Business Planning for Editorial Freelancers: A Guide for New Starters Paperback – April 12, 2013

This book was recommended to me by another freelance editor, who has been giving me tips.Quick, short, and easy to read. This is a basic guide with resources for those looking to start their own editing business. I was hoping for a little more guidance, but this was a great start to get me researching more on the topics listed in this book. Great for newbie writers or editors, who have no idea where to start their freelancing career.

The author covered every question I had, this is a very informative book.

This top title by Louise Harnby is billed as an e-guide for *new* editorial freelancers, but this old pro reckons it is perfect for the experienced practitioner too. The useful examples from real-life situations are truly illuminating and the collected Resources alone are worth pots of gold! I think Harnby has written a great guide. Her sensible advice is making me rethink how I run my own editorial business and she's got a lovely light touch; not in the least preachy or patronising. I'm nearly finished reading it on my Kindle and when I'm done I'm filing it beside Carol Saller's fabulous 'Moonlight Bogger'. So what are you waiting for? Do your (fledgling) editorial business a favour, go get!

Business Planning for Editorial Freelancers: A Guide for New Starters is written by Louise Harnby, a highly recommended editor/proofreader with decades of experience in editing, freelance, and customer relations. I have had the pleasure of working with Louise prior to the publication of my own book, and I continue to appreciate her level of knowledge, attention to detail, and professionalism. This guide clearly and practically illustrates editorial freelancing and the steps involved to generate a successful business. Tools and resources are also included. I would recommend this book to anyone who considers starting, or is already running, a freelance editorial business.

I have been a great fan of Louise Harnby's newsletter for a past few months where she ensembles editing and freelance marketing materials. This e-book at a very nominal price for Indian freelancers by Amazon is an blessing in disguise for upcoming and first-time editors and proofreaders. The book covers the basics of "how to go about" if one is thinking of making his or her career choice as freelance editor or proofreader. With well-explained methods and steps to be followed with real-life analogies, this book is a must-read for all editors and proofreaders worldwide. Personally, it was a timely book to read for me as I was/am thinking of freelancing as a copy editor.

I recommend Louise's book to everyone asking for advice on how to manage their freelance career. I told my fellow Chicago Women in Publishing board members about this book and one of them said, "I wish I'd had this book when I was starting out." It's great to have all of this useful information in one location, too.

I wish this book had been around when I started out with freelance editing. I especially appreciated the "case studies." I think freelancers who are starting out will be able to see themselves in some of the stories contained in this book. There can be lots of doubts when you first begin, and it's assuring to know that successful freelancers have also wrestled with doubts in the beginning. Louise Harnby has given freelancers helpful action steps for building their businesses, and all of it in a highly readable package.

This book is good for those who have done absolutely nothing yet to start their business. It's got good information and resources.Why 2 stars?I've just started my business a few months ago so I thought I was pretty green, thought this book would provide some little tidbits I could use to build on what I've already got. But nope.Also within the first 20 pages I noticed 3 typos (not British spellings). The cover is lazy at best. I know a cover is not that important but a nice cover suggests professionalism. This looks like someone randomly clicked through Microsoft word and got lucky to end on a single font. It also feels heavy handed on pushing the publishing centres classes.Lastly, $9.99 for the kindle version of this is too expensive...for what this is...a glorified pamphlet barely more than an advertisement for their services and the publishing centre.This book was slapped together without the professionalism they claim to advocate.Take into consideration it's UK centric. I went into this purchase knowing that.If you are American start with the editorial freelancers association, the-efa.org. They have great classes that are affordable and a free forum to get your feet wet. Also try small business administration sba.com or .org. Tons of free resources. Also check out score.com or .org.Do not undervalue marketing.