The Concierge (Blog)
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Editing for Character Development
When you’re editing for character development, one concern you should keep in mind is that even small changes have ripple effects throughout the entire manuscript. So any changes you suggest need to be important, or else you’re asking the author to do a lot of work for little reward. For example, sometimes I’ll see editors…
Coaching for Accountability
One concern that often holds newer editors back from offering coaching to writers is that they don’t know everything. But that shouldn’t stop you from dipping your toe into the coaching waters! Coaching for Accountability Coaching for accountability is a great fit for coaches working with writers, even new coaches. However, if you’re new at…
Tell your clients what coaching is
Getting clients for your coaching business is easier if you tell them what it is! Define your coaching services When I first began offering coaching to writer clients, I had copy on my website that said something like, “I offer coaching services for all aspects of writing and publishing.” If a potential client got in…
Story Editing for Teachers and Other Job Changers
Most Club Ed students are moving to story editing (also known as book editing or developmental editing) from other careers. Right now, I’m seeing a lot of teachers making the transition – they’ve either quit their jobs and are looking for the next thing or they’re planning to quit their jobs soon. And I don’t…
Making Time for a Second Act Career
One of the challenges older workers face when shifting into a second act career is time pressure. People in their forties, fifties, and sixties can have children or grandchildren at home, parents or other loved ones who need help, a regular full-time job, and multiple obligations, including doing the laundry at least now and then….
Editing as a Second Act Career
Freelance editing can be an excellent career choice for people who love books and are interested in changing jobs, are seeking more flexibility in their work, or are looking for retirement income. Who chooses editing as a second act career? Most of the students who come to Club Ed to explore editing as a career…
Choosing the Best Marketing Approach
Many of the freelance editors I know love running their own businesses … except for the marketing part. They love editing, they love their clients, they love the freedom and flexibility of freelancing. But then … they have to get clients. They have to market. And many (probably most) of them hate it. So they…
How to Identify Developmental Problems
Noticing a developmental problem is only the first step in the editing process. The next step is to explain why it’s a problem for this manuscript. This second step is one that most editors skip at first (and many editors skip forever) but it’s crucial for doing an effective developmental edit. Often, we use generic…
Asking the Right Questions
As a member of several expat groups on Facebook, I see versions of this question all the time: “how does a US citizen get sponsorship to relocate to live and work in other countries these days?” There are, ahem, obvious reasons why someone might want to do this, but the problem is that this is…

