational Development (2), Small Business (2), Facilities Management (1), Freelancing and Contracting (1), Occupational Training (1), Events Marketing (1), Graphic Design (1), Customer Relationship Management (1), Sales Techniques (1), Writing and Editing (1), Planning (1), Non-profit Management (1), Project Management (1), Positioning (1), Career Management (1), Ethics (1), Enterprise Software (1), Computer Networking (1)
Hi John,
In a previous life looking for foreign suppliers and manufacturers we would approach the relevant embassies' trade desk for their assistance in finding a widget manufacturer or suitable trade association to approach.
Similarly, when a company thinks to export, they pretty much make a beeline for the relevant government desk.
It may be appropriate for you to approach the trade-desks of the embassies (Yey! they're all in one place, London) and work down the list of continents to see what sort of response you get.
You would be able to gauge whether they believe having destination country copy/proof/edit services for their countrymen looking at exporting into the UK was viable.
Now, it may be the answer you get is that this is done in their 'home' country by their own nationals with 'experience' of exporting to the UK - erm, I have seen instructions and labelling that would seem to support this. If so, it wouldn't take too much effort to illustrate the benefits of having cultural context and currency in language too, and you would probably be able to pull up several examples of poor work to illustrate the point. Very, very crudely, 'before' and 'after'.
Should they not take to the idea, you would still be able to reach through the desks into the exporting countries to find the translators and export agents that provide these services to their countrymen.
Who knows, you may be able to build an offer and service level that these export agencies and/or foreign marketing agencies can white label - you don't need Joe public exposure or marketing in this case, you can _tactfully_ provide the same service to many export agents etc....
I think you'd find that most groups exporting 'from here' would look for in-country advice and support 'over there'... so reverse the argument, and see where you get to.
But don't blitz. I think this is polite research (how many new exporters p.a., how many new products (i.e. press and trade copy) etc., conversation, follow up, meet a few.
It might be a large opportunity.
Philip
Janet R
Chair, Consultative Council at Society of Indexers
Best Answers in: Ethics (2), Freelancing and Contracting (1), Mentoring (1), Writing and Editing (1), Professional Organizations (1), Small Business (1)
Hi John, the most unlikely source I have received work from was the Society of Indexers Conference. I went to conference and was talking with some publishers and indexers about my subject areas, a week or so later I was offered work from an overwhelmed indexer.
I have also contacted marketing and careers departments of universities, and I now proofread student CVs for the university en masse rather than individual students. I can provide an overall standard for the students, and I get paid as a consultant to the college. Contacting the Student's Union welfare office may also be a route into the student market.
I have also picked up work from the SfEP email list on occasion and that has led to repeat work from clients.
I never send emails in the first instance. They are easily deleted, and as you point out, you can be accused of spamming. I have found that good old fashioned letters are often harder to throw away unread, and I always include a business card with every letter, whether it is an introduction or an invoice. The card may be kept, even if the letter is not, and for me this has worked. I also move house a lot so I have a good excuse to keep writing to potential clients to update my details. I have gained work from clients I wrote over 2 years previously because they kept my card. Hope this helps.
Good luck
Janet
Alan G
Corporate Communications, Marketing & PR/Public Affairs Strategist
Best Answers in: Business Analytics (1), Supply Chain Management (1)
Hello John,
You'll appreciate that an American living in Panama brings immediately suspect credentials to you - as well as all of your compatriots living in Coventry and beyond - but because I've also lived and worked in the UK (work in London, home in Faversham), I do have some first-hand knowledge of the landscape there that may be helpful concerning your available market opportunities, positioning and branding yourself as an outsourced supplier of a value-added and critically important in-demand business service, and other things I'd like to share for your edification and follow-up.
First off - before wasting time, money and energy on any online freelance/independent contractor job sites - take the advice of others who've posted, and steer clear of these...at least for now. Instead, my advise is to do some old-fashioned market research on Coventry and the environs. You're actually in the catbird seat as a librarian, because you can very quickly do the market research you need on Coventry-based and other nearby organizations right there at work. You can do all the data mining you need - online and offline - to identify advertising and PR agencies, NGOs, commercial printers, creative services and graphic design firms...and that's just for starters. There's no doubt major international businesses in the area (UK-owned and UK-based subsidiaries of foreign firms), foodservice/restaurant operations (they rotate and change menus constantly, and all must be proofread before going to press) - well, you get the idea.
My start as a freelance business writer/editor - 25 years ago - came on an unsolicited basis from a trade association that needed some intermittent temporary help with publications, press releases, White papers, speeches, brochures and collateral, etc. Someone from the association had heard me speak at a local professional society lunch, and that little dog-and-pony show appearance, unwittingly, sparked a steady burning flame of freelance work for many subsequent years, with that client and many others.
My good wife, she who must be obeyed, calls it the Universal Law of Vibration. Get out there and vibrate, she likes to say, and watch what happens when you've stirred up some ripples in the pond. On this point, which concerns marketing yourself, do check out the useful info - which though basic certainly does bear repeating - at the link provided for www. CareerLab.com in Denver, CO. There's nothing magical about this site or the info, but it'll give you some food for thought, stimulating ideas, and some needed pause before action. Here's the opening line you'll see on the first link:
"Job-seeking is much like running for political office. It's important to be seen in public. Employers can't hire you if they don't know you exist. Recruiters can't find you, either."
Just strike "job-seeking" and substitute "gig-seeking"...and for "employers" and "recruiters" substitute with "potential clients"...
Secondly, check out on Yahoo, MSN, Google, etc., EVERY group that pertains to or even comes close to you and your field of pursuit....within reason, of course. FYI, the second URL added in below is that for a popular writer's group on Yahoo. There are countless others, some good and bubbly and others bad as soured plonk, so when you find the ones you like, join in, post your ideas, advice and questions, and let those vibrating ripples reciprocate in kind as they wash back ashore your way.
Finally, as a closing thought prompted by your comment about university students, dissertations/theses and so forth, check with the folks who administer the UK's Cambridge Exams to find out whether there's a UK analog to the College Board in the USA. You see, I once knew some Americans who worked "virtually" as SAT Test essay readers, and they were paid handsomely for it. FYI - the third and final link to the College Board info on this gig is given below.
Cheers!
Alan
Links:
More Answers (7)
Sharon B
Technical/Marketing Writing: Our Words Mean Business
Best Answers in: Customer Service (3), Business Development (2), Writing and Editing (2), Organizational Development (2), Using LinkedIn (2), Freelancing and Contracting (1), Public Relations (1), Lead Generation (1), Change Management (1), Personal Real Estate (1), Branding (1), Professional Organizations (1), Professional Networking (1), Small Business (1), Starting Up (1), Computers and Software (1)
Join BNI. They're expensive to join but the payback will be in 6 months or less. Go to www.bni.com. You will not only find customers in BNI (not their primary objective) but you will forge relationships with graphic artists, website designers, and others who can recommend you to their customers.
Clarification added October 28, 2007:
Also, you may want to think about how you're marketing yourself. Most writers/editors include proofreading and indexing among their skills and as part of their overall service. By calling yourself a proofreader and indexer, you sound old fashioned.
Olga K
Research Professional, Translator, Citizen of the World
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (8), Writing and Editing (4), International Law (2), Business Development (2), Travel Tools (1), Job Search (1), Resume Writing (1), Economics (1), Personnel Policies (1), Staffing and Recruiting (1), Exporting/Importing (1), Internationalization and Localization (1), Events Marketing (1), Lead Generation (1), Manufacturing (1), Interface Design (1), Career Management (1), Professional Networking (1), Incorporation (1), Starting Up (1), Blogging (1)
in a somewhat close field:
http://how-i-started-on-linkedin.blogspot.com/2007/10/power-of-linkedin-2.html:
Links:
Bruce P
Marketing Communications Writer/Editor & Consultant
Best Answers in: Public Relations (1), Writing and Editing (1), Branding (1)
Don't join BNI.
My experience has been that i's a huge waste of time and money. If you have a service that virtually everyone needs (insurance, mortgage brokerage, accounting, etc.), BNI might have some value.
The sad truth is that 99.9% of the people on earth can live a full life without ever needing a copywriter, graphic designer, editor, or proofreader.
Phil T
Editor at China Law & Practice (Euromoney)
Best Answers in: Writing and Editing (1), Professional Networking (1), Computers and Software (1), Using LinkedIn (1)
I have been able to get a couple of jobs through www.getafreelancer.com, but it's pretty hit and miss! You need to work very hard to build up a good rating.
There's certainly a market for high-quality English proofreading and editing in Asia (Japan, Hong Kong, etc.) but you'd really need to be located there to build up contacts. I was lucky enough to be able to do that in Japan, and now continue to get some remote assignments.
You could try monitoring sites like Gaijinpot for jobs in Japan - freelance postings occasionally come up there - and I'll post back if I think of anything else!
Links:
Tim M
Science Information Manager at U.S. Geological Survey
Best Answers in: Business Development (1), Change Management (1)
Hello John,
If you haven't already done so, ask your satisfied customers for referrals. You might even offer them (your current customers) a discount for every new customer they refer to you.
Best of luck!
Tim
Also, you may want to contact the UK chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (http://www.stcuk.org/). STC is also a bit expensive to join, but it is terrific for networking with other communication professionals. If you can make the trip to London for a chapter meeting or two, all the better.
Links:
Kathie M. T
Author, Blogger, Founder of Virtual Assistant Industry in Australia, Speaker, VA Coach
Best Answers in: Using LinkedIn (29), Career Management (6), Internet Marketing (3), Customer Service (2), Education and Schools (2), Freelancing and Contracting (2), Writing and Editing (2), Business Analytics (2), Small Business (2), Business Insurance (1), Job Search (1), Mentoring (1), Conference Planning (1), Staffing and Recruiting (1), Offshoring and Outsourcing (1), Advertising (1), Business Development (1), Graphic Design (1), Public Relations (1), Organizational Development (1), Equity Markets (1), Non-profit Management (1), Manufacturing (1), Professional Networking (1), Starting Up (1), Blogging (1), Computers and Software (1), Telecommunications (1), Web Development (1)
I just checked your website - you have no keywords or description in the meta tags - would make it near impossible for people to find you in searches online, unless they knew your name or business name or domain. Your blog is still quite new so it wouldn't be very prominent online either.
Start registering your website and blog with directories. Register with technorati for your blog but I would encourage you to first change the template and get something that at least matches in colour - link it to your website too, so they can assist each other in driving traffic from one to the other.
Then start networking in earnest - locally, face-to-face and get to meet people. BNI has already been suggested - definitely good. But what about groups where you'll meet speakers, authors and others who need your services? Try Rotary, Chambers of Commerce and the National Speakers Association.
Finally check yahoogroups.com for groups of people who do what you do and join them, learn from them, mix and mingle - you might pick up some overflow work.
Links:
Geri R
Writer/Content for Websites
Best Answers in: Personal Investing (1), E-Commerce (1), Web Development (1), Using LinkedIn (1)
Hi John,
I find that face-to-face networking is the best way to get out there and meet potential clients. Attend networking events, trade shows, and join local associations where members could use your services.
Best regards,
Geri
