Your Personal Twitter Guru

If you've followed my blog for at least the last 12 months, you know that I'm a huge fan of using social media—Twitter in particular—as a marketing tool. And yes, I mean marketing your business, all of you editorial freelancers out there. Using Twitter is fun, but every little detail of how you do so effects the impression you make on Twitterdom.

Scary? It doesn't have to be. Want someone to help you figure out how to do it well but don't have much money for a huge campaign? I know just the person who can help: Marian Schembari. She's smart, young, energetic, knowledgeable about social media, full of ideas, outspoken, direct, and funny.

She's offering Twitter critiques that provide personalized and actionable tasks that will make you immediately more effective once you complete them. Here's how it works:

• E-mail her with your Twitter handle (translation for newbies: Twitter name) and a brief summary of what you want to accomplish with your online presence.



• Within 2 days, she'll get back to you with a half-hour video critique of your profile, along with a written report with the strategy outlined in the video.



• You'll also receive a follow-up evaluation of your progress whenever you want, usually 2 weeks after implementation.

The cost? Only $100. Even for someone new to freelancing without a large budget, that's affordable. Just do it!


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Audio Conference on Handling Difficult Authors

On Thursday, August 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern time, I'll spill my secrets in an audio conference, sponsored by Copyediting newsletter, on how copyeditors can work with authors who actively resist being edited, don't see the problems that the editor does, or are downright hostile. What are your options, as a copyeditor, when an author digs in his or her heels, and what can you do to avoid an impasse in the first place? You can get more details and register by going here.

The main topics will be

• How to set authors at ease at the start of editing



• How to write effective author queries



• How to set boundaries with authors who hover



• How to navigate relationships with prickly authors



• How to communicate effectively with ESL authors



• How to turn authors into repeat clients



• How to deal with authors when a breakup is inevitable

I have been in publishing for 26 years, the first 11 as a production editor for various publishers, and since then as a full-time freelance copyeditor. I am a medical editor with a specialty in editing manuscripts written by non-native speakers of English. My editing has helped researchers in 20-plus nations get published. I am also the creator and curator of the Copyeditors' Knowledge Base. On Twitter, I am @KOKEdit.

If you can't change your schedule to participate in the audio conference, you can go here to order a CD of the conference. If you can't afford the cost of the conference yourself, you and one or more colleagues can register under one name and make arrangements among yourselves to share the cost. International callers are welcome; consider using VoIP to decrease the cost of your time on the phone. And remember, if you're already self-employed as a freelance editor in the United States, the cost of the audio conference (and the audio CD, if you purchase it) is a business expense that you can write off on your income tax forms.

Get ready to pick up your phone and learn from the comfort of your employer's office, your home office, or your home. If you've wanted to improve your relationships with authors, this is the conference for you.


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Twitter Tip: Résumés and Business Cards

I'm reading a great new book, The Twitter Job Search Guide, by Susan Britton Whitcomb, Chandlee Bryan, and Deb Dib (published by JIST) so that I can eventually review it. (It's taking me a long while, not because the book is boring or a tough read but because I have so little spare time.) Meanwhile, I found a good tip in it that editorial freelancers might want to take advantage of:

List your Twitter handle (account name) on your business cards, résumé, and LinkedIn profile.

I'd add that you should also list it on your business web site and wherever else your business profile appears online, such as directories of those in your profession or members of a professional association.

I'm on Twitter all the time, mostly for business purposes, but it hadn't occurred to me to include my Twitter handle (@KOKEdit) on my business cards or résumé, even though I list it on my LinkedIn profile and on my web site. Including your Twitter handle on all of your project-seeking materials, including e-mail signatures, is a great idea because potential clients can then follow you on Twitter and get a sense of who you are, what your outlook on work and your profession is, and how you think.

Take a look at how I've incorporated my Twitter handle into my résumé (near the top of it).

Maybe including your Twitter handle on everything you can think of seems like a minor detail, but these days, it's important to take advantage of every possible tool to help potential clients to find you.


marketing social media Twitter freelance copyeditor copyediting publishing EditorMom