Do you dream of indexing? I don’t think I know many people who do, but there are editors out there who love it, and one of those editors is Rachel Newman. She entered the editing world through the legal field and knows the frustration of running a home business going while tending to a newborn. Here’s Rachel Newman.

When did you start writing/editing professionally?

When I graduated from college in 2006, I entered the legal field as a support staff member for a local district attorney. Editing legal documents was an integral part of the job. I founded Revisions by Rachel, LLC in June 2015.

Why did you want to be a freelance writer/editor?

For many years, I’ve dreamed of owning my own business. At the point my husband and I bought our first house together, my heart was very much to be working from home. I prayed earnestly that God would show me His plan for my career. He spoke to me in the middle of a chiropractic adjustment, of all things, and told me I was going to be a freelance editor. From that moment, I knew it was my destiny and immediately began pursuing training to become the best I could be.

What’s your specialty/focus? Why/how did you pick this?

I focus on editing young adult speculative fiction, memoir, and children’s books, and I index nonfiction books. These genres are the genres I enjoy reading and have the most experience reading. It’s important to be familiar with the types of books you edit, and so these were the natural choice for me. I chose indexing because I use book indexes extensively in my own personal research. I value a well-written index and I suffer frustration when I encounter a poorly-written one.

What’s your favorite part of this kind of work?

Helping authors produce high-quality works of creativity. There’s nothing like the feeling I get when I see one of my authors who feels like he or she has accomplished a great feat. Knowing I helped them reach that point is very rewarding.

What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve had to overcome during your career?

The biggest challenge I’ve encountered so far is trying to run a home business with a newborn. There’s been many times I wanted to give up, but somehow I’ve come through and made it work.

What’s surprised you the most during your career?

The number of authors who have no clue how time-intensive quality editing is.

If you could give a new freelance writer/editor one piece of advice, what would it be?

Stay true to the giftings and callings God has put on your heart.

If you could do one thing differently in your career, what would it be?

I honestly can’t think of a thing I would change. Looking back, I can see how God has used everything to bring me to this point. There are some difficult things that had I known they were coming, I would have chosen not to go through them. But now that I’m on this side of them, I wouldn’t go back and change them. If I did, I’d end up in some bizarro alternate reality like the one the Flash is dealing with on the current TV series.

What’s your favorite kind of work? Why?

This is a tough one, because there are so many things I enjoy about the different aspects of my job. But if I had to nail it down, at the moment I would say indexing. It’s extremely satisfying to develop a reference that is neat, orderly, and functional. It’s like creating a treasure map for each book. Just so much fun!

What does your work space/office look like?

My home has an open concept floor plan, so the kitchen, dining space, and living room is all one big room. My workspace is located in a corner of that. I’ve got a corner desk, a small bookshelf, and a printer. I put my shiatsu back massager on one of the kitchen chairs, and I use that as my office chair.

What is your go-to snack when working?

Organic Granny Smith apple slices smothered in all natural peanut butter and topped with stevia-sweetened chocolate chips.

Excluding the CMOS (that’s a given) what one editing resource would you recommend? Why?

I’m guessing CWMS is also a given? So other than those two, it really depends on what kind of job I’m editing. If it’s fiction, I recommend Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Browne & King and The Creative Writer’s Style Guide, by Leland. If it’s children’s books, I recommend Children’s Writer’s Word Book, by Mogilner, Writing Picture Books, by Whitford Paul, and The Writer’s Guide to Crafting Stories for Children, by Lamb. If I’m indexing, I recommend Indexing Books, by Mulvany. Sorry, that’s way more than you asked for. . . .

If you could only recommend one writing resource, what would it be? Why?

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Browne & King

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Whatever you’ve set your hand to do, it’s worth doing with excellence. So take the time to make sure it’s the best it can possibly be.

Thank you so much for appearing on my blog! Have a blessed day!

The Associated Press (AP) made nearly 250 changes in their style guide. The business of writing and editing is a business of constant change. In addition to changes in the “rules” of writing, opportunities change as well. Internet editing is one of those opportunities.

In the early days of websites and blogs even the simple task of proofreading required technical and program code knowledge. Now many websites and most blogs use a content management system (CMS), which looks and feels much like a word processer. Programming and technical skills are not as necessary now, opening up a new specialty for editors.

What is Internet Editing?

Editing for the internet may include editing static web pages or managing and editing blog content. In the case of editing web pages, you will probably work with the website manager. As a blog editor, though, you may be doing all the usual editor duties: soliciting articles, editing, scheduling, and posting.

It’s The Same But Different

Most of the skills needed for this specialty are similar to editing for print or e-documents. As editors, we need to know the rules of writing, even though those rules may be slightly different for online material. Often internet writing is similar to newspaper writing. It involves proper headlines, the inverted pyramid style, and short paragraphs. As with newspaper writing, often you will be working with tight deadlines.

Internet editing also has some differences. Because you are editing online products, you may need to do all of your work online through the CMS. The audience’s need is different than a print audience in that they have a different way of reading online.

What Is A Typical Internet Style?

An internet audience is generally looking for information quickly. This is why the newspaper inverted pyramid works well. The facts are often given in the first couple of paragraphs and “above the fold.” On the other hand, some websites and blogs want to always start an article with a story.

Other typical website/blog styles are

• Easily scanned for information using subheads, numbered list, and bullet points.
• Short paragraphs.
• Article length about 500 words.
• Casual writing style.

As an internet editor you may need additional skills such as

• Knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO), which is a method of placing words or phrase that will make the writing appear at or near the top of a search website.
• Social media skills.
• The ability to work on a tight deadline.
• Knowing a little HTML programming (the basic code for websites) is a plus, but not a requirement.

Internet Editing Tools

Many websites and blogs, like magazine and book publishers, have a specific style sheet for you to work with. In addition, there are standard guides as well. The Yahoo Style Guide is used by many websites along with the AP Style Guide. Blogs often stick with the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). Some sites are a combination of all three.

As with any type of editing, the key to success is to present well-written material with few or no errors. The content needs to be good and interesting to the market the site’s target market. In this regard, editing for the internet is not much different than print editing.

Often small blogs and non-profit organizations are looking for editors who will do the work free or in exchange for other services. When you are learning new skills this is an option for you. Larger companies and blogs do pay for editing services either by the post or by the month.

If you already have blog you may be a step ahead to offering internet editing because you know how to work online with a CMS. Use the skills you have, learn those that you don’t have, and offer another service to your clients.

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When she’s not tending chickens and peacocks, Susan K. Stewart teaches, writes, and edits non-fiction. Susan’s passion is to inspire readers with practical, real-world solutions. Susan brings her trademark realistic and encouraging messages to conferences, retreats, and small groups. Her books include Science in the Kitchen, Preschool: At What Cost? and the award-winning Formatting e-Books for Writers. You can read more of Susan’s real-world solutions at www.practicalinspirations.com.