|
|
A Business Approach to Marketing Your Work
Newsletter
Volume II, No. 2, May, 2007 Emily M. Akin, Publisher
The newsletter is becoming a blog. Take a look!
|
|
|
Welcome to BAMW (Business Approach to Marketing Your Work) News, was a quarterly newsletter for freelance writers and editors, bringing you articles, links, book reviews, and ideas to help you plan your marketing. I'm switching to blog format because it gives you and me a better way to share information. You can choose whether to subscribe via e-mail or RSS feed. You'll get to comment on or question the posts. I'll post about once a week to start. Try it out: www.bamw.blogspot.com.
Door prize! Each issue has featured a prize for the diligent reader. This time, if you're the third person to e-mail me at akinemily@gmail.com and copy and paste the first paragraph of the BAMW launch post on blog, you could win a hard copy of my booklet, A Business Approach to Marketing Your Work PLUS Gods & Kings, Volume 1, by Lynn Austin, award-winning fiction writer. Package will be sent via media mail to U. S. addresses only. In case of a tie, the Judge will decide who gets the prize. All decisions by the judge are final.
This month's theme on www.bamw.blogspot.com is networking. I received the following article from a member of The Christian PEN Proofreaders and Editors Network. I promised to use it in the April issue of this newsletter. I didn't know at the time that we were going to change to blog.
The Christian PEN:
Online Networking for
Editorial Freelancers By
T. LaShaun Wallace A few
years ago, as a new freelancer getting her start in the world of
proofreading, Nan Snipes had a lot of questions. Fortunately, she didn’t
have to go far to get her answers. “At the time … I had lots of questions,” Snipes said. “I still do. That’s why I like The Christian PEN so much. Though I’ve been editing and proofreading for the past several years, I appreciate the veteran editors who take time to answer questions for people who are relatively new to this, including me.” Founded
by Kathy Ide, The Christian PEN is a professional support organization for
Christians who perform freelance proofreading, editing, critiquing and
similar services for writers and publishers (part time or full time) and
those who are interested in investigating this exciting field. Ide
began her freelance business after losing her office job due to tendon
injuries. Her husband suggested that she do what she’d always wanted:
write and edit for a living. “After
a few years of struggling to get my business started, I entered a ‘feast
or famine’ stage,” Ide said. “Some months I had more work than I had
time to do, and other months I wondered if I’d have to get ‘a real
job’ again.” That
stage eventually passed for Ide, and after a few years she consistently
had more jobs coming in than she could handle. Thus The Christian PEN was
born. “Since
God did not deign to give me more than the standard 24 hours a day, seven
days a week,” Ide said with a chuckle, “I felt led to start The
Christian PEN. My original goal was to have a group of Christian freelance
editors I could pass some of the work on to. Since then, it has grown
tremendously and many people have been blessed by this network.” In an
industry that can be both cynical and cut-throat, The Christian PEN
provides its members with an online forum to talk about freelancing
without the worry of being judged for their workload … or lack of one. Members
share helpful tips, information and updates on various topics related to
editing and proofreading, all in the spirit of cooperative competition. “TCP
members are the first [ones] I go to when I have a question of style,
grammar, punctuation and so on,” said Erin K. Brown, owner of The Write
Editor. “TCP members enjoy a bond that transcends our common careers. We
are brothers and sisters in Christ. I have never read any member deriding
another, as I often see with (other Web site forum) members.” What
other editor forums may lack in spiritual connectedness, The Christian PEN
has in abundance. Just ask Marilyn Anderson. As
Christians, we are all called for specific tasks, and for many in The
Christian PEN, working as a proofreader or editor can be a ministry in
itself. Author Bonita Darby discovered Snipes and her services through The
Christian PEN and subsequently hired Snipes to edit her book for abused
women, Daughter, Your Faith Has Healed You. Said Darby: “Nanette
Snipes … takes the time to read each word and put herself into the book
to get the full feel. She edits physically and spiritually. She was
definitely sent by the Lord to help my book to be a testimony to women in
abused relationships.” Another benefit of
membership in The Christian PEN is the opportunity to enroll in online
courses taught by contributing members of the network. Courses include
“Fundamentals of Copyediting and Proofreading,” “Establishing Your
Freelance Business,” “Web Site Writing and Editing” and “Marketing
Your Services.” “The biggest advantage
(of joining The Christian PEN) is that I've found that through helping
others, my own skills have sharpened,” said member Marsha Hubler. T.
LaShaun Wallace is a freelance editor based in South Florida. E-mail
her.
You are receiving this e-mail for one of these reasons: (1) you asked to be included in the list, (2) your work is mentioned in this newsletter or in my e-book. To unsubscribe, simply reply to this message with Unsubscribe in the subject line, or send a separate e-mail with Unsubscribe BAMW News in the subject line.
Copyright 2006, Emily M. Akin, All Rights Reserved Last updated 5-2-07
|
||
