In the current job market, many creative and editorial
professionals have turned to freelancing as
a matter of survival. I receive many
queries from applicants regarding how to go
about freelancing.
Here I will address what, in my opinion, is the single most important
asset you need to build a successful
freelance career. See
Part 2 for more.
EXPERIENCE:
You need a minimum of three years (five is
ideal), preferably as a full-time employee.
Clients will feel more comfortable in your
knowledge and abilities if you can
demonstrate that you've performed your
duties in the
past, full-time, at an established
institution.
Each industry has its own "lingo".
Experience in an industry allows you to
understand it and communicate effectively
with your clients. As a proofreader, a
potential client [eg, a reference book
publisher] might say:
"I have 300 pages that need to be proofed.
The footnotes and illos will be sent
separately. Please make sure there's a hole
for each illo and that all footnotes run
consecutive, beginning anew with each new
chapter. The chapter title is the right
running head, there is no left running head.
How long do you think it will take to
complete this job?"
With no experience in publishing, it would
be difficult to begin to assess the
job. Before giving an estimate, some
questions you would ask are:
1) Is this typed or handwritten copy?
2) Are there inserts to the existing copy
that need to be proofed?
3) What style of proofreading do you use?
4) Are changes to be made on disk or hard
copy?
There may be four or five more questions
that need to be asked before you can
realistically assess how long it will take
you to complete this job.
Experience in the industry allows you to
have the necessary knowledge to ask the
right questions to judge each project.
Knowledge of your industry will also enable
you to decide how to charge for the
job. Some jobs are billed on an hourly
basis, others are billed on a project basis,
and still others are billed as a page rate.
Again, if you know your industry, you will
be able to effectively calculate how
much time the job will take and what billing
method to use.
See
Part 2 for remainder of article.
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