For anyone who has started an editing gig, how successful have you been, and how quickly did you receive your first orders?

[readernatalie]

I love editing written work, and so I thought I would make it a part-time job! My question is: to anyone who has done this sort of thing, is it difficult to make sales? And in relation to my gig specifically, is there anything I can improve upon? Thanks so much!

[somaginer1996]

I love editing written work, and so I thought I would make it a part-time job! My question is: to anyone who has done this sort of thing, is it difficult to make sales? And in relation to my gig specifically, is there anything I can improve upon? Thanks so much!

is it difficult to make sales?

Eh, it’s okay. I’ve gotten more sales from my short story gig, despite that one being less versatile. A lot of people expect me to drop my prices very low because they undervalue editing, so I’ve had to turn away a lot of people.

What does seem to draw a lot of clients is rewriting/rewording content.

I think your gig looks fine, although I’d personally not use your profile picture as the gig image since that’s a repeat of something already visible to your buyers.

[readernatalie]

is it difficult to make sales?

Eh, it’s okay. I’ve gotten more sales from my short story gig, despite that one being less versatile. A lot of people expect me to drop my prices very low because they undervalue editing, so I’ve had to turn away a lot of people.

What does seem to draw a lot of clients is rewriting/rewording content.

I think your gig looks fine, although I’d personally not use your profile picture as the gig image since that’s a repeat of something already visible to your buyers.

Thanks so much! Interesting - good to know, haha. Maybe I’ll make more money writing fanfiction 😂

[somaginer1996]

Thanks so much! Interesting - good to know, haha. Maybe I’ll make more money writing fanfiction 😂

[readernatalie]

Fanfiction, or maybe erotica? There seems to be a decent amount of money in that as well 😛

Not sure if I’d ever want that somehow ending up in my grad school’s hands 😂 But it’s tempting, haha.

[somaginer1996]

Not sure if I’d ever want that somehow ending up in my grad school’s hands 😂 But it’s tempting, haha.

Yeah, it’s lucrative but not the best thing to put on your resume.

Either way, I’d say it doesn’t hurt to offer an editing/proofreading gig for now (maybe even a beta reading one if you’re so inclined?) and see what bites. You’ll have a leg up over a lot of people offering proofreading services on here who just use Grammarly to scan through things.

[mrproofreading]

I have one super simple suggestion: offer a bit more for $5.

Your pricing is identical to mine, but I’ve been around for 5 years and have 9k reviews on one gig. Think about it from the buyer’s pov. If the price is the same, would you gamble on a new seller, or go for a seller with a proven track record?

Your work could be excellent, but it’s important to understand the drivers behind buyers’ purchasing behaviour.

[readernatalie]

I have one super simple suggestion: offer a bit more for $5.

Your pricing is identical to mine, but I’ve been around for 5 years and have 9k reviews on one gig. Think about it from the buyer’s pov. If the price is the same, would you gamble on a new seller, or go for a seller with a proven track record?

Your work could be excellent, but it’s important to understand the drivers behind buyers’ purchasing behaviour.

You’re right - I was mainly basing my price off of a couple of gigs I saw. What would you suggest? Thanks for the tips!!

[mrproofreading]

You’re right - I was mainly basing my price off of a couple of gigs I saw. What would you suggest? Thanks for the tips!!

Well, I originally started by offering $5 per 2,500 words. Slowly, as I developed a reputation, I lowered my prices and tightened up the offering.

But, if you want to retain the same pricing, you could simply offer a bit more through your service. I.e. free feedback comments, light rewriting, same-day delivery, etc.

Start small and eventually you’ll hook a big fish. 🙂