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Text of the page (random words):
a useful perspective indications signs of a stalled or stale editing communications business have two sides what clients are or aren t providing and how we feel about our work if you haven t gotten repeat assignments from clients you ve worked with before there could be several reasons their editing budget may have been cut back your contact might have left you might have made a couple of egregious errors it could be awkward to do but it probably can t hurt to ask why you haven t received anything from them in the new year granted it s still pretty early in this year but some of these concerns could go back to some or even all of the previous one if the problem is how you feel about your work that might be easier to resolve look for new clients or new topics to edit or write about take a break from editing or writing proofreading etc if you can afford to do so and do something new different and fun for a while make some art take a long hike go on a short trip to somewhere fun do some volunteer work join and participate in a new organization or club even if brief a total break from editing or a new topic to work on could reignite your passion for your work for both perspectives the occasional message or gesture can work wonders so can creating some new connections don t be like the piña colada couple and only take action when the situation becomes dire steps to take start by asking a few trusted colleagues and clients what they like about your work as well as your website and other promotional efforts résumé linkedin profile promotional brochure if you use one newsletter proposals and rfp responses etc ask them to tell you what s working and what could be improved think about asking current clients for feedback or maybe just sending a brief how are you doing message it isn t appropriate to share personal info with clients unless it affects being available for projects and even then the less detail usually the better but it can t hurt to show an interest in them or notice when current events might or clearly do have an impact on their professional lives unlike the couple in the piña colada song think about ways to learn about clients situations to build a stronger understanding of how our services can make their lives easier not communicating is rarely the ideal approach be proactive i used to say that the only feedback i needed was to be paid as agreed for a project and receive additional ideally regular assignments from a given client nowadays it s smart to take things a little farther assuming you ve overcome or at least recognized a sense of inertia an important step in reviving your business is to gather data by listing last year s clients and projects including amounts of income each one generated and which ones were repeats or regulars a simple word or excel list will do the trick then list clients you haven t heard from or received work from in the past couple of years next start a list of clients or project types you d like to work with this year finally list the associations professional organizations you belong to including linkedin and facebook groups and wherever else you re visible your own website and or blog instagram blogs of colleagues and organizations etc it can t hurt to ask a non returning client what you could do better or more to be able to work together again to avoid that piña colada moment with current clients think about what you could ask them that would be similar is there a different process they might prefer a new tool or application they d like you to use etc think also about information or news that you could tell them about yourself such as winning an award learning a new program application joining and contributing to a new organization etc that relates to your relationship and services consider joining a new professional organization and one for a hobby you enjoy both will give you visibility among new colleagues who might recommend or hire you for projects and could refresh your work and personal skills as well taking some training to learn a new skill or enhance a current one becomes something to inform clients present past and prospective about along with the rest of the world it also could be just what you need to pique the interest of any of those audiences now brace yourself for the process that many of us hate marketing and promotions it isn t too late in this new year to send thank you notes to current and recent clients and similar greetings to those you haven t worked with for a while give your website a good going over to update add information and catch any typos do a similar review of your linkedin and other social media profiles and think about joining a new social media platform community if you have a blog make sure you re posting to it regularly this is a classic do as i say suggestion since i don t post here as often as i should and announcing new posts through your social media accounts comments on colleagues blogs the more we engage with these platforms or outlets the better our internet rankings enter a contest it probably costs money tax deduction but winning an award is a great opportunity to revive interest in your services and business let clients know that you ll be out of pocket for a vacation or other break as i ve mentioned in previous columns taking a break is not just good for our mental health letting clients know we won t be available for a while can lead to new work requests how are you keeping your publishing business alive and well ruth e thaler carter www writerruth com is an award winning provider of editorial and publishing services for publications independent authors publishers associations nonprofits and companies worldwide editor in chief and owner of an american editor and co editor in chief of the editors toronto boldface blog she created the annual communication central be a better freelancer conference for colleagues www communication central com now co hosted with the national association of independent writers and editors www naiwe com and sponsored by an american editor she also owns publishing with flair www publishingwithflair com formerly a flair for writing which helps independent authors produce and publish their books she can be reached at ruth writerruth com or ruth thaler carter anamericaneditor com share this tweet email a link to a friend opens in new window email print opens in new window print more share on tumblr share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading leave a comment february 4 2026 on the basics ideas that work for getting clients filed under about freelancing business of editing marketing on the basics an american editor 8 46 pm tags business clients editors email freelance freelancing guest posts marketing networking new clients ruth e thaler carter visibility website writing ruth e thaler carter owner an american editor an american editor content may not be recirculated republished or otherwise used without both the prior permission of the publisher and full credit to the author of a given post and the an american editor blog including a live link to the post being referenced thank you for respecting our rights to and ownership of our work finding clients is probably the biggest challenge for freelance editors and other communicators closely followed by working together effectively and comfortably and getting paid with a new year underway and still early now is a good time consider that challenge and how we can meet it especially because those other items will only matter if we achieve the first one i was focusing on that challenge recently after being asked to write something about it for one of my professional associations since that outlet isn t available to everyone here i thought it might be helpful to share these ideas at this one and by the way many of these ideas can help with finding full time in house jobs as well on the one hand finding and getting clients isn t rocket science as the saying goes it is an essential aspect of freelancing or consulting though even after getting established and well known i ve been writing editing proofreading and speaking professionally for more years than i can count and networking has been my best tool for finding and being found by clients keep in mind that there s more to networking than simply joining an association it s a two way process of both receiving and giving effective networking requires being more than what i call a checkbook member it isn t enough to pay dues we have to be visibly active and involved which can include participating in forums or email discussion lists presenting webinars and conference sessions organizing or hosting events publishing blog posts and articles or booklets answering questions not just asking for answers and generally demonstrating value as a colleague and consultant speaking of blog posts being a guest poster for a colleague s blog is another good way to build visibility and show that such a colleague respects you the next best source of new clients as opposed to repeat assignments from existing ones has been word of mouth and referrals from colleagues and other clients it s an honor to be recommended one that i greatly appreciate and do my best to earn having a website is a great way to be found and hired make time to review and update your site on a regular basis and have an email address based on your website url a strong testimonial section is vital a service oriented website ensures that you can be seen among the competition and ideally stand out from others offering similar services a domain based email address enhances visibility and reinforces your brand with every message linkedin remains an effective platform for engaging with colleagues and being seen by potential clients although i didn t find the so called premium paid and expensive service to be very useful its recommendation section is definitely worthwhile as is having a detailed profile that highlights your background experience and services it s also a good idea to be proactive with past and current clients once you ve done a project don t assume that they ll be in touch with new assignments or projects as a matter of course no matter how great your work has been for them some might assume that you re too busy to accept more work hah others that you might not be interested in working with them again and yet others might simply be so busy that you aren t top of mind once you complete a project let the client know you enjoyed working with them and if at all possible either suggest a new project or topic you d like to do provide or just say that you look forward to a continuing relationship never assume occasional thinking of you messages are also a good way to generate new projects don t be a pest with more messages than someone might want to see but if you think of something appropriate that you could provide or cover say so if you notice a news story or post about a client s business profession or industry share it let it be known that you re alert to and informed about trends and issues affecting your clients and interested in helping them respond one important tip or tool is to create a template for proposals aimed at generating new business so you can respond to opportunities promptly having a constantly updated résumé on hand is also a practical way to make it easier to respond to opportunities as they arise whether posts on linkedin messages from professional associations or independent inspiration when you have a great idea for a story or project that s begging to be accepted by a client consider creating and publishing your own newsletter you might even be able to profit from requiring subscriptions if you do this start slow quarterly rather weekly or monthly a couple pages rather than a lengthy opus be sure that content is both low key promotional and helpful in fact providing useful information and resources could fulfill the promotional goal enter contests if you win an award you ve created a great promotional opportunity get the news out everywhere you have connections thank the host organization and be sure to notify anyone connected with the winning project or publication clients love the idea that they can receive attention for the work we do for them having a table or booth at a trade show or meeting oriented to the kinds of projects you want to get can be a good way to get in front of prospective clients look for events hosted not just for communications colleagues but for people in the industries or professions where you have experience and knowledge if such in person participation is out of reach financially or inconvenient for any reason consider running an ad in the event program or sponsoring a swag item of course one of the best ways to get new clients is to do great work for the ones we already have that tends to lead to recommendations and referrals making it as rewarding as the sense of accomplishment that goes with knowing that we ve done our best work for our clients here s to a productive profitable 2026 for all what has worked for you in finding and keeping clients ruth e thaler carter www writerruth com is an award winning provider of editorial and publishing services for publications independent authors publishers associations nonprofits and companies worldwide editor in chief and owner of an american editor and co editor in chief of the editors toronto boldface blog she created the annual communication central be a better freelancer conference for colleagues www communication central com now co hosted with the national association of independent writers and editors www naiwe com and sponsored by an american editor she also owns publishing with flair www publishingwithflair com formerly a flair for writing which helps independent authors produce and publish their books she can be reached at ruth writerruth com or ruth thaler carter anamericaneditor com share this tweet email a link to a friend opens in new window email print opens in new window print more share on tumblr share on reddit opens in new window reddit like loading leave a comment december 21 2025 on the basics an editor s bookshelf is back filed under on today s bookshelf to be read rich adin 11 34 am tags an american editor book reviews books books about editing editors editors toronto fiction on today s bookshelf publishing reading rich adin ruth e thaler carter writing ruth e thaler carter owner an american editor an american editor content may not be recirculated republished or otherwise used without both the prior permission of the publisher and full credit to the author of a given post and the an american editor blog including a live link to the post being referenced thank you for respecting our rights to and ownership of our work an american editor founder rich adin would publish occasional posts about books of interest to colleagues in on today s bookshelf and i thought it would be worthwhile to restart that conversation the book he acquired...