The Benefits Of Your Own Editing Service Business
Starting your own editing service from home gives you the benefit of working when you want to and accepting as much or as little work as you want to do. There are no regular hours to be kept and no fixed number or types of assignments that have to be done. You're your own boss and can work even at 5 in the morning if, like me, you're a night owl and are much more creative in the wee small hours.
Along with the flexibility of work hours and types of editing jobs you want to do, there's the potential for a solid, sustainable and sizeable income. The more you work, the more you earn. You can start with slightly lower fee than your competitors and later on increase the rates as your reputation grows and people recognize the quality and value of your services.
If you're a parent of school aged kids, then another benefit of starting your home based editing service business is that you get to stay at home and look after your kids, look after the house and spend more time with the family.
What's Required
An editing service business involves reviewing the written material produced by other writers for typos, syntax, grammar and mechanical errors. And on occasion, style.
You'll need to be able to receive work in both printed and electronic format and to deliver the finished product in a similar manner. Of course, with today’s word processing tools, editing is a much simpler process when working with electronic media.
The internet offers so many more options for editors these days. You can edit ebooks, articles, webpages, newsletters, posts, Facebook pages, and, of course, traditional books, magazines and technical manuals. If you decide to restrict your editing efforts to strictly electronic formats, you’ll be able to limit your equipment needs to a basic computer, word processing software, and grammar and style manuals.
Getting Started
While an English degree would be an excellent credential once you've decided to start an editing service, it’s not a hardcore requirement. You won’t need any specific training or licensing to edit written material.
However, you will need to demonstrate your ability to get the job done. A portfolio and references that demonstrate your past successes can show prospective clients that you're qualified to improve, polish and perfect their creative works.
You may want to join a professional organization like The American Copy Editors Society (ACES) or the Editors' Association of Canada for training opportunities and the latest in industry trends.
Because you can work at home, your start-up costs will be minimal. All you'll need is a computer and internet access . You will also want to have some editing software and software that allows you to format pages into manuscripts and legal documents. Micorsoft Word works just fine, and a free alternative, which I think is even better, because it allows you to convert your documents into PDF format is OpenOffice. And you'll need to market yourself online and off. Online you can promote your services through elance and odesk. Offline, distribute flyers, business cards and tell everyone you've started your own editing service business.
Start locally and advertise locally. Create a website so that you can provide examples of your work. Because you love doing this type of work, you probably have all kinds of example around. Make up an eye catching flyer or brochure and business cards and make sure your website address is on them.
Setting Your Rates
As an editor you can charge a per-page rate, a fee per word, or a flat rate. In the beginning, in might be wise to quote a flat rate for a project. Base your quote on $25.00 an hour, which is a fair starting wage. Setting a flat rate may give you an advantage over any competition. Eventually you'll be able to charge $50.00 an hour and up.
When promoting your services, list what types of editing you provide: book editing, article editing, screenplays, doctors reports, style editing and business editing. You should know how different styles call for different formats,
and be able to give examples. If you edit scientific reports, papers or articles, you'll need to know which style they must conform to.
Key Factors For Success
To operate a successful editing service, you should strive to produce error-free material and finish your projects on time or ahead of schedule. When possible, provide constructive criticism in a non-offensive way to your clients.
Because you'll have the advantage of exposure to many different writing styles, you’ll often be more aware of the strengths and weaknesses of written material. As you share your knowledge and your writers become more successful, your reputation as an excellent editor will spread, and your business should grow.
Remember that the literary world is full of editing services. To survive and become successful, you'll need to set your services apart from the competition.
Where To Find Customers
A big part of developing your editing service business is finding customers. When you consider that you're literally surrounded by written material both offline and online, you'd think that writers would be knocking down your door begging for your help.
However, most writers feel that they're perfectly qualified to edit their own material. You'll need to not only make them aware of your services, but to convince them of your value. Create a website that can be found by the popular search engines that explain your services and how they can improve written material. Again, post your services on elance and odesk
Make sure that you’re listed on other sites that offer editing services. Purchase advertising space in periodicals that target writers. Run a few local ads that offer your editing service. Many non-professional writers and students may be willing to use your editing services.
Growing Your Editing Service Business
Once your home editing service business is successful, you may begin to think about expanding. You could always hire more editors to handle additional writing. Other expansion opportunities could include starting a publishing house, creating a new magazine, or training other editors.
If you would like to help others get started, you could write your own book that explains how to start an editing service or provide hands-on training courses to help others get started in this industry.
Final Word
If you're considering a home business, and you have a great command of the English language, then beginning a home editing service business might be right for you. If you love to read, despise bad grammar and poor sentence structure, then you've probably found a business that you'd love doing day in and day out. And if it's something you love, given some patients, work and fortitude, you'll find the success you deserve.
Additional Resources
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Until tomorrow,
Terry
