Tracy C. Gold’s Post

For any freelancers in the publishing sector, whether you be a designer, illustrator, copywriter, editor etc., you might want to consider joining Reedsy (reedsy.com). I’ve been a member on their platform since the beginning of 2018. I’ve since completed over 150 jobs, whether they be be just cover designs or covers and interiors. Many of the authors I’ve worked with become repeat clients. What’s great about the platform is that if I hadn’t been on there, I would never have met some amazing people, with very interesting book subjects. Many authors are from overseas. I’ve worked with authors from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Asia, plus many more. I’ve created books covers and interior designs for health and nutrition, architecture, business leadership, photography, bitcoin, dentistry, and mentorship for young athletes, to name but a few. In order to become a member of the Reedsy community, you have to go through a kind of vetting process to start with. Once a member, you will then receive requests from potential clients, with a brief that you can then pitch for. If your offer is accepted, then a secure working environment is created, where the authors payment details are kept, and you are safe in the knowledge that you will be paid. Yes, Reedsy take a percentage of the fee, but then again, I would never have met these authors to begin with if I hadn’t been a member. If you are an author, and require your book to be designed, my Reedsy profie can be viewed here: https://lnkd.in/efuV33ph

⭐Hot Tip Tuesday! Does your nonfiction book have creative heading titles? That's awesome! I love a good creative heading title. But just because you 𝐜𝐚𝐧 come up with a creative heading for a given section does 𝐧𝐨𝐭 mean you 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 one! Too many headings can ruin the flow just as much as too few headings can. Sort of like how I broke up that last sentence over too many lines. #indieauthors, for more information on this tip, check out my blog titled “Effective Organization for Nonfiction Book.” (link in the first comment) 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? 𝐎𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬? You smarty pants! #writetip ------------------------------- I’m Katie, 👋 a work-from-home 👨👩👧👦mom, savvy 👩💼business owner,📢public speaker, and ✎ developmental editor and copy editor for indie authors, fiction and nonfiction. Check out my offers found in the featured section of my LI profile: ✔️ Courses and webinars for freelance editors on running your editorial business like a pro ✔️ Project data tracker for freelance editors to track metrics, marketing, projects from start to finish, and client interactions; to schedule projects; and to calculate quotes ✔️ Finance business tracker for freelancers to configure taxes, track gross and net, categorize expenses and more ✔️ Free webinar for authors on what to expect from the editing process ✔️ Webinars for authors on various writing craft tools ✔️ Free sample edit for nonfiction and fiction editing services ✔️ Shining Beacon newsletter with writing tips and resources for you #editor #editing #amediting

When answering the question of why I may be the right editor for you, I feel it’s important to explain my ethos. I firmly believe that editing—whether for authors or businesses—is something personal. You’re entrusting me with your copy/manuscript, to help you polish it and to enhance your voice. I am not here to tear apart what you have already created, nor am I here to tell you that x, y and z are wrong. It is my job to advise and help you enhance and polish what is already there, whilst maintaining your author or brand voice. It’s advisable that almost all types of copy go through some form of professional editing process. With this in mind, it’s my aim to ensure that this process is as delicate, authentic, and kind as possible. I am here to work with you; to help you; to guide you. In short, it is my aim to help you enhance the greatness that is already present in your book or copy. I am also aware that this personal approach is not for everyone. For me, however, it is integral to how I work. In order for me to do the best I can by your copy, there needs to be a level of personability. If my approach to editing sounds good to you and you’d like to know more about the services I offer, please do pop over a message or email. I also have some upcoming availability across both book and business services, open to both new and existing clients. #editor #copyeditor #proofreader #availability #freelance

Last month an email from an editor made me cry. Freelance writing can be a very isolating experience so feedback is always welcome, but I wasn't prepared for this: "The feature is absolutely beautiful – you are such a wonderful writer! I really think this is my favourite that you’ve done for us so far. Huge thanks again, and please get your invoice over to Accounts if you haven’t already." Cue the happy tears! When working solo we can really agonise over the small things: not nabbing that dream contributor for a feature, second-guessing the angle we've chosen or getting insecure over our tone, phrasing or subject knowledge. Those little things loom so large when you don't have a gang of colleagues or an in-person sounding board to check in with. I don't think I'd realised quite the knots I was tied up in over this particular piece until that message hit my inbox. Editors who reply are fantastic, kind feedback is a total bonus, and making sure we get paid on time? That's pure gold. Thank you Lorna Slessor for making me happy cry into my coffee before 9am on a Thursday, and for sending your dynamite feature briefs my way. #freelancewriter #magazines #articlewriting #textiles

7 words that freelance writers hear:- (with meaning) 🦋 Byline: Your brief introduction and name on a published piece. 🦋 Portfolio: Collection of your best past work. (Not necessarily paid) 🦋 Deadline: Due date for the submission of a project 🦋 Ghostwriting: An art of writing content for someone without getting credits. (You have no claim to the piece.) 🦋 Hook: Attention-grabbing sentence at the start of the content to grab the reader's attention. 🦋 Evergreen content: Content that doesn't contain any date or reference to a specific time of the year is evergreen content. They can be used anytime. 🦋 Invoice: A list of services provided and their fees billed to a client. P.S:- Did I miss anything ?? P.S.S:- How was your weekend??

Many of you may be aware that you require editing and proofreading services; maybe you’re even contemplating booking. But as of yet you’re still not a hundred percent sure, or maybe you don’t know who will be the right fit for you. For those of you in this situation, I offer a range of options prior to booking, so that you can see whether my business and services are the right fit for you. Here’s a run down of what’s available to help you decide whether booking with me is the right choice for you: ⚪️ Consultations - either via zoom, email or phone, allowing us to discuss your project; what services I can provide and how I can help you; how this fits in with what you require and how we can tailor the services to your project. ⚪️ Sample Edit - these are primarily for book editing; a 2,000-word sample edit is provided in order to show you how I would edit your manuscript, and how this may work for you. ⚪️ Project Run Downs & Quotations - nine times out of ten these will be provided together; alongside a quotation of the services available for you and your project, I will also provide a run down of what these services entail and a rough break down of how they work. This allows you to not only see what it is you’re quoted for in an easy break down, but also see how each service works, how many iterations will be included, and any extras you can add on, or any services you may or may not want at this stage. I offer each of these free of charge in order to help you make an informed decision on whether we are the right fit for each other; and whether my services will be the best fit for your book, business, report, article etc. If you have any questions at all about any of the services or would like to arrange one of the above then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Let’s get the ball rolling on your project. #editor #copyeditor #proofreader #freelance #availability

Y'all. I met a very sweet author-editor recently. We swapped business info. She's got some things going on in her life, and she said she might send some editing clients my way if she finds herself unable to take them on. One week later, she emails me—Can I take on a fantasy copyedit? It's 65K words. I'm getting excited. Then . . . "By the way, I told the client the total cost would be $250, so if you can keep the total around that number . . ." Now I'm feeling like I'm in a long tunnel and her voice is fading away into the distance. Womp womp. $250 for a copyedit of 65K words? Bummer. (In case you wanna see the math on that . . . let's say it takes me 30 hours to copyedit this book. At $250 total, I'm earning a little over $8/hr.) I got another story for ya. Another author I'm talking with is singing the praises of editors and proofreaders. She says, "I just can't understand how authors think they can skip hiring them! I mean, it's not that expensive. My proofreader does it for $100." $100! For a full-length manuscript! Do the math on that. Let's say it takes 10 hours to proofread . . . that's $10/hr . . . Yikes. Don't devalue yourself, editor-friends. As tempting as it may be when work is a bit slow or you're just starting out, unless you really are just a hobby editor or you don't need to support yourself or your family off your freelancing, don't settle for anything less than a fair wage for the work being done. If it means a potential client has to be let go, so be it. Another better-fit client will come along, one who knows your value in relation to their project and respects your time and effort. #freelancebookeditor #bookediting #proofreading #fictioneditor

The winter holidays are coming! Do you need a gift for an editor — or perhaps some holiday reading for yourself? This week in The Editors’ Weekly, Editors Canada student affiliates and the Editors’ Weekly blog team offer book recommendations for editors. [Alt: A red bow is wrapped around a stack of books. (Copyright: chrupka © 123RF.com)] #EditorsCanada #EditorsWeekly #Writing #WritingFeedback #Authors #EditingTips #EditingAdvice #AmEditing #Editing #EditorsAtWork #Freelancing #FreelanceEditors #HolidayReads #HolidayReading

Are you providing your writers with outlines? Well, stop 🛑 An outline doesn’t replace a detailed brief. But it may kill the ideas your writer could have brought to the table 🔫 Sure, creating an outline might seem easier than explaining your target audience and goals. But that's a short-term perspective. In the long run, you can reuse existing briefs with minor adjustments for each unique post. Freelancers who request detailed briefs might seem demanding at first. But they’re actually saving you a ton of time. #contentwriting

When you’re writing, it is great to use fancier words and synonyms to replace those commonly used words and add emphasis, it’s also a good idea to ensure that your descriptions are descriptive enough to invoke the imagery/tone/feelings that you intend them to. However, as with all things in this world, it’s about balance; sometimes the words ‘said’ or ‘very’ are sufficient, and finding a fancier word/synonym to replace it will actually have the opposite effect. This is often the case with descriptors; yes be descriptive but sometimes you can over do it and actually take away from your descriptions and the tone/imagery intended. Of course, ensuring you use the right amount of anything is easier said than done! My best advice is to not get hung up on fancy words and descriptions—use them when it feels natural or appropriate, but don’t obsess because these are also all things that copy editors will look out for as well. Finding that balance can be hard, try your best, but if you’re not sure then you can rest assured that this is something that editors, like myself, will help you with. Need some help checking you’ve used descriptors well, why not get in touch today and see about getting your editing slot booked 😊 #editor #proofreader #freelance #availability