When Niching Down Isn’t For You #ACESChat Recap

This is Sasha for ACES. Welcome to #ACESChat, “When Niching Down Isn't For You” with Carolina VonKampen, Tanya Gold & Emily Stewart. I’ll pin my questions. Note there’s often a delay between posts. First up, I'll post bios. @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:02:18.400Z

Emily Stewart (she/her) is a wanna-be everything and an actual writer, editor, and publishing professional who works with indie authors, comic creators, and small presses across genres and enjoys hopping between creative hobbies. @shelfpotential.bsky.social #ACESChat

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:02:56.869Z

Carolina VonKampen (she/her) is a freelance editor who enjoys editing a wide array of materials, including general fiction and nonfiction books, short-form creative writing, poetry, query packages, book design, and content marketing materials. @carolinavonkampen.com #ACESChat

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:04:16.157Z

Tanya Gold (they/them) is a book editor, Fr ➡ En lit translator & educator. They work on & devour SFF, horror, retellings, queer stories, interactive fiction & graphic novels. They also coach editors & writers, & teach including at EFA & Emerson College. @tanyagold.bsky.social #ACESChat

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:03:42.482Z

Hi, everyone! I'm Tanya (they/them) 👋🏻I'm an editor/translator/educator based in Boston. Looking forward to chatting with you all today! #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:02:02.468Z

Hello, #ACESChat! I'm Emily Stewart, and I'm really excited to chat not-niching with you all!

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:03:24.471Z

Hi, #ACESChat! I’m Carolina, a freelance editor in St. Louis. I enjoy editing a wide array of materials, including general fiction and nonfiction books, creative writing, poetry, query packages, and content marketing with the help of my two editorial assistants, Les and Lou.

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T20:59:45.297Z

Q1: What do you mean by “niching down” and how is that different from what each of you does? #ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com mpen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:05:15.662Z

A1: Niching down is tightly focusing your work on one thing. That can be one specific type of client, one specific type of project, one specific type of service. That’s not what I do at all. I have a wide range of client types, services, and content I work on. #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:06:12.454Z

A1: Niching is specializing–choosing a specific genre, format, or market to work within. It’s the advice typically given to those starting an editing business: be a copy editor, OR be a sci-fi editor, OR be a romance dev editor.

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:09:57.323Z

A1b: It's a way of operating that I find limiting (though totally cool if it works for you). So instead, I do a bunch of different stuff.

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:09:57.324Z

A1: Niching down means narrowing down the type of work that you do so that you can focus on offering a specific type of service or cater your marketing toward a specific type of client.Example: developmental editing memoirs for indie authors #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:07:18.179Z

A1: A common reason people say to niche is sometimes it's easier to market your services because you should know exactly who your client is and what they want. Sometimes it means you’re choosing to work with a specific type of client, like indie authors. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:07:28.890Z

A1: Often, niching down means specializing in a particular genre or type of editing. So if you choose a niche of copyediting scifi and fantasy novels, you might take classes about copyediting fiction and read those genres to ensure you know the genre conventions. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:07:35.965Z

A1: In contrast, I work with a wider range of genres/formats and types of clients. Instead of specializing, I’m more of a generalist editor because I enjoy working on different types of projects and on different types of editing.I can’t be contained!! #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:08:55.523Z

I’m kind of half niched and half generalist (meaning I have my specialties, but they are numerous). But I wonder if that’s the right approach. Should I just be completely one or the other? Is it too hard to communicate many genres and services rather than one or two?

— Eva Kelly Hall (@atxeva.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:31:59.504Z

It's so hard… if you like working in those different specialties, then I'd say keep doing it. As far as marketing, I just posted some thoughts on how to market multiple specialities in this thread: bsky.app/profile/caro… #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:33:27.383Z

A1: Many business books I edit extol the virtues of finding your core competency and sticking with it. Then the remaining books praise elasticity and adaptability in the "rapidly changing world" (i.e., being a generalist). What's the best tactic? The one that works for you, I guess. #ACESChat

— Dotty Eyes (aka Patty Boyd) (@dottyeyes.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:22:16.938Z

A1: That sounds a lot like the parents and coaches who try to pressure school-age kids into choosing one sport and specializing in it. And I understand a lot of experts have warned that that's not healthy. So I guess it's the same for biz, in a sense. #ACESChat

— Erin Roll (@erinrolleditor.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:24:21.478Z

So, so true, Patty. I think that given the state of publishing these days, it's better to be comfortable doing different types of work, tackling different subjects, and working with different types of clients. #ACESChat

— Rachel Lapidow (@editrix-rachel.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:27:39.836Z

What they used to call following your bliss, right? I love that there's no right answer.

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:25:16.623Z

THIS! We're all different people with different brains and different lives. Find a way that works for you. #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:24:26.255Z

Q2: Awesome! So by definition you all do a wide range of work. What areas of editing do each of you work in? What types of projects? #ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:11:08.221Z

A2a: I officially offer developmental editing, copy editing, and manuscript evaluation, but I also delve into stylistic editing or project editing on occasion. I’m happy to work across genres, formats, and audiences. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:14:30.972Z

A2b: So recently, I’ve worked on middle-grade adventure novels, YA contemporary novels, adult urban fantasy, a comics anthology, and blogs. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:14:30.973Z

A2c: I also offer what I call publishing assistance, which is just helping authors with the publishing process in any way that I’m capable of. Sometimes it’s research, sometimes it’s submission help, sometimes it’s website maintenance. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:14:30.974Z

Ooh yes I've done some publishing assistance too—especially helping authors figure out #selfpublishing on IngramSpark and KDP! I know a little about it from pubbing @capsulestories.com and am always happy to answer questions! I enjoy helping with that kind of stuff. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:25:41.254Z

I’m also branching into self-publishing consultation. I mostly work with indie authors. #ACESChat

— Eva Kelly Hall (@atxeva.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:36:48.051Z

A2: I mostly do proofreading and copyediting on books – and I've done quite a few genres in both fiction and nonfiction.

— Erin Roll (@erinrolleditor.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:16:55.152Z

My favorite type of editing is "manuscript critiques" where I provide feedback both on what has been done well and what needs more work. This helps me use my knowledge, not only as an editor but, from having taught college writing courses. I also do line edits, query critiques (fiction & nonfiction)

— Dr. Megan Easley-Walsh (@meganeasley-walsh.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:31:04.757Z

A2: I’m a dev and line #editor, writing coach, and literary translator. I work mostly on SFF, horror, contemporary realism, interactive fiction, and comics. I also teach in a bunch of places—both editing and creative writing.And I support other editors through business coaching.#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:13:06.464Z

I'm so curious about interactive fiction! Haven't had a chance to work there yet (although some of the novels I've worked on have had some call out boxes and learning opportunities for readers that could maybe count as interaction)

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:18:04.225Z

A2: I edit books, creative writing, poetry, query letter packages, and more. I also do a little book design and sometimes help authors a bit with the next steps in #selfpublishing! I work with indie authors, hybrid presses, and other editors (subcontracting). #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:11:49.009Z

A2: I do everything from developmental edits to proofreading, although currently I’m very selective about dev edit projects and only do dev edit for poetry books or for current clients. I also edit content marketing materials, like blog and social posts, for a handful of long-term clients. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:12:36.128Z

Q3: *Why* do you do all these varied things? Are there commonalities across all the work you each do? #ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:20:00.040Z

Q3a: The short answer is because I want to; I’m the common element. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:25:12.505Z

Q3b: The longer answer is that I need variety and novelty in my life to function comfortably. I have a hard time concentrating when things get too repetitive. (Literally the reason I left my previous job and started freelancing to begin with) #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:25:12.506Z

Q3c: I’ve also always read across genres, so it makes sense that my editing work would follow that pattern. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:25:12.507Z

Ditto. I read across a bunch of genres, mainly within fiction, but I do read a fair bit of nonfiction as well. #ACESChat

— Rachel Lapidow (@editrix-rachel.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:33:13.572Z

For entertainment and variety, I often try to read something different than what I'm editing or writing to give myself a break #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:18:52.589Z

Yes, me too. It's also why I don't edit mysteries. I love reading mysteries and for a while I wanted to edit them, but I realized that doing so might change my enjoyment of them if only because mysteries often rely so heavily on the who-done-it element. #ACESChat

— Rachel Lapidow (@editrix-rachel.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:22:53.787Z

That's so interesting! Another writer/editor once told me that to stay creative when you regularly do creative work for others you have to practice keeping some things for yourself. Sounds like you've figured out how to do that!

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:52:03.133Z

A3: That's a good question. I think what I enjoy about working on different kinds of projects is that I learn something that I didn't know before. Like some of you, I can't imagine niching down – there are so many things that interest me. #ACESChat

— Erin Roll (@erinrolleditor.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:22:38.839Z

A3: It’s all about storytelling!It’s story & its layers & complexities. It’s the way language can evoke emotion.And it’s supporting others in this world as well—helping authors shape stories, bringing stories to readers of other languages, and helping other editors who love it all too.#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:21:56.158Z

I also feel this! There are so many stories, so many people who want to tell them, and so many ways to tell them. I want it all!

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:35:52.456Z

A3: The main two buckets of my work:📚 Book editing👩‍💻 Content marketing editingI love the #bookediting side—that’s the stuff that sparks joy and makes me feel fulfilled, whether it’s proofing a book from a hybrid publisher or line editing a #poetry manuscript. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:20:31.915Z

A3: And I do content marketing editing because it pays better 🤑🤑🤑 and gives me consistent work each month, and so I can keep content marketing skills and resume up to date in case I need to go back to a full-time job (which I do NOT want to do, but you know, safety net). #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:20:57.526Z

A3: It’s nice to have shorter, less complex projects like blog post edits in there to give my brain a break from the big book projects. And the variety keeps me from getting burned out on one area/type of content and lets me use different parts of my brain. 🧠 #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:21:20.251Z

Yes – exactly the same for me. I *can* do 5-6 hours of copyediting in a row but it's better for my brain (and the manuscript) if I can mix it up. #ACESChat

— Kristen Tate (@kristentate.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:24:55.776Z

@carolinavonkampen.com, that's also me. I find editing books less stressful & easier on the brain. Besides my nonfiction book editing, I edit medical research articles. I enjoy having shorter projects that pay better. But the brain work is more intense on these highly technical projects. #ACESchat

— Dotty Eyes (aka Patty Boyd) (@dottyeyes.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:26:00.449Z

I love working on a short one- to two-day project after I finish a massive copyedit. #ACESChat

— Rachel Lapidow (@editrix-rachel.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:25:40.205Z

A3: That's a good question. I think what I enjoy about working on different kinds of projects is that I learn something that I didn't know before. Like some of you, I can't imagine niching down – there are so many things that interest me. #ACESChat

— Erin Roll (@erinrolleditor.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:22:38.839Z

Q4: How do you balance everything you do? Each type of work must have different cognitive demands. How do you integrate those, as well as the scheduling? #ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social And don't forget the #ACESChat tag. 🙂

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:23:28.211Z

A4: It's understanding what things I can hold in my brain at the same time.Like, the semesters I’m teaching an MFA class, my brain is full of student novels, so I limit the kinds of edits I'll take on during that. But that balances well with coaching editors and translating comics.#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:26:35.458Z

Q4a: I track a bunch. I use Toggl, Google Task lists, Google Calendar, Excel spreadsheets, and a bullet journal. These all help with scheduling and understanding how long different projects should take (and thus, how much I should charge). #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:32:05.046Z

Q4b: I always make sure to schedule buffer times around projects in case one or the other goes long or my brain needs a bit of rest. And at this point I’ve got some understanding of what kinds of projects I can work on at the same time and what tasks absolutely shouldn’t overlap. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:32:05.047Z

Q4c: Still there’s a lot of trial and error regarding managing my energy/cognitive capacity and the demands of different tasks. I’m always learning and changing the way I operate. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:32:05.048Z

Q4d: I’ve recently started working on creating transition rituals (close all windows not related to the current task, go for a walk, make a cup of coffee, stretch, turn on a music playlist ) to help me move from one task to another. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:32:05.049Z

Q4e: And understanding that taking breaks, while not billable, is essential to getting anything done has been a really important part of making my business more sustainable. When you want to do everything, saying no is hard, but burnout is harder. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:32:05.050Z

A4: I try to stick to either AP style or Chicago for the day, so I’ll try to do my blog post and social post editing on Monday, and then work on a book project the rest of the week. If I *really* need to, I can switch between style guides in one day. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:27:32.326Z

A4: I’m still trying to figure out scheduling the short content marketing projects with the longer book projects and how to account for short projects that pop up or getting sick—stuff that throws off my schedule and delays the longer book projects. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:27:40.638Z

A4: I’m still working on this! Figuring it out comes down to getting better at quoting book project timelines to account for the regular content marketing work and adding in more buffer time for ~life stuff~ that comes up. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:27:49.211Z

A4: 🧘‍♀️ An example of balance 🧘‍♀️I put @capsulestories.com, my print lit mag, on hiatus in 2023 because that was a passion project that I spend a LOT of time and money on. I just couldn’t justify spending the time and money on it and wanted to focus on paid work. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:28:30.489Z

Toggl's good – that's my go-to time-tracking software when I'm working on editing projects with an hourly rate. #ACESChat

— Erin Roll (@erinrolleditor.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:33:37.052Z

A4. I sort my day into 90 min chunks with physical & brain breaks. That way I can move between tasks that require different types of thinking

— Lara Zielinsky (@lczielinsky.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:30:16.057Z

Q5: How do you handle marketing without the tight focus of a specific niche?#ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:28:34.228Z

A5 1/2: I think people have this perception that have to have a singular tight marketing focus, or that there’s no focus. And sure, reaching one target group of people can be easier, but it’s not the only way to do things. #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:31:08.549Z

A5 2/2: For me, it’s about speaking to the individual groups of people in ways that resonate with those people. You can think of it as having a multitude of niches.#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:32:02.453Z

A5a: I’m probably not the best marketer, but I’ve taken to presenting myself as a multipotentialite or multi-passionate editor/writer/publishing professional whenever I can. I’m open about being interested in many things in longer bios and in my about page/directory listings. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:34:43.162Z

A5b: Also, even though my business isn’t niched down, my individual marketing efforts (individual blog and social media posts, presentations, etc.) can be focused on a particular subject or address a specific audience #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:34:43.163Z

A5c: And like @carolinavonkampen.com, I have separate pages on my site for each of my services #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:37:55.180Z

A5d: Further, if I'm going to a conference or event with a niche, I might present myself to fit that niche before saying "and I do other stuff too." So at TCAF for example, I'm a comic editor who also edits other things.

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:37:55.181Z

A5: Good question, and that's one I've been wrestling with myself. There are some other kinds of editing I'd like to take on, like for nonprofits and education, and I've been wondering how to reach out to groups who'd be interested. #ACESChat

— Erin Roll (@erinrolleditor.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:30:06.162Z

I like to approach these kind of clients systematically: * Create a template email that show what I've got to offer* Create a database of prospective companies/orgs* Start cold emailing #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:38:01.263Z

A5: I have separate pages on my site for different offerings. Under my Freelance Work menu, I have subcategories for editorial services, query packages, print book design, and content marketing. Someone who comes to my site can see the types of things I do. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:30:15.337Z

A5: I’ve found that by writing a landing page for a specific service and doing the bare minimum SEO work, I get found through web searches.Example: I get a lot of leads from writers who find this page on Google and reach out: carolinavonkampen.com/query-letter… #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:30:33.741Z

I have something similar. I have three landing pages: One for editors that points to the services and courses I offer, one for writers that also points to services and course, and one for my translation work. #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:34:36.940Z

Same. My site url is my name—which makes it nonspecific—and then I have pages for the different things I do. #ACESchat

— Christy Karras (@christykarras.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:44:09.369Z

I'm the same! My site url is carolinavonkampen.com and I think that does help with not feeling cornered into a niche and being able to offer a range of services! #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:54:51.006Z

I have both. I made ShelfPotential.com because I felt weird promoting myself at the same time as promoting services, but I have emilystewart.ca too and I feel a bit more comfortable bragging about my own projects there. But there's definitely overlap! #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:39:01.067Z

Same here. Mine started out ~15 years ago hosting a travel blog. It has certainly seen some changes!

— Jenn Rossiter (@jbrediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-06T00:14:11.994Z

A5: When I’m posting to social media about my editing, I link to different landing pages depending on what I’m talking about. So if I tweet about my query package editing, I link to my landing page about it. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:30:41.318Z

A5: A common worry is that writers won’t want to work with you because you’re not a specialist. There will definitely be writers who are looking for specialized editors, but there are also writers who are looking for ✨you✨ and what makes you ✨unique✨ #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:30:55.056Z

A5: It’s pretty clear from my site that I’m not a specialist, so I know that if a writer comes to my site, reads about me and my work, and still fills out the contact form, that’s because they want to work with me. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:31:21.122Z

A5: If someone wants to work with me, it’s because they see something about me or the work I do that they connect with. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:31:27.016Z

A5: To fostering that connection with potential clients, I talk about projects I’m working on, as well as what I’m reading/watching, on social media so that writers know who I am beyond just the types of editorial services I offer. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:31:31.872Z

A5: Instead of marketing myself as a fantasy dev editor or a romance copyeditor, I focus on talking about individual projects I’m working on, or even what I’m reading. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:31:37.711Z

A5: I’ve found that saying on LinkedIn, “Hey I just finished up a proofread of a self-help book” or posting on Instagram about a novel about postpartum has led to people I work, or fellow editors, with sending me projects based on those posts. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:31:46.822Z

Q6: How do you handle pricing? Do you price differently for different types of work? #ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:35:15.913Z

A6a: Traditionally, I’ve charged by the hour. The rate stays the same regardless of type of work, but the final fee reflects the amount of time different tasks needed. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:44:56.481Z

A6b: I’ve recently started experimenting with project rates (based on how long a previous, similar task took). Sometimes that saves negotiation time and makes clients more comfortable, but not always. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:44:56.482Z

A6c: I recognize that some clients might have less access to resources or different standards that I might factor into pricing on occasion, when I can. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:44:56.483Z

A6d: Like if a potential indie client doesn't have the budget for my usual rate, I keep their name in case I have an unexpected opening in my schedule and can offer them a discount at that time. Or if there's a project that I think is socially or politically important #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:44:56.484Z

A6 1/2: Pricing services (vs products or courses) depends on what goes into it. Not all work is the same. One part I consider is how much expertise I’m bringing to a project. Another part is what it takes out of me. #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:38:52.867Z

A6 2/2: For example, I love love love live coaching, but it can be pretty disruptive to my day. I can’t just jump from editing into coaching and right back into editing. I also can’t do coaching all day long. So my coaching rate needs to takes all that into account. #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:39:28.358Z

This is such good advice (like better than anything I said about pricing)! It's not just about the time a task takes, it's also the rest and recuperation that task will require #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:32:14.802Z

A6: I used to use the same hourly rate for book projects and content marketing work, but people who hired me told me I should be quoting higher for the content marketing work, so I bumped up my content marketing rate… #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:35:39.293Z

A6: …and then I got tired of making so much less per hour on book projects, so now I’m working on bumping up my book editing rate to match my content marketing rate. 😂 #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:35:53.609Z

A6: I use project fees for book projects. I calculate the project fee based on how many words per hour I think it’ll take and applying my “goal” hourly rate.I typically use an hourly rate for content marketing work. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:36:28.130Z

A6: I prefer an hourly rate for content marketing work because it’s a pain to try to estimate how long each blog post will take. If the client trusts me, this gives me the ability to work on the content as soon as it comes in and get it done quicker. I invoice at the end of the month. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:37:30.614Z

A6: For book editing, I’ve always just done a project fee because I think that’s a lot easier for an author or publisher to understand. I’ve got a lot of data about how long different types of projects take me, so it’s easier to make an accurate quote of how many hours it'll take. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:37:58.146Z

A6: I charge more for medical research articles than for book editing. Articles are harder mental work and require a knowledge of statistics and biology as well as editorial knowledge. Also, medical institutions often have bigger budgets than book publishers do. #ACESChat

— Dotty Eyes (aka Patty Boyd) (@dottyeyes.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:42:46.075Z

This is the case for the editing I do for DNP program capstone papers – they're short & fairly formulaic, but I charge more because it's more specialized than the other scholarly book & article editing I do. Also I didn't want to undercut the other editors who work with those students! #ACESChat

— Kristine Hunt (@henitsirk.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:50:38.455Z

Q7: What do you get out of maintaining such a wide range of work? What are the benefits?#ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:41:08.909Z

A7 1/2: Getting better at one of the things I do often helps me get better at another thing. Like my line editing and translation skills really feed off of one another. And my developmental editing and coaching skills and teaching feed off one another.#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:45:48.248Z

A7 2/2: Also, in doing all this, I’m showing myself there is still potential in trying new things, in exploration. It allows me to make my business work for me and the way I like to exist in this world. It allows to me grow and explore, and that keeps my brain happy.#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:46:25.868Z

A7a: Having different kinds of work to do keeps things fresh and interesting for me, which is probably the only way that I could keep doing this job. Following my interests and values makes me more inclined to give my energy to projects/clients too. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:49:09.246Z

A7b: Offering different services has also made my business more adaptable and resilient. When one stream of work slows down, I’ve got something else I can offer. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:49:09.247Z

A7c: For example, during the lockdown period of the pandemic, one of my bigger clients slowed down their editorial work. That would have been a financial hit for me, but I was able to do website maintenance and other editing adjacent services for them, so I was able to stay afloat #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:49:09.248Z

A7: I like the variety of work because it lets me keep my skills up to date in content marketing editing in case I need a full-time job in it again, while letting me also work on writing that I enjoy editing. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:41:39.195Z

A7: One big benefit of not niching down is that I can change up services I’m offering if one doesn’t feel good anymore. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:41:44.075Z

A7: I used to offer social media services for authors. Then I had a nasty client and didn’t feel like offering the service anymore. I stopped promoting it and made the page private on my site. But it's still there if I want to offer it again in the future! #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:41:50.835Z

Yes! This! And if it's harder to find a certain type of work, there's still lots of other fun stuff to do! #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:47:51.458Z

My thoughts exactly. If you have a client ghost you or bail out on you, you'll have others to work with. #ACESChat

— Erin Roll (@erinrolleditor.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:49:02.551Z

A7: I haven’t been enjoying developmental edits the past year or so, so I’m saying no to most dev edit leads that come in and saying yes to leads in copyediting, content marketing, proofreading, so I can work on the types of editing that are bringing me joy right now. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:42:06.847Z

A7: I enjoy the variety of working on different types of projects, editing, and genres.When I had a full-time job in content marketing, I got so cynical about it, so being able to change up what I’m working on if I start to get burned out on something is helpful. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:42:18.855Z

A7: I also like throwing stuff like #BookDesign in there because it gives my brain a break from the intensity of editing while still letting me connect to my creativity, help authors, and work with books. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:42:25.054Z

A7. Now more than ever, it is important for editors to at least diversify their skill sets, if not more. With changes wrought by AI, not to mention national/global turmoil, our career stability is going to require even more creativity. #ACESchat

— Rachel Fudge (@rachelfudge.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:01:28.327Z

100%. AI and political instability is another huge reason I'm glad I haven't pigeonholed myself too deeply inside a content marketing niche (or any other nice). #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T22:07:21.550Z

Q8: How do you stay up-to-date with professional development across all the different types of work you do? That sounds challenging, potentially. #ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:44:36.929Z

A8: I love understanding what makes things tick, so I spend a lot of time reading and learning about all sorts of things. Professional development hasn’t ever been something I’ve needed to push myself to do. I just pursue directions that keep me continuously curious and engaged.#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:49:32.252Z

A8a: First and foremost, I try to read widely. Fiction, non-fiction, picture books, MG, YA, adult, comics, zines, whatever! #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:57:09.472Z

A8b: Otherwise, I try to take advantage of asynchronous learning opportunities, so that I can watch presentations or webinars whenever I have a gap rather than at a strict time. Though of course, I’ll schedule them when necessary. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:57:09.473Z

A8c: It’s important to recognize that studying in one field can often give you knowledge or skills that can apply in another. #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:57:09.474Z

A8d: Learning plain language principles can help with editing children’s books. Keeping a detailed style sheet for a fantasy might give you skills to track jargon in a technical document. Learning epub formatting might make you more aware of how you’re using paragraph styles in a Word file #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:57:09.475Z

A8e: Even learning something you think isn't editing related, like cooking or crocheting, can help you appreciate clear language (which is another reason for taking breaks from the editing work) #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:57:09.476Z

A8f: And I nearly forgot a few of my own resources #ACESChat"What is a multipotentialite Editor?" shelfpotential.com/2021/11/18/w…"Editing: a multipotentialite career" shelfpotential.com/2021/12/01/e…

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:23:37.755Z

I'll definitely put in a plug for #ACES2025 here, our national in-person conference coming up in early April. It offers great sessions for all kinds of editors, niching or varied. aceseditors.org/conference/2…

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:53:18.273Z

A8: One way is that I take on projects that push into new territory and learn as I go.For example, I said yes to an APA proofread on a short, little 50-page book and learned a bit about APA while I proofread, even though I hadn't done anything in APA before. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:49:41.649Z

Big yes to learning on the go! I'll add that you can be upfront with clients about this if they ask you to do something you haven't before: "I haven't done ABC before, but I'd love to learn" (you can add that you'll consult resources too). This is how I started with comic editing #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:59:24.904Z

A8: I go to conferences! I love going to conference like ACES and EFA because I can learn a little about a lot of things and brush up on stuff. I also like hearing about new types of editing projects and related types of work from presenters and friends. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:49:52.623Z

A9: For instance, one year I went to @wisekaren.bsky.social's cookbook editing session at ACES even though I’d never edited a recipe, much less a cookbook, and had no intention to get into that type of editing. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:50:17.147Z

A9: But that session ended up coming in handy when I edited the @capsulestories.com Winter 2021 Edition: Sugar and Spice, which had some recipes mixed into the essays: capsulestories.com/winter-2021-…I had a starting point: that ACES session handout from @wisekaren.bsky.social! 😍#ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:51:31.070Z

The cool thing about editing is that you never know what knowledge might come in handy.#ACESchat

— Rhiannon (@rhiannonroot.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:54:19.108Z

Oh yes, that has been a delight for me over the last 20+ years. My favorite is probably telling a NASA scientist that his football metaphor wasn't accurate. I am an expert in neither rocket science nor football, but I knew that goal posts don't work that way 🙂 #ACESChat

— Kristine Hunt (@henitsirk.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:05:49.959Z

Yes! I've randomly had a couple of different fiction projects tie into my fascination with the history of city public transit systems. #ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:56:54.852Z

The ACES webcasts are great for that — free to members and there's quite a library now, on a large range of topics. aces.mclms.net/en/

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:02:12.731Z

A8: Interesting question! For me, once I've done the deep learning, I stay up to date via networking, activities like this, podcasts, and conferences. A lot of that you can fit into the cracks or they include hanging out with people, so a win-win. #ACESChat

— Kristen Tate (@kristentate.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:50:11.929Z

Last question. Q9: Do you recommend any resources for editors thinking about these issues? Any favorite blogs, books, podcasts, conferences — ? that speak to your varied interests? #ACESChat @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:53:59.723Z

A9: If you've got interests beyond what you're doing and you want to make them part of your business, why not explore them? And to toot my own horn: If you want 1:1 guidance to help you with that, I work with lots of editors who want to try out new things. tanyagold.com/coaching-for…#ACESChat

— Tanya Gold | Editor & Translator 💕📚 (they/iel) (@tanyagold.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:58:14.792Z

A9a: I first learned about multipotentialism from Emily Wapnick’s book How To Be Everything, which is helpful for learning about different types of un-niched businesses and just giving yourself permission not to niche #ACESChat www.harpercollins.com/products/how…

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:06:45.920Z

A9b: Wapnick also founded a site and community called Puttylike that has a lot of resources for folks who want to honour their various interests in life and business #ACESChat puttylike.com

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:06:45.921Z

A9c: Similarly, David Epstein's Range discusses the benefits of being a generalist #ACESChat www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/550188…

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:06:45.922Z

A9d: And I'll echo others in saying that you should always keep an eye out for webinars, workshops, and books that pique your interest, even if you're not sure you want to bring that into your business. Just be open to learning and see where it takes you! #ACESChat

— Shelf Potential (@shelfpotential.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:06:45.923Z

A9: My recommendation if you’re thinking about not niching down: Say yes to a project that’s just outside your comfort zone that you can teach yourself as you go. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:55:47.166Z

A9: Start with one resource: take a webinar or go to a session at a conference, and go from there based on resources the presenter shares.For example, go to Mary Catherine Jones’s session about editing for audiobooks at #ACES2025 just to see what it’s all about. #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:55:55.444Z

A9: The #ConfidentFreelanceEditor podcast has a lot of great episodes about niching down! If you listen to the advice about niching down and get a gut feeling of “but that feels restrictive!” then that’s a sign that niching down *isn’t* for you.editboostpodcast.libsyn.com/how-do-i-cho… #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:56:23.606Z

A9: Another podcast episode about the pros and cons of niching down from Louise Harnby (plus the resources are linked to in her post!): www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/blog/the-pro… #ACESChat

— Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor (@carolinavonkampen.com) 2025-02-05T21:57:04.801Z

Gonna recommend Profs and Pints @profsandpints.bsky.social as a potential resource for copy editors. If only because you get to listen to scholars talk about cool stuff.#ACESchat

— Rhiannon (@rhiannonroot.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T22:00:30.822Z

Thanks, all — great chat! #ACESChat is back Feb. 19 on Editing Teaching Material with Erin Maher @erinkmaher.bsky.social. PLEASE: Sign up to present: tinyurl.com/3t22cdsm general or specific. Talk amongst yourselves. @carolinavonkampen.com @tanyagold.bsky.social @shelfpotential.bsky.social

— ACES: The Society for Editing (@acesediting.bsky.social) 2025-02-05T21:59:34.234Z