While many of these conferences are on location, there are also online options so be sure to check those out too!

Here are 55+ writers conferences to check out

We’ve broken the list of writers conferences into categories, including blogging, freelancing, fiction, and more to help you narrow down on what interests you most.

Writers Conferences to Consider

General Interest

Ready to connect with literary agents, editors, and fellow writers at a writers conference or writing retreat?

WriterCon

When: Annually in August

Where: Oklahoma City, OK

WriterCon is a community of writers working together to build skills, exchange knowledge, make connections, and achieve their writing dreams. The conference aims to provide knowledge and opportunities designed to push you forward along your writer’s journey.

San Francisco Writers Conference

When: Annually in February

Where: San Francisco, CA

Held annually in February, the San Francisco Writers Conference is a “celebration of craft, commerce and community.” Connect with industry experts, bestselling authors, agents, editors and leaders in both self-publishing and traditional publishing.

Northern Colorado Writers Conference

When: Annually in July

Where: Fort Collins, CO and online

The Northern Colorado Writers Conference provides support and encouragement to writers of all genres and levels. The group also offers monthly meetings, classes and other networking and social events.

The in-person events are open to limited attendees, so you’ll get a more intimate experience.

Association of Writers and Writing Programs

When: Annually in February

Where: Various North American cities

Each year, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) hosts the Annual Conference & Bookfair in a different city. The event celebrates authors, teachers, students, writing programs, literary centers and publishers in the region hosting the conference. With more than 12,000 writers and readers attending each year, AWP is the largest literary conference in North America.

Las Vegas Writers Conference

When: Annually in April

Where: Las Vegas, NV

Each year, Henderson Writers Group hosts the Las Vegas Writers Conference. The organization also hosts three meetings per week in Las Vegas. They’re open to the public, and members can read their writing for critique by attendees.

Midwest Writers Workshop Super Mini-Conference

When: Annually

Where: Muncie, IN and online

The Midwest Writers Workshop is a day-and-half conference and one of the more affordable option for writers at all levels. They offer a variety of in-depth small sessions in craft taught by published authors. You’ll also get to mingle with other writers and industry experts.

Writing Day Workshops

When and Where: Year-round throughout the U.S. and Canada (in person and online)

Writing Day Workshops presents day-long workshops offering a crash course on how to get your book published, with classes and presentations on everything from writing queries to working with an agent to marketing your book.

Missouri Writers Guild Conference

When: Annually

Where: St. Louis, MO

The Missouri Writers Guild is a 100+-year-old organization for professional writers in all genres across the Midwest. Join the Missouri Writers Guild Conference for writers at all levels for breakout sessions and masterclasses covering the craft and business of creative writing.

Fiction Conferences

Romance Writers of America Annual Conference

When: Annually in July/August

Where: Location varies

Romance writers gather at the Romance Writers of America Annual Conference to learn more about the business of being an author. Get an opportunity to meet and mingle with budding and successful romance authors, as well as workshops and events to boost your author career.

SleuthFest

When: Annually

Where: Boca Raton, Florida

SleuthFest is an annual conference for mystery, suspense and thriller writers sponsored by the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America.

This conference includes writing and marketing workshops, networking events, and pitch sessions with guest agents and editors. It even includes hands-on forensic workshops!

Worldcon and North American Science Fiction Convention

When: Annually

Where: Various locations around the world

The World Science Fiction Convention (“Worldcon”) is an annual gathering of the science fiction and fantasy community, held in a different location around the world each year. When Worldcon is held outside of North America, the corresponding NASFiC is held in North America.

This five-day international conference is attended by thousands of writers, artists, fans, editors, publishers, academics and dealers. The event embraces science fiction in all the forms, including film, TV, art, comics, anime and manga, and gaming.

Killer Nashville

When: Annually in August

Where: Nashville, TN

While attractive to mystery/thriller authors and screenwriters for its unique crime-focused sessions, Killer Nashville welcomes writers of all levels and genres. 

“Imagine hearing a CIA Analyst, an FBI agent on terrorism, Dr Bill Bass on The Body Farm, bestselling CJ Box on how he juggles his writing and plans his days, Heyward Gould on screenplays, and so much more. They even had a crime scene, with awards to those who studied the clues and figured out the mystery.”

Mystery author C. Hope Clark, reflecting on her 2012 Killer Nashville experience

Virtual Winter Thrills (Thrillerfest)

When: Annually

Where: Manhattan, New York and online

“It is the only conference where I really feel at home—and [International Thriller Writers] is truly the tribe I belong to…. I can talk about ways to murder people and weapons of choice and not feel weird. I can learn from some of the biggest names in the business, whose hours of writing experience number in the many thousands.”

Thriller author J.F. Penn at The Creative Pen

Virtual Winter Thrills is the latest iteration of the popular Thrillerfest writers conference from International Thriller Writers. It includes the perennial Practice PitchFest sessions and Master Class with best selling authors, plus a new series of craft and business classes called Winter Thrills MBA.

Blogging

We All Grow Weekend Fest

When: Annually in the spring

Where: Near Los Angeles, CA

We All Grow is a unique professional conference for Latinas working in the digital space. If you’re an online influencer or creative entrepreneur, this conference can help you network with others, learn strategies for personal and business growth, and connect with brands that want to reach your community.

Alt Summit

When: Annually in March

Where: Palm Springs, CA

Originally the Altitude Design Summit for design bloggers, Alt Summit has expanded since its founding in 2009 to include thousands of creative entrepreneurs, content creators, artists, and influencers. The emphasis is on connecting and collaborating with fellow creatives, and you’ll also get to attend keynotes, panels, and TED-style talks from high-caliber celebrities of popular culture and the online business world.

South by Southwest

When: Annually in March

Where: Austin, TX and online

South by Southwest has become the country’s premier event for the music, comedy, film and digital technology industries—basically, any creative person or fan!  In 2021, they launched the first SXSW Online, a digital extension of the massive convention. In October 2023, Australia hosted its first South by Southwest conference.

“What I love about SXSW—it always brings out my spontaneous side. I don’t make any plans until five minutes beforehand, and I love it.”

Jenny Blake, Life After College, The Number One Tip for SXSW Newbie

BlogHer Creators Summit

When: Annually in summer

Where: Various cities in the United States

Previously known simply as BlogHer, the reimagined Creators Summit promises to bring all the heat of thought leaders and influencers that the conference has been known for for nearly two decades. Attend workshops, panels and keynotes for anyone who wants to level up their online business. You’ll even get to engage with popular beauty and wellness brands.

Freelancing

American Society of Journalists and Authors Annual Conference

When: Annually

Where: Various cities in the United States

Attend the American Society of Journalists and Authors annual one-day conference to learn how to manage a freelance business or publish a book in the new media environment.

You can also find other one-day events throughout the year, covering various topics relevant to nonfiction writers, journalists, and authors. For example, in January 2024 there was a national convention of professional ghostwriters called Gathering of the Ghosts, a collaboration between ASJA and Gotham Ghostwriters.

Society for Professional Journalists Spring Conference Series

When: Annually in Spring

Where: Various cities in the United States

The Society for Professional Journalists day-long professional development meetings take place across 12 regions throughout the United States. They draw pros, students and educators for networking and training in topics ranging from writing skills to using new technologies.

Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing

When: Annually in Spring

Where: Various cities in the United States

Learn about new media for journalists, writing for various industries, managing your freelancing business, and more in this three-day conference from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing for journalists, business writers, and editors. Also keep an eye out for focused virtual and in-person trainings around the country.

Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating

SCBWI Annual Conferences

When: Various dates

Where: Various locations

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) hosts a slew of regional conferences around the world throughout the year, including the Annual Summer Conference in Los Angeles each August, and the Annual Winter Conference in New York each February.

Christian Writing

Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference

When: Annually

Where: near Asheville, NC

Held annually at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center nestled in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains in western North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference is the premier training and networking event for both seasoned and aspiring writers and speakers.

Renewal Conference

When: Annually in April

Where: Bothell, WA

This annual conference by the Northwest Christian Writers Association celebrates and cultivates writers who are Christians. Hone your craft and engage your faith at the same time through keynotes, workshops, Q&A panels, networking events, and one-on-one appointments with professional writers and industry leaders.

Indie Publishing and Self-Publishing

Author Advantage Live

When: Annually

Where: Online

Author Advantage Live is a three-day interactive virtual experience contains all the information you’ll need to be successful as a self-published author—no matter your genre or goals! Author Advantage Live brings a vast list of expert speakers to the table. For example, Jenna Kutcher and Steven Pressfield were keynote speakers in 2022 and Amy Porterfield was the keynote speaker in 2023.

SelfPubCon: The Self-Publishing Advice Conference

When: Annually in Spring and Fall

Where: Online

SelfPubCon is for authors interested in self-publishing. It runs fringe to the London Book Fair and Digital Book World.

The conference is free and contains 24 sessions—one an hour for 24 hours. You can register to learn how to attend the next conference, and you can attend sessions live or catch up on your own time.

Orlando Reads Books

When: Annually in Fall

Where: Orlando, FL

Orlando Reads Books is a four-day event that includes workshops, panels and social events for indie, hybrid, and traditionally-published authors. It features sessions on craft and marketing, as well as events that let you mingle with readers and fellow authors.

Writer’s Digest Annual Conference

When: Annually

Where: Various locations

The Writer’s Digest editors bring you the Writer’s Digest Conference with resources for craft, career and creative inspiration. Nearly 50 agents and editors participate in the infamous Pitch Slam, and dozens of industry experts lead educational sessions.

International Writers Conferences (Outside of the United States)

Canada

Surrey International Writers’ Conference

When: Annually in October

Where: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada

The Surrey International Writers’ Conference is the “most comprehensive professional development conference of its kind in Canada.” Open to writers of all levels and genres, the conference offers an opportunity to show off your work to the international literary marketplace as well as to hone your craft and business skills.

Vancouver Writers Festival

When: Annually in October

Where: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

In the cultural heart of Vancouver, B.C., on Granville Island, the Vancouver Writers Festival invites authors, poets, spoken word performers and graphic novelists to celebrate the art of the story. It takes place for six days each October and continues throughout the year through special events and the Incite reading series.

“The Vancouver Writers Fest turns reading into a community experience, bringing people together to share thoughts, explore ideas and witness brilliant conversations.”

Vancouver Writers Fest

Kingston WritersFest

When: Annually in September

Where: Kingston, Ontario, Canada

At Kingston WritersFest, writers and readers in attendance will get to participate in thought-provoking discussions and unique events that champion artistic expression and development.

Hosted in a notably literary city, this festival is all about “the power of the written word to create a strong, engaged community.”

WordFest

When: Annually in April and October

Where: Calgary, Alberta 

A not-for-profit charitable arts organization, WordFest “brings readers and writers together through a premier international writers festival and year-round literary events.” Throughout the year, book clubs and other activities are available to those who want to engage with fellow writers and readers. Guests can enjoy readings, workshops, panel discussions and presentations that work toward connecting Calgarians through transformative ideas. 

Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival

When: Annually in April 

Where: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

The Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival is a bilingual (English/French) festival features programming for adults and children. Attendees enjoy workshops, readings and lectures from speakers across genres of writing and art.

The festival is free to attend, but you’ll have to pay a fee for select activities.

gritLIT

When: Annually in April 

Where: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

gritLIT is a four-day festival is a celebration of Canadian authors. Its purpose is to highlight local writers and engage with the community.

“gritLIT brings the best contemporary Canadian writers to Hamilton to engage with local booklovers, to inspire and to be inspired by Hamilton authors, to promote a love of reading in young audiences and to celebrate the exchange of diverse ideas, experiences, and viewpoints.  ”

gritLIT

International Festival of Authors

When: Annually in October

Where: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Since 1974, the International Festival of Authors has highlighted authors of contemporary literature. It includes 11 days of readings, interviews, artist talks, round-table discussions, book signings and several special events.

IFOA features novelists, poets, playwrights, short story writers and biographers from Canada and around the world.

The Toronto Star called this Canada’s “premier literary festival” and “a top destination for both international superstars and up-and-coming writers.”

Lakefield Literary Festival

When: Annually in July

Where: Lakefield, Ontario, Canada

The Lakefield Literary Festival includes author readings and masterclasses in writing for all ages. Admission price per event ranges.

“[The festival is] a celebration of the rich literary heritage of Lakefield and the surrounding area which includes the works of Catharine Parr Traill, Susanna Moodie and Isabella Valancy Crawford, among others, all of who lived and wrote in Lakefield.”

Lakefield Literary Festival

LitFest Alberta

When: Annually in October

Where: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

LitFest Alberta celebrates nonfiction through readings, lectures, panel discussions and workshops. It covers diverse topics—from food writing to feminism. Several events are free.

Ottawa International Writers Festival

When: Annually in October and May

Where: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The Ottawa International Writers Festival celebrates ideas and imagination! Programming includes a poetry cabaret, town-hall style discussion, and fiction and nonfiction readings. To celebrate writing “outside the pages of books,” the festival often includes staged play readings, feature films, documentaries, CD launches and songwriter circles.

“Twice a year, we convene an international celebration of ideas to recharge our imaginations. From politics to poetry, science to music, history to thrillers, we celebrate the full diversity of the word and the gifted writers who guide us in our exploration of the world.”

The Ottawa International Writers Festival

When Words Collide

When: Annually in August

Where: Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Readers, writers, editors, publishers, agents and other artists attend this festival, which highlights commercial and literary fiction. When Words Collide welcomes writers of most genre fiction, YA, children’s books, nonfiction, and poetry.

UK and Ireland

The London Book Fair

When: Annually in Spring

Where: Olympia, London

The London Book Fair brings together authors, publishers and readers in the cultural hub of London to explore and understand the rapidly-changing publishing world.

“The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content.”

The London Book Fair

The International Dublin Writers’ Festival

When: Annually in June 

Where: Dublin, Ireland

From open mic readings to illuminating presentations, The International Dublin Writers’ Festival will give you the opportunity to attend training sessions led by renowned authors and industry experts, where you’ll learn about the craft and business of writing, as well as connect with fellow writers.

“This conference will help you to improve your writing craft, publish successfully, and plan the marketing necessary for any author to achieve success whether traditionally published or self-published. This conference provides practical support, valuable training and an opportunity to meet and get to know fellow writers in one of the world’s great literary cities.”

The International Dublin Writers’ Festival hosted by Books Go Social

Listowel Writers’ Week

When: Annually in May/June

Where: Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland

Running nearly 50 years, Listowel Writers’ Week is an annual literary festival for YA literature. It includes writing workshops, readings, interviews, forums, book launches and masterclasses. Enjoy tours of the historic Irish town and access to local and international writers.

The festival also includes several writing competitions for novel, short story, humor, and playwriting. Awards even exist for sports journalism, writing for readers with special needs and writing in prisons.

Stoke Newington Literary Festival

When: Annually in June 

Where: London, UK

The Stoke Newington Literary Festival celebrates the diverse, “radical, rabble-rousing and literary history” of the Stoke Newington area of Hackney in London. Free and paid events feature readings and performances across genres and media. Admission to paid events ranges from £3 to £10.

Strokestown International Poetry Festival

When: Annually during the first weekend in May

Where: Strokestown, County Roscommon, Ireland

The Strokestown International Poetry Festival has been celebrating poetry since 1999. Its mission is to “showcase contemporary poetry, local, national and international, foster the development of emerging writers and consolidate poetry in local cultural life bringing it to the widest possible audience.”

The weekend includes readings from several established and up-and-coming poets, a poetry workshop and poetry competitions for poems in English and Irish.

Hay Festival

When: Annually in Fall and Spring

Where: Hay-on-Wye, Wales

President Bill Clinton dubbed this festival “Woodstock of the mind,” according to The Telegraph.

The Hay Festival in Wales joins coinciding festivals around the world to celebrate writing of all kinds through panel discussions and lectures.

“Hay celebrates great writing from poets and scientists, lyricists and comedians, novelists and environmentalists, and the power of great ideas to transform our way of thinking.”

Hay Festival

Kent Arts Conference

When: Annually in July or August 

Where: Canterbury, Kent, UK

Originally the Warnborough College Conference on the Arts and previously the Canterbury Arts Conference, the Kent Arts Conference has grown to accommodate an international audience. It welcomes artists in all disciplines and media, academics, students, historians and other professionals.

Participants have the opportunity to share and publish research, and network with peers. The conference includes creative writing and visual art workshops, as well as presentations of art in a variety of media.

Ledbury Poetry Festival

When: Annually in July

Where: Ledbury, UK

The Daily Mail called this festival, launched in 1997, “the world’s most diverse poetry festival.”

It really has something for everyone. The Ledbury Poetry Festival features an array of community events to celebrate the writing and performance of poetry. Attend readings, writing workshops, panel discussions, musical performances, craft seminars and open mics in the “lively and picturesque market town” of Ledbury.

It also includes programs for new writers and a poetry competition.

Europe

Geneva Writers Group

When: Various dates throughout the year

Where: Various locations in Geneva, Switzerland 

The Geneva Writers Group is brimming with opportunity. It offers several informative events throughout the year: the biennial Geneva Writers’ Conference; a “Meet the Agents” weekend on alternate years; monthly Saturday workshops from September to June that include masterclasses and critiquing sessions; coordinated writing groups; and an annual literary cruise on Lake Geneva. 

Whether you’re an established author or just starting out, GWG welcomes writers from around the world and offers a supportive community that encourages creative writing. 

Paris Café Writing

When: Various dates in April and November

Where: Le Marais, Paris

Patricia Tennison, a professor and author of award-honored books, leads a small group of eight writers in a week-long workshop. Accompanied by her husband Joseph Prendergast, a poet and teacher, Tennison guides writers of all experience levels through five morning seminars and a private writing session. 

Some meals and activities are included in the registration fee for Paris Cafe Writing, but guests are responsible for lodging and transportation. 

Frankfurt Writers’ Conference 

When: Annually in March

Where: Höchst, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

The Frankfurt Writers’ Conference began in 2018 and anticipates organizing an even bigger and better event each year. In two fun-filled days, the conference hosts an interactive workshop and discussions led by an accomplished list of German and English-speaking literary agents, publishing representatives and writers. 

Expect to learn ways to improve your pitch, receive insider knowledge on the world of publishing and more. 

Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference

When: Annually in September 

Where: Erice, Sicily

Middlebury Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference is a seven-day writers conference in the beautiful, ancient town of Erice.

Attendance is limited to just five groups of six participants for an intimate experience. The conference includes small-group workshops, plus classes and lectures for all attendees. It’s open to fiction, poetry and nonfiction writers.

For additional options, check out sister Bread Loaf conferences in Ripton, Vermont.

Information, Medium & Society: International Conference on Publishing Studies

When: Annually in July

Where: Venice, Italy

Since 2003, this evolving research network has brought writers, readers, publishers, emerging scholars and more together to discuss “investigations on the nature and forms of information, and publishing practices as distinctive modes of social knowledge and cultural production.”

When you attend the International Conference on Publishing Studies, make sure to attend a range of sessions and presentations that allow opportunities for networking and learning more about key issues in the industry.

Iceland Writers Retreat

When: Annually in Spring

Where: Reykjavik, Iceland

Whether you’re an aspiring, published or hobby writer, you’re welcome to join the Iceland Writers Retreat. It includes small-group workshops, dinner and receptions for networking, and tours of the area.

This program focuses on literary fiction and nonfiction books, so it’s not a good fit if you want to learn more about freelancing, online writing, genre fiction, poetry, or other media.

Asia and Oceania

NonfictioNOW

When: Annually in December

Where: Wellington, New Zealand 

NonfictioNOW features roundtable discussions and keynote speakers that highlight a variety of nonfiction, including memoir, essay and literary journalism. There are also multimedia presentations, including graphic and video essay.

“The NonfictioNOW Conference is a regular gathering of over 400 nonfiction writers, teachers and students from around the world in an effort to explore the past, present, and future of nonfiction.”

NonfictioNOW

Melbourne Writers Festival

When: Annually in late August/early September

Where: Melbourne, Australia

The Melbourne Writers Festival is for readers, writers, and thinkers and engages participants through, storytelling, discussion, intellectual debate, educational programs, live performance, music, and art events.

Enjoy writing workshops, lectures and panel discussions on all forms of creative writing.

Asian Festival of Children’s Content 

When: Annually in May or September 

Where: Various Southeast Asian countries

Guests joining the Asian Festival of Children’s Content get to have unique and culturally rich experiences, hosted in a different Southeast Asian country each year. Workshops, masterclasses, presentations, panels and other events organized by the Singapore Book Council explore the world of children’s publishing, from creation and distribution to consumer consumption. 

Whether you’re an academic, a writer, editor, agent, publisher, teacher, parent or anything in between, guests are encouraged to partake in the celebration of Asian content for children and young adults, plus take advantage of opportunities to network and hone their craft.

Central and South America

San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival

When: Annually in February

Where: San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato

Established and emerging writers are welcome at the San Miguel Writers’ Conference and Literary Festival.

Attendees will get the chance to network with writers from around the world at this prestigious multicultural, bilingual (English/Spanish) writers’ conference and literary festival. Prepare to hone your craft through workshops, masterclasses, keynote presentations, panel discussions and seminars.

And don’t forget the beautiful location! Bill Maxwell, opinion columnist at Tampa Bay Times, said of his experience in San Miguel:

“Rarely have I fallen in love with a landlocked city. … This is a magical place, starting with its colonial architecture. Many of its large and colorful homes are nestled among jacaranda and decorated with bougainvillea. As I walked the narrow cobblestone streets, music and gaiety greeted me.”

Bill Maxwell, opinion columnist at Tampa Bay Times

Storyteller Within

When: Annually

Where: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

The Storyteller Within Women’s Retreat is a nine-day conference specifically for women. It includes daily yoga and writing sessions and encourages women to do self-reflective, inner healing work. Conference participants are selected through an application process.

Cuenca International Writers Conference

When: Annually in August (note: we’re unable to verify if this conference is still happening)

Where: Cuenca, Ecuador 

Ready to learn, network and recharge? At this conference, “you’ll laugh, you’ll learn, you’ll meet new friends who understand the writing life, and you’ll return home with a fresh perspective that allows new ideas to flourish.” 

Tucked away in what’s considered one of the most beautiful cities in South America, the Cuenca International Writers Conference provides writers of all backgrounds intimate networking opportunities with distinguished presenters, stimulating workshops, and unforgettable cultural experiences.

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via Matej Kastelicg/ Shutterstock 

Think about it. Any time you bring up your writing, you’re met with predictable, annoying responses, showing the ignorance of everyone you know to the intricacies of the writing life.

Here are some of the things I’d love to shout from the rooftops to non-writers. And some advice for educating your own loved ones in a less-dramatic fashion.

1. Everyone has an idea for a novel or screenplay

As soon as you tell someone you’re a writer, they’re excited to tell you about the novel or screenplay they’ve “been working on.” Dig a little deeper, and you realize they’ve had this idea since high school. I always feel a little disrespected when someone brings up their story like we have something in common. Do they think my job is just me wistfully going about my day with big ideas?

If you find yourself cornered by someone else’s half-baked dreams, try to steer the conversation toward the reality of your career and lifestyle to help them understand that you’re more than fantastical ideas. Explain what your day really looks like, and the deadlines and commitments that drive your work toward the finish line.

2. I’m a professional writer, not a hobbyist

It drives me crazy when someone replies to my declaration of my profession with, “Oh, yeah, I love writing, too.” Writing is writing. But writing for fun in your free time is not writing for a living, and it’s offensive that they don’t see what I do differently.

Tactfully pointing this out in polite conversation isn’t easy; it can pretty quickly paint you as condescending. But you can slide the distinction in there while still accepting their perceived common ground. Try saying something like, “I’ve always loved it, too. It was a lot of work to make the jump to freelancing, where it feels a lot more like a job than fun sometimes.”

3. Blogging is real writing and a real job

When you say, honestly, that you make your living blogging, they make that face. Maybe it’s just for a second, but it’s unmistakable: They’ve pinned you for a fraud, not a real writer. Or, worse, they say it out loud, “Oh! I didn’t know you could be paid for THAT.”

Thankfully, this misconception is fairly simple to clear up. Just provide a description of the work you do—the types of companies you blog for, the kind of knowledge you have to possess, etc.—and you can effectively re-frame blogging as a legitimate career option in their once-ignorant minds.

4. My work is worth paying for, just like yours

Obviously, the old, “Would you ask a doctor to work for free?” argument isn’t getting through to some of your friends, because they’re constantly asking you to “take a look” at something they’ve written, offer feedback, edit, toss around ideas. It’s uncomfortable. They think your professional-level consultation is just a conversation between friends.

When a friend approaches you with a writing-related request, say, “Sure, I’d love to help you out. No charge this time!” Mentioning money casually reminds them you’re a professional, and helps you avoid the slippery slope that turns innocent conversations into dozens of unbilled work hours.

5. I’m working right now—so, no, I can’t do the laundry, chat, or run errands

You’re in the middle of a quiet, productive writing sesh, and your spouse/roommate/neighbor/etc. appears in the doorway and just starts chatting. Or, worse, they hit you with a honey-do list as they whisk off to the office, out the door before your cry of, “But I’m working!” can even leave your mouth.

Even if writing isn’t a money-maker for you, you deserve the freedom to take it seriously. (Click to tweet this idea!) When the people in your life don’t value your writing time, you have to take control of it. Claim your space—whether you get a whole office, or a corner of the living room — and explain to everyone that when you’re there, you’re working. Stick to it, and don’t be afraid to ask someone to leave you alone.

6. I’m not responsible for my significant other’s writing needs—unless they hire me to help them

This seems to be a gendered issue, but maybe only because I’m a cis female. If you’re the writer in a relationship, people will assume you take care of the writing needs of your husband’s “real” job. What’s that about?

If someone hits you with that question: “So, do you edit all his memos?” *condescending wink* kindly explain that he has colleagues and employees responsible for such things. You’re too busy with your own work, and your partner probably couldn’t afford your services. *payback wink*

No right answers exist.

No definitive tome rules over all of English to set the record straight—in part because the contradicting rules each have merit in some situations. 

Instead of a single set of writing laws, we have style guides. These magnificent manuals tame the whims of writers and place boundaries on the problematic potential of our language. And, yes, tell us whether or not to use an Oxford comma.

Professional writers should know how to pick a style guide, which guide is standard for which types of writing and how to use a style guide to polish your writing (and impress your editors).

What is a writing style guide?

A style guide is a collection of conventions for writing for an industry, brand or project.

Historically published as books and now also as online databases, they guide writers and editors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, word usage, formatting and other questions that come up while you write because of the variance and fluidity of the English language.

Most industry style guides are descriptive, so they make recommendations based on how people use language commonly, rather than dictate rules for how we should use it.

Style guides for brands or projects are more often prescriptive, setting guidelines for how an individual or company should use language in written materials.

Some companies use “style guide” to mean a set of standards for tone, voice, visuals and programming to guide their marketing and design efforts. I generally call that a “brand style guide” or “visual style guide” to distinguish from the writing or editorial style guide.

Why do you need a style guide?

A style guide ensures consistency and clarity in writing across an industry, company or project. 

English offers a ton of ways to write almost anything, even within one continent. Sometimes deciding which way to go is a matter of expression — like whether to say “traffic light” or “stop-and-go light.” Sometimes the answer is written into common grammar rules, like using “me” as an object and “I” as a subject.

But a lot of times, a correct answer doesn’t exist — like whether you can start a sentence with “because.” Style guides step in to determine a standard in those cases to keep your book, publication or marketing materials from being a mess of inconsistencies driven by personal preferences.

How many writing style guides are there?

Tons of style guides exist across industries and genres, and new ones pop up frequently. Most writers will encounter four commonly used guides: AP style for journalism, Chicago style for publishing, APA style for scholarly writing and MLA style for scholarly citation (more on each of these below).

Style guides tend to emerge to define standards for distinct styles of writing — technical, academic, journalistic, fiction or blogging, for example. They often start as guides for one organization and become industry standard.

What is the best writing style guide?

No style guide is more accurate or correct than another. The best one for your writing depends on what you’re writing and where it’ll be published.

How to pick a style guide for your writing project

To find the best style guide for the kind of writing you do, consider:

• House or corporate style: If you’re working with a publication, publishing house or company, first ask your editor or manager whether it uses a house style guide. They’ll point you to internal documentation or let you know which industry guide they prefer
• Genre and medium: Learn which style guide is standard for the type of writing you do. This will help you prepare manuscripts before you have a publication on board, and it’ll give you a place to turn if you work for a company that doesn’t document editorial standards
• Niche or field: Lots of niche style guides exist for industries or academic fields, like chemistry or sociology, to address unique issues

Writing style guides every writer should know

These are the four main style guides you’ll encounter as a professional writer, plus some alternatives to be aware of.

Associated Press Stylebook

The AP style guide is officially called “The Associated Press Stylebook.” It publishes a biennial spiral-bound print book and the AP Stylebook Online.

What is AP style?

AP style is a set of standards for writing in news media and one of the most comprehensive style guides. It includes recommendations for grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage; plus topical guides to define standards for news topics and cultural trends (like gender-neutral terms).

Who uses AP style?

AP style is the industry standard for journalism, and most blogs and content marketing. It’s technically the house style for the Associated Press, and most newspapers adopted the standards because many publish AP stories alongside their own.

How often is AP style updated?

Editors update AP Stylebook Online throughout the year to address questions and major news events. Up until 2020, a new print edition was published annually, but is now updated and published every other year. AP editors debut changes each spring at the ACES conference for editors.

Chicago Manual of Style

Colloquially called the Chicago style guide or CMOS, the Chicago Manual of Style has been published by the University of Chicago Press since 1906, including the Chicago Manual of Style Online since 2006.

What is Chicago Manual of Style?

CMOS is a set of standards for writing in commercial and academic publishing and one of the most widely used style guides. It includes recommendations for grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage; plus manuscript formatting and two variations of source citation.

Who uses Chicago Manual of Style?

Chicago is the preferred style of print publishers in both fiction and nonfiction, and many academic journals in the humanities. Instructors in college or high school courses might teach Chicago-style citation but don’t usually enforce other preferences of the manual unless you’re writing for publication, like in grad school.

How often is Chicago style updated?

The press has published 17 editions of CMOS since 1906, most recently in 2017. In recent history, an updated print edition has been published about every seven years. CMOS Online is updated throughout the year, and editors address timely topics and questions online through the Chicago Style Q&A.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

The APA style guide, officially the “Publication Manual,” started in 1929 as a lengthy article from a group of psychologists, anthropologists and business managers. APA has published seven editions of the “Publication Manual” since the first in 1952, and the APA Style Blog since 2009.

What is APA style?

APA style is a set of standards to make scientific writing easier to comprehend. It includes recommendations for grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage; plus its signature in-text citation style, ethical standards for publishing research and how to format an academic paper.

Who uses APA style?

Scholarly writers and journals in many social sciences, humanities, health care and some natural sciences follow APA style. College-level instructors might prefer APA-style citation, and most high school and college instructors prefer APA-style paper formatting, but neither tend to enforce other APA recommendations.

How often is APA style updated?

APA has published seven editions of the “Publication Manual,” most recently in 2020. Since 1974, a new edition has come out about every 10 years. The APA Style website is updated with each new edition, and editors update the blog occasionally with timely topics and news.

MLA Handbook

MLA style began in 1951 when the Modern Language Association of America published the “MLA Style Sheet.” It’s been publishing the updated “MLA Handbook” for students since 1977 and the bulk of its contents online through the MLA Style Center since 2009.

MLA used to publish a separate “MLA Style Manual” for grad students and professional scholars, but that went out of print in 2016. Now “MLA Handbook” is meant for writers at all levels.

What is MLA style?

MLA style is primarily a set of guidelines for citation and formatting in academic papers. It’s best known for its source citation template. It includes limited guidance on writing mechanics and no recommendations for usage.

Who uses MLA style?

Scholarly writers and journals in segments of the humanities focused on language and writing, like language studies and literary criticism, follow MLA style. English students in college and high school might use MLA style for citation and paper formatting instead of APA style.

How often is MLA style updated?

MLA has published eight editions of the “Handbook” since 1977, most recently in 2021. It updates and publishes a new print edition about every three to five years, and answers ongoing writer questions online through Ask the MLA.

Alternative style guides

The field or niche you work in might need to address unique publishing quirks the heavy-hitting style guides don’t cover.

Organizations have responded to that need over the years by developing their own style guides. These might be alternatives or complementary to the dominant style guide in a genre.

Popular guides journalists use to complement or supplement AP style include:

• The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage provides additional and alternative guidance to the AP Stylebook, like recommending the use of courtesy titles instead of referring to a subject just by their last name (e.g. Mr. Smith).
• BuzzFeed Style Guide defines standards for writing online and on social media, codifying such conventions as how to spell “I’mma” (as in “I’mma let you finish…”) and leading the way in guidance for inclusive language
• Diversity Style Guide is a project of the Center for Integration and Improvement of Journalism at San Francisco State University that gathers guidance from several organizations to help media cover people of diverse races, ethnicities, genders, abilities and more
• Conscious Style Guide includes guidance on usage, framing and representation to be inclusive and respectful of any audience
• GLAAD Media Reference provides guidance on covering LGBTQ stories and issues
• Guardian and Observer Style Guide offers insights into the newspapers writing, editing and English usage

Some complements and alternatives to APA style for academic writing include:

• AMA Manual of Style from the American Medical Association for writing about health and medicine
• NLM Style Guide from the National Library of Medicine, published online-only by the National Institute for Health for writing about health and medicine
• Scientific Style and Format by the Council of Science Editors
• ACS Style Guide from the American Chemical Society for chemistry professionals
• The Bluebook citation guide for legal professionals and scholars
• Oxford University style guide for educational institutions and its staff

Popular guides for technical writing for formal reports and user manuals include:

• Microsoft Manual of Style
• IBM DeveloperWorks Editorial Style Guide
• Handbook of Technical Writing

Other books about writing

Some commercial books about writing are not authoritative in any industry, but writers and editors keep them on hand for style and usage recommendations. Some popular books:

• “The Elements of Style” by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White, a well-known guide detailing just a few rules of grammar and punctuation, composition and formatting, and a list of commonly misused words and phrases.
• “A Dictionary of Modern English Usage” by H.W. Fowler (also known as “Fowler’s Modern English Usage”), a guide to word choice, grammar and style peppered with Fowler’s humor and unshakable opinions.
• “Garner’s Modern English Usage” by Bryan A. Garner, a witty reference book on grammar and vocabulary.
• “Writing with Style” by Lane Greene, an insight into what one can learn from the Economist

House style guides and book style sheets

Any publication or company you write for likely has a house or corporate style guide. In most cases, they follow an industry guide—like AP style—as a base. The house style guide documents anywhere it makes sense to deviate and addresses questions the industry guide doesn’t answer.

If you write a book, your editor creates a style sheet for the manuscript. It includes style rules, plus a list of names of places and people in the book to ensure consistent spelling throughout.

Getting the most out of a style guide

Once you know which style to follow and set up your online subscription or stack your desk with reference books, here’s how to put those magnificent guides to use.

Know when to consult it

No one expects a writer or editor to know all the rules of any style guide, no matter how much you’ve used it in your career. The trick to using a style guide is knowing when to consult it.

Become familiar with the biggest differences among styles, and train yourself to check the guide when you encounter them. Some major triggers:

• Headline capitalization: AP style uses sentence case, while Chicago uses title case, and APA uses each in different situations. House style is often different from any of these
• Citation: MLA, APA and Chicago each offer templates for citing sources within a paper or a reference list
• Punctuation: Notably, guides differ in their recommendations for the Oxford comma, the percent symbol, hyphens and dashes
• Numbers: Whether to spell a number or use a figure varies among style guides and even within each, depending on how you use the number. Also look up how to handle dates, ages and time
• Compound words: Recommendations for compounds change quickly, especially as words become common. Check a current guide for whether to write health care, healthcare, or health-care, for example
• Abbreviations and acronyms: Should you use a state abbreviation (like Fla.) or a postal code (like FL)… or always spell it out? In acronyms like U.S., do you need the periods? AP says yes, Chicago says you can go either way
• Formatting: Chicago and APA italicize book titles, while AP uses quotation marks around them. Guides also include preferences for formatting bulleted lists, block quotes, sentence spacing and more
• Words about technology: Common usage changes quickly, and your content can look outdated if it doesn’t keep up—for example, a hyphen in “e-mail” or capitalizing “Internet.” Check your current style guide for recommendations, but also address these in house style if conventional guidance doesn’t make sense for your audience
• Brand names: Will you use camel case for eBay and iPhone? All-caps for IKEA? A hyphen in Wal-Mart or Walmart? Style guides make recommendations, but this is another area house style should address more thoroughly for your audience
• Identifying groups of people: The boundaries for respectful and inclusive language are ever-shifting, so terms you’re accustomed to could be outdated. AP style, complementary media guides and APA style include up-to-date guidance based on common usage and recommendations from advocacy groups. Refer to those if your industry guide doesn’t include preferences

A good rule of thumb: Consult your style guide, even when you think you know the answer! You might misremember, conflate styles or miss a vital update.

Don’t deviate if you don’t have to

If you have the privilege of contributing to a company’s or publication’s style guide, start with an industry-standard guide (AP, Chicago or APA) as a base, and stick to it unless you have a compelling reason not to.

Writers and editors in your industry are likely familiar with the basics of the common style guide, but every in-house idiosyncrasy is a detail you have to teach each freelancer and new hire you work with. It’s also an opportunity to appear incorrect to readers and peers. 

Don’t sweat the small stuff

I say this as both an editor and a writer!

Writers, familiarize yourself with big style differences and important in-house preferences, but don’t get preoccupied with minute details. Editors are there to correct those; it’s not worth your time to spend all day perusing a style guide for answers.

Kick your writing style up a notch

Knowing how to use a style guide boosts your value as a writer. It means you’ll turn in cleaner copy and require less work from editors.

On a fun note, it also helps you understand your work better! Learning the linguistic conventions in your industry and niche and reading the explanations for them can help you define the audience you write for, how they think and what they know.

Plus, as someone who works with words, knowing how style guides work deepens your relationship with the work you create. Writing a sentence becomes exhilarating when you comprehend the simultaneous fluidity and brute force of the language you’re using.

Right? Just me?

Photo via GuadiLab / Shutterstock 

It’s an unfortunate reality of this job: No matter how long you do it or how much you learn, everything you write has room for tweaking to get a little closer to elusive perfection.

You could go cross-eyed re-reading a piece before submitting it. Eventually most of us get used to biting the bullet and sending something that’s — ugh — good enough.

In search of a way to submit articles and manuscripts with a little more confidence than that, I enlisted a virtual writing coach.

ProWritingAid is a web editor and plugin for Google Docs, MS Word and other writing tools (excluding Mac’s Pages) that will help you spot errors in grammar, spelling, style and word choice in your writing. They let me try out the tool and write this ProWritingAid review for The Write Life.

You can think of it like a preliminary writing coach or editor. The tool won’t replace a human editor (I can’t not say that, as an editor myself…), but it can help you polish your writing and strengthen your writing habits.

ProWritingAid will analyze your document and point out grammar and spelling errors — but it goes way beyond that. It’ll also root out passive verbs, lengthy sentences, hidden verbs, unnecessary adverbs, repeated words and phrases and more common enemies of clear, concise writing.

Founder Chris Banks originally created ProWritingAid to help his own writing after making the transition from financial analyst to fiction writer. He taught himself to code and wrote a simple program to identify common pitfalls new writers face.

At first, the tool focused on fiction writing, but now it lets you note whether you’re analyzing academic, business, technical, creative, casual or web writing — because what makes one kind of writing good doesn’t always apply to another!

How ProWritingAid works

ProWritingAid has three price points, each of which come with their own set of features and functions. Full details of which can be found below.

Free

• $0 per month
• Basic writing suggestions, everywhere you write
• 500 word count limit
• 10 rephrases per day
• 3 AI Sparks per day
• Grammar, spelling, punctuation
• Word explorer and thesaurus
• Document type setting
• 100% data security and privacy

Premium

• $10 per month
• Write and edit like an expert. No word limits
• Everything in Free
• Unlimited word count
• Unlimited rephrases
• 5 AI Sparks per day
• Advanced style improvements
• Custom style guide
• Snippets
• 25+ writing analysis reports
• Customisable suggestions
• Terminology management
• Author comparison
• Citations
• Collaboration
• Unlimited document storage
• 1 Critique per day

Premium Pro

• $12 per month
• Unlock extended AI features to spark ideas
• Everything in Premium
• 50 AI Sparks per day
• 3 Critiques per day

Once you’re in, you can work in your own word processor, or upload or copy and paste your document into the ProWritingAid web editor. It’ll read your writing and use color-coded underlining to call out suggestions.

Here’s how that looks on one of my recent posts for The Write Life:

Hover over a phrase to see the suggestion. For example, for my passive phrase above, “writing can be edited,” ProWritingAid suggested I rewrite to use an active verb, such as “We can edit writing.”

It also catches potential filler or hedging words, including “totally” and “actually” in my selection above. 

You’ll probably get some suggestions you don’t want to follow or that don’t fit the style of the publication you’re writing for, so read them carefully before clicking to accept suggested changes. You can choose to disable a “rule” if you don’t want to see that kind of suggestion — for example, I disabled suggestions to rewrite split infinitives, because I’m a rebel like that.

You can also pull up a summary that takes a higher level view of your writing. This includes a ton of information about your writing, from word count to reading level to variety of sentence length.

Pay attention to this report to learn about — and improve — your writing habits. My reports consistently show I’m a little generous with adjectives…like “consistently” earlier in this sentence. I’ll need to work on that if I want to write something to Stephen King–esque standards.

See a sample report from ProWritingAid

Who is ProWritingAid for?

We all have access to grammar and spelling checkers for free with word processors. And our writing will often go through an editor before publication. So why should you pay for editing software?

ProWritingAid is best for cleaning up a draft before sending it to the next step. Instead of trusting your aunt or a generous friend to read your writing and tell you “it’s fine,” use this tool to give it an x-ray look and spot clunky wording before an editor does.

It’s worth the investment for:

• Authors: Polish your manuscript before self-publishing or submitting to agents.
• Freelance writers: Tighten your copy before submitting articles (editors will love you!).
• Students: Get a virtual second eye on your papers before turning them in.
• ESL writers: Use the tool to improve diction and discover filler words and awkward wording.
• New editors: Use it to train your eye to hone writing.

If you regularly work with an editor, for example, as a staff writer in a newsroom or other organization, the tool probably isn’t worth your money. It’ll largely do the job your editor is already being paid to do.

Things you should know about ProWritingAid

The free version of ProWritingAid is nice if you just want to check out an occasional bit of your writing. 

If you want to use it regularly, though, I recommend the Premium version so you can use the tool with your existing word processor. ProWritingAid’s web editor doesn’t offer the kind of tracking changes or collaboration you’ll get with Google Docs or MS Word. Without the integration, you’ll probably duplicate work.

Also note, you need to connect to the internet for the tool to work, so you can’t do any checks while you’re offline. Kind of a bummer if you like those undisturbed writing hours on a flight or in your own Walden Pond. You might have to leave revisions until you return to civilization.

Bottom line of our ProWritingAid review: ProWritingAid can’t replace a human editor’s touch, but it’s one of the best grammar checker tools, ideal for polishing your writing while you self-edit.

It’s a simple and affordable way to uncover your writing habits and ensure you make the best possible impression on every editor or agent when you’re ready to submit your work.

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you’re supporting The Write Life — and we thank you for that!

Photo via Zofot/ Shutterstock 

Do authors really manage to release quality books without paying for professional editing, design, marketing and other services? Or will you have to dig into your savings and fork over thousands of dollars to make sure you release a great book? How much does it cost to publish a book?

To assuage these common concerns, we spoke with several top self-published authors about what they spent to release one of their books. They’ve shared real numbers, as well as why they chose to invest in certain services, to help you decide how best to allocate your investment during every stage of self-publishing.

Ready to learn what it really costs to self-publish a book? Here is the Table of Contents:

1. Editing
2. Cover Design
3. Illustrations / Graphics
4. Formatting
5. Printing
6. Sales & Distribution
7. Launching
8. Total Cost

And if you’re still trying to figure out which book to write and publish first, this assessment will help.

We interviewed these authors about the cost of self-publishing

Hope Clark: In addition to her freelance writing expertise and two traditionally-published mystery series, C. Hope Clark is the author of the self-published non-fiction book “The Shy Writer Reborn.”

Catherine Ryan Howard: Catherine is the author of two travel memoirs, “Mousetrapped” and “Backpacked,” as well a guide to self-publishing, “Self-Printed.” She blogs about self-publishing and more on her website.

Joanna Penn: Since she quit her corporate job and published her first book about the experience, Joanna Penn has been a self-publishing powerhouse. She’s built a career as an author-entrepreneur, sharing resources for other authors at The Creative Penn and self-publishing New York Times and USA Today best-selling thriller novels as author J.F. Penn.

Dana Sitar: And there’s me. I share resources, tips and tools for writers through my website and newsletter, and I’ve self-published two collections of essays, a variety of info-products and the Amazon Bestselling ebook: A Writer’s Bucket List.”

How did we do it? Here’s the breakdown of how much it cost to publish a book for Hope’s nonfiction book “The Shy Writer Reborn;” Catherine’s second memoir “Backpacked;” Joanna’s first novel, “Pentecost;” and my ebook “A Writer’s Bucket List.” All dollar amounts are listed in USD.

How much does book editing cost?

Editing — which includes developmental editing, content editing, copyediting and proofreading — can make the difference between a good book and great one. For a quality, impactful book, you need more than a proofread or spell-check of a first draft.

Beta readers and/or experienced developmental and content editors will help ensure your book shares your message or story coherently, and a strong copyeditor will help you make every sentence pop off the page.

To keep costs of self-publishing low, think outside the box to find the right editor and reach into your network. Make the most of your money, effort and time by working with a genre-specific editor who understands your voice and brand. Not all editors are created equal!

Hope:

I used beta readers from my critique group and authors I knew. I had one author dislike the book, suggesting I write it in the format used by Writer’s Digest books (she published with Writer’s Digest Books), and [I] just rescinded my request because I did not want [that look].

Catherine:

It was nonfiction so I felt developmental editing wasn’t worth it (the events really happened, so I thought I was safe enough relaying real events while leaving out the boring bits!) and then I hired a copyeditor. She went through it line by line and then she did a proofread afterwards. I also asked a couple of friends to proofread it.

Approximate cost: $600

Joanna:

Even avid readers of fiction don’t know how to structure a book, so for the first book,  [it’s a good idea to use a] structural editor. I also rewrote later on with feedback from more editors after publication. For “Pentecost,” I used five editors [multiple structural editors, a line-editor and a copyeditor], so that cost the most of all the books.

[On the sixth book in the ARKANE series, now the process is:] get to a good second draft myself, then send to my editor for structural and line edits, two passes by the editor, rewrites, then send to the proofreader before publication.

Cost: $1,500 per book for one editor and one proofreader

Dana:

I first shared the book with beta readers from the community of my former website, Writer’s Bucket List, for structural feedback.

For proofreading and copyediting, I hired new writers who would benefit from the editing experience and offered pay plus a mention at the blog and in the book.

Cost: $60

How much does book cover design cost?

To develop an author brand, you want your cover to not only sell your book but to make readers immediately think of you. Book cover design is a unique craft — it takes more than InDesign skills and knowledge of fonts and colors to create a cover that achieves your goals.

As if that wasn’t enough, you also want your cover to stand out and be legible in crowded pages of tiny thumbnail images. It’s a tall order!

Look for quality designers who are just getting started in their careers and develop a relationship early on (the top recommended designers are usually booked quite far in advance!) 

Hope:

I hired a book cover designer (who happened to be my web designer) to design two covers: ebook and print.

Cost: $250

Catherine:

I used Andrew Brown of Design for Writers, who I had used before. I was one of Andrew’s first clients, so I always get a good deal from him. His prices now are, I think, around [$299] for ebook only and [$499] for the ebook “front” cover and a print cover as well.

Joanna:

This is my other big expense [after editing]. I met Joel Friedlander of The Book Designer and paid him as a pro for book cover design for my first book, but he’s since passed away. I met Derek Murphy at CreativIndie when he was starting out and developed a relationship because of my platform [at TheCreativePenn.com].

Dana:

I DIYed! I had a big learning curve to overcome, and I went through three iterations of the PDF cover before landing on one I was comfortable with. Then I changed it again later when I published the Kindle edition (with great feedback from the Ebook Cover Design Awards).

I design all my covers in Photoshop, which I owned previously, so I don’t consider it a publishing cost.

Costs of self-publishing: adding illustrations, photography and graphics

While it’s easy to disregard these additions to save money and time, custom images on your cover or throughout your book add a unique touch that gets readers talking. Forging a relationship with an artist is also a cool way to give your brand its own flair throughout your career.

We’ve recommended 99designs in the past for affordable, quality cover design, but Joanna points out that the site is also a great resource for custom illustrations!

Dana:

I hired a cartoonist friend to do illustrations for the book, and it’s one of the best decisions I made! The illustrations have always gotten great feedback from reviewers.

Cost: I paid her $50 down and share 10% of direct sales (about $1 per book).

Costs of self-publishing: inner layout, formatting and ebook conversion

Second to cover design, a conventionally formatted book interior (print or ebook) is your key to avoiding a sloppy DIY look.

Many small details (that you might not think of) will red-flag your book as amateurish and sully the reader’s experience, so you want to do your research (or hire a pro who’s already done theirs) on the standards of book interior design.

To DIY typesetting for print, try one of the free templates from CreateSpace, or a paid option from Book Design Templates.

Hope:

I did the print layout myself after much research and study of formatting guides. I queried my Facebook fans when I reached one impasse, and they fixed me right up.

As for ebook [conversion], I turned that over to BookBaby. I bartered advertising for publication/preparation of my ebook.

Typical cost for ebook publishing package: $299

Catherine:

I did [inner layout] myself, using Microsoft Word and the templates you can download from CreateSpace. If you have a straightforward interior layout, I think this is a good place to save some money by doing the work yourself.

I did [conversion] myself for this book, but I’ve since started using eBookPartnership.com.

Cost for standard ebook conversion: From $299

Joanna:

I format ebooks on Scrivener. I hate [print] formatting, so I pay for that.

Cost: $150 for print formatter for full-length book; $40-45 one-time for Scrivener software (available for both Mac and Windows)

Dana:

I did these myself. It was another learning curve, as this was the first book I’d published with illustrations and the first I published in fixed (PDF) format.

I designed the PDF version in OpenOffice Writer and converted directly to PDF. I also did the layout for the Kindle edition through OpenOffice, which creates an MS Word .doc. To sell the ebook at Amazon, I just uploaded that doc through KDP.

Cost: Free

How much does it cost to print a book?

Even in a digital age, readers will still ask for a print copy of your book. Print-on-demand services make it possible for you to offer this without the expense or headache of managing and storing a print run. If you do speaking gigs or host author events, you’ll also want the option to keep print copies in stock for back-of-room sales.

Across the board, we all use, have used, or plan to use Amazon’s CreateSpace for print-on-demand books. But if you’ve wondered how much it costs to publish a book on Amazon, know choosing this route saves you money because you only print books as readers buy them. You’ll pay manufacturing and shipping costs if you want to approve a proof before listing the book for sale, which is highly recommended.

If you do want to order a print run of your books — which isn’t recommended unless you have a proven distribution method — you’ll also pay manufacturing and shipping costs to receive them.

Publishing through CreateSpace is free, and they’ll keep between 20% and 60% of book sales, depending on the sales channel.

Joanna also recommends IngramSpark for non-Amazon print-on-demand sales.

Costs of self-publishing: Sales and distribution 

How much does it cost to publish a book on Amazon or similar marketplaces? Well, self-publishing an ebook comes with the benefit of not needing to seek bookstores to stock your book. Selling your ebook through online retailers is relatively simple.

Most popular ebook distributors (e.g. Amazon, B&N, Smashwords, etc.) charge no upfront costs to publish but keep a percentage of book sales. Publishers Weekly put together a great breakdown of royalty rates, pros and cons for each platform.

Hope:

I used Kindle Direct Publishing to sell through Amazon. For other ebook outlets, I used BookBaby. For print I used Amazon and Barnes & Noble. No costs.

Catherine:

KDP and Smashwords, so all free.

Joanna:

I upload directly to ebook stores [e.g. Amazon, iBooks, NOOK, Kobo] as well as use Smashwords for smaller markets. I was selling direct through selz.com until the EU VAT tax laws came in January 1, 2015.

Dana:

I used E-junkie for direct distribution of the PDF edition and payments via PayPal. I published the Kindle edition to sell on Amazon using KDP. Later, I made the PDF edition a freebie to email subscribers, so I used MailChimp to distribute it.

Cost: $5 per month for E-junkie

Costs of self-publishing: Launch and marketing 

As a self-published author, your relationships are your greatest assets. In addition to tapping into your network for self-publishing services, you can also rely on your community to buy and promote your books.

Building and nurturing these relationships shouldn’t come with direct costs, but as you try to publish a book, this is where you need to budget a huge portion of your (non-writing) time as an author.

Hope:

I used Facebook, my newsletters with FundsforWriters.com, Twitter and a lot of guest blog posting. I feature [the book] at conferences and speaking engagements.

Also, I keep swag for all my books. Usually rack cards or postcards, business cards and stickers. I have a sticker for each of my books so people can immediately see what’s in the envelope when it comes in the mail.

I use VistaPrint for postcards and rackcards, and I use Moo.com for business cards and the stickers. Moo is more expensive, but the quality is astounding.

Catherine:

I didn’t spend any money on [marketing]. I used my blog, Twitter account and Facebook page, and Goodreads for running giveaways [of print books].

Joanna:

I do all the marketing/launch [myself] and collaborate with other authors. I pay for BookBub and other email list advertising after launch once the book has good reviews. This is usually the most effective paid advertising for fiction authors in particular.

Cost: BookBub advertising varies by genre and list price.

Dana:

My strongest launch effort was my Launch Team. Beyond that, all promotion has cost is my time and effort: I guest blog, run social media promotions, do ebook giveaways, host online events and more to engage readers and get my name out there.

What about miscellaneous costs for book publishing?

Indirect costs of self-publishing like travel, promotional swag, contest fees, audiobook recording and website hosting can help sell books as well as promote your entire business or brand, so consider these items part of your marketing budget.

Hope:

[When traveling to promote a book], I do not travel outside my state without being compensated for room, board, travel and an honorarium. I make appearances in conjunction with personal travel as well.

I did submit “Shy” to the EPIC awards for ebooks, and it made finalist in the nonfiction category in early 2014. But keep in mind that I use this book for back-of-the-room sales to have a tool when I speak. It’s one of several tools I have, so it’s difficult to define individual expenses.

Catherine:

My domain name costs $18 a year (my blog is free on WordPress.com). I do regularly have travel costs to events but they’re offset by the speaking fees.

For my first book, “Mousetrapped,” I had a bookstore launch but I’d never do it again. I had to buy the stock, print flyers [and] invites, buy an outfit to wear… and while it was fun, I didn’t make any money I wouldn’t have made without it.

I since avoid stock at all costs — if I’m holding a physical edition of my book, I’ve lost money.

The totals: How much does it cost to publish a book?

It’s tough to nail down a final cost because of the number of indirect and one-time expenditures. With that in mind, here are approximate costs for one book from each of our authors:

Hope:

$250 for cover design

Greatest cost: cover design

Saves by: building relationships for bartering, tapping her network

DIYs: print layout, marketing, sales and distribution

Catherine:

$1,250 (less bartering for cover design) for ebook conversion, cover design and editing

Greatest cost: ebook conversion

Saves by: promoting online, limiting print stock, building relationships for bartering

DIYs: formatting, marketing, sales and distribution

Joanna:

$1,650 for editing and print formatting, bartering for cover design, plus BookBub ad fees

Greatest cost: editing

Saves by: building relationships for bartering

DIYs: marketing, ebook formatting and conversion, sales and distribution

Dana:

$150 for editing and illustrations, plus $5 per month for distribution

Greatest cost: illustrations

Saves by: bartering for editing and illustrations

DIYs: cover design, formatting and conversion, marketing, sales and distribution

Key takeaways for keeping costs low

• Look into your network to see how you can trade or barter services, experience, influence or exposure to offset the costs of self-publishing services.
• Editors and cover designers you hire should know your voice and understand your genre — these aren’t one-size-fits-all services!
• All stages and costs of self-publishing differ significantly from nonfiction to fiction.
• Expect the greatest portion of your budget to go toward editing and cover design.
• Very little (or none) of your budget should go toward paid advertising, other promotional services or print runs of the book.
• To save money without sacrificing quality, you can DIY formatting and conversion with a little research and practice, if you’re willing to put in the time. Here’s a guide to formatting and converting an ebook for Kindle.
• You’ll make a number of one-time investments early on, like purchasing software for word processing and design or taking courses in self-publishing and marketing.

Your first self-publishing project will likely be the biggest hit to your wallet — and the greatest investment in your writing career.

Are you ready to pay the costs to self-publish your book?

Stop fretting about those costs, and start planning. Self-publishing is all about innovation and creativity. Now that you’ve created a product or work of art (or both!), flip the switch and use your creativity on the business side of things.

Successful self-publishers are ambitious entrepreneurs who learn to wear several hats and display a variety of talents. To understand and cover the costs of self-publishing your book, dig into your network, do your research and plan ahead how you’ll allocate your time and money.

To expedite that research and self-publish your book, check out Chandler Bolt’s bestselling book, Published. The Proven Path from Blank Page to 10,000 Copies Sold. It has over 1,000 5-star reviews.

How much did it cost you to publish a book, and how do these numbers compare to your experience? If you’ve yet to self-publish, what do you think your greatest expense will be?

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published in 2015. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via fizkes / Shutterstock 

I made enough to make a living in the first few months, but it was well below the salary I’d made as an employee. After two months of scavenging for work — and accepting the reality that I was running a full-time freelance business — I became more choosy about the assignments I’d take on in an effort to boost my income and save my sanity.

In April, I nearly doubled the income I’d made in each of the prior three months.

As writers, we’re certainly familiar with all things Google Workspace (formerly GSuite) from Google docs hacks for completing assignments to Google docs add-ons to tracking changes in Google docs.

An unexpected Google product became super handy in helping me figure out the best balance of work to create the business I wanted: my Google Calendar.

How I use Google Calendar to optimize my freelance writing business

Here’s how I’ve used time blocking in Google Calendar to quickly increase my freelance income and decrease my stress over the past year and a half.

Block time for each assignment

Instead of just keeping a running to-do list of work, I block time in my calendar for every assignment I accept.

That makes it really easy to see whether I have the bandwidth to take something on when it’s offered. No time in the calendar before the requested deadline? Say no.

Adding assignments to my Google Calendar lets me see my workload alongside scheduled meetings or events, so I avoid accidentally taking on deadlines that clash with a day full of client calls — or over-scheduling client calls during a week full of assignments.

This is important: I don’t put assignments in my calendar based on due dates. I block time based on “to-do” dates. 

That means I estimate how many hours it’ll take to complete an assignment (in my case, either writing or editing), and I block that many hours in the calendar ahead of the deadline.

Record actual time to complete work

Regardless of how I’m being paid for an assignment, I keep track of the hours I spend working on it. My Google Calendar time blocks make that easy because I can adjust them if I spend more or less time on something than expected.

Keeping track of my time helps my business in two ways:

• I get better at estimating how long it’ll take me to complete work, so I know exactly how much work I can take on each week.
• I can quickly see which clients take up the most or least of my time. (🤓 Pro tip: Color code client tasks on the calendar to make this easy to see at a glance!)

Calculate earnings per hour for every client

Because I know how much time I spend on every task, I can figure out how much I’m earning per hour from every client, even the ones that pay by the word or deliverable.

For those that don’t pay an hourly rate, I take the amount I earned for the task and divide by the number of hours I spent on the task.

For example, if I took five hours to write a $250 article, that works out to $50 per hour.

Calculating an hourly rate creates a level way to compare all of my clients, regardless of the kind of work or pay structure.

This is how I figured out — to my surprise — writing is much more lucrative for me as a freelancer than editing.

Prioritize high-yield clients

As an employee in media companies, I’d been working as an editor. After starting as a staff writer, becoming an editor was the natural progression to level up, gain more responsibility and increase my salary.

So I sought editing gigs when I transitioned to freelance work. I was excited when I landed some regular clients, including one gig that promised around 20 hours of work per week — half my roster filled in one fell swoop!

Then I got a few writing assignments.

Because I was accepting everything, I took on some writing clients with pretty low per-word or per-article rates. I figured they’d help fill in around my anchor editing client. 

Until I did the math.

Even with low rates, I was earning way more per hour from writing than from my hourly editing clients.

That’s in part because I work quickly, and hourly rates punish efficiency. But it’s also because clients have a skewed bar for hourly rates, often measuring them against what they’d pay an hourly employee.

It’s a lot harder (in my experience) to ask for $50 per hour than to ask for $250 for an article that’ll take five hours to write.

Once I realized this trend, I prioritized finding writing work and dropped my hourly-rate editing gigs one by one — starting with my 20-hour-per-week anchor client. 

Dropping that client and the guaranteed work felt like the dumbest move I could make just a couple of months into scrambling to make a living after being laid off. But it paid off. I more than doubled my average hourly rate after that and earned nearly twice the income in Q2 of 2020 that I’d averaged in the first quarter.

One year later, prioritizing around my earnings per hour has helped me double that monthly income again — with average hourly earnings around three to four times what I’d been charging that “anchor” editing client in early 2020.

Schedule work based on income goals

When you’re first starting as a freelancer, setting income goals can be challenging. How do you know what to aim for before you know your potential?

You can set that number in a lot of ways: based on your salary from a previous job, covering your basic expenses, or hitting an arbitrary target that feels like success to you, like earning six figures.

However you decide to do it, I recommend setting income goals, because they’ll guide how you spend your time.

I have a weekly earnings target based on how much I want to earn this year, divided by 48 weeks (leaving four weeks of vacation, sick or mental health days). Combining that target with time blocking my assignments makes it super easy to stay on track — and adjust my workload or client roster when I’m off target.

The method also makes it easy to give myself permission to work on side projects, like my newsletter for writers, without worrying about the unbillable hours.

Here’s how that works: As I block time for assignments in the week to come, I add up my expected earnings for each assignment. Once I have enough assignments on the schedule to hit my target for the week, I stop.

If I only have to work through Wednesday to hit my target? That’s two days free to enjoy a long weekend or make progress on a side project!

If I fill all the work hours in my week and fall short of my earnings target? I have to evaluate and re-balance the assignments I’m taking on from each client to make sure I’m not filling my time with low-rate work.

Why Google Calendar for business?

You can track your hours and block time for work using just about any planner or calendar method you want, on paper or online.

I use Google Calendar because:

• It’s what I use to schedule everything else. All of my meetings automatically show up there, so it makes sense to schedule my work in the same place.

• I can be “busy” during work blocks. Creating calendar events for my blocked work times lets me show up as “busy” to prevent people from scheduling meetings during those blocks.

• I can keep track of all the information I need for an assignment. Google Calendar lets me add notes and live links into an event’s description and attach Google Docs and other assets directly to the event, so it’s easy to use for personal project management.

• It comes with notifications. I can set event notifications, so I’ll get a ping when it’s time to move onto the next assignment. If I’m not ready to move on, it’s a good reminder to adjust an event’s time to keep track of my actual time spent.

Using this system has helped me stay on top of my freelance work, even as I’ve added more clients and more irregular work. It’s helped me figure out what kind of work is the best fit for my skills and goals, evaluate the value I get from clients, and optimize my client roster and workload to increase my income and create the kind of business that fits the life I want to live.

Photo by Zan on Unsplash

Yet editing is often a natural progression for writers within an organization, and it’s a way for freelancers to broaden their work prospects.

In this post, I’ll share everything I know about how to become an editor, based on my experience transitioning from writer to editor, in both freelancer and staff roles.

We’ll cover what an editor does, whether you can be an editor and a writer, types of editors, how much money editors make, and where to look for editing jobs.

How to become an editor and broaden your career horizon

Like a lot of professional writers, I’ve always had friends who reached out for editing help on projects. Working on these hobby projects (for free, because I had no actual editing skills) helped me see how much I enjoyed working with others’ writing. 

Over time, I realized my editing skills even outshine my writing skills; I’m more adept at perfecting existing content than producing something of my own from scratch. (Holy creativity, fiction writers! Kudos.)

Early on, my freelance editing work was sparse and low-paying, because, no skills. And I was thinking like a writer.

At one point, I applied for a staff editor position with a blogger I knew well. After an editing test, I didn’t get a call back, even though I thought I’d done well. In retrospect, I realize I was missing a huge skill: the ability to ask the right questions to guide a writer to improve the piece. Instead — laugh with me — I made a few copy edits and submitted the test with a note to the hiring manager that the piece was pretty much unfixable. Not a great coaching moment.

(Hint: They make the writing in editing tests really bad on purpose. They want to know how you deal with it.)

In 2015, I started as a staff writer with The Penny Hoarder. In that role, I took on additional tasks, including coordinating syndicated blog posts and working with our social media team on graphics. Work like this gave me experience working with other people’s writing, a good stepping stone to becoming an editor.

My editing career truly began when I applied for an open editing position at The Penny Hoarder and passed the editing test with a couple years’ more knowledge of the process. Once I was doing the work daily, finding freelance editing gigs was easier. I knew what kind of gigs to look for, and I had the experience to back it up. I’d learned to think like an editor.

Before you delve into editing, think about what it takes to be a good editor. Who are your favorite editors? Observe how they work with you: What kinds of conversations do you have? What kinds of comments do they make on your work? What tactics do you like and dislike?

What does an editor do?

Contrary to what your non-writer friends who constantly ask you to look over their writing believe, an editor is far more than a typo catcher. (Oh. My. Goodness. Stop with this myth.)

Editors are advocates — for good writing, for an audience, for the goal of a piece and for the author. Our job is to ensure a piece of writing shines, that the audience will understand it, that it achieves its purpose and that the author always comes out on top.

A tiny piece of that is catching typos.

Your more writerly friends probably understand that editing also means helping a writer mold content into its best form, including its organization, formatting, word choice, sentence structure, fact-checking, and our beloved grammar, punctuation and style.

We’re also often coaches or managers. An editor job description could easily include helping writers brainstorm ideas and reshape pitches, guiding them through common mistakes and helping them lean into their creative strengths, assigning and managing content, supervising staffers or freelancers and contributing to business goals.

How much any of these tasks are included in a job depends on the organization, client or project’s needs. Discuss these with your client or boss upfront to understand what’s expected of your role.

Is editing right for you?

You are a writer now, and most editors begin with an interest in writing — few people at a young age fall in love with the written word and believe their destiny is to polish someone else’s.

Some people are great writers because they’re great storytellers or they have a compelling message to share. These people probably aren’t great editors.

Some people are great writers because they know how to manipulate words so any story sounds great and any message is compelling. If you’re that kind of writer, you might consider becoming an editor; you can transfer that strength to others’ work.

If you’re not sure whether editing is the right move for you, ask these questions:

• Do you enjoy developing and shaping content?
• Can you work with multiple voices?
• Are you a natural problem solver?
• Are you comfortable delivering constructive feedback?

Do you have to give up writing to become an editor?

I still both write and edit. Plenty of writers transition to editing and realize the latter is a better fit, so eventually stop writing. And some editing jobs don’t include any writing. But you don’t have to be one or the other. 

With newsroom budgets tightening and online businesses running lean, a lot of editor job descriptions include as much writing as editing. And as a freelancer, you can take on any kind of work you want! My full-time editor job doesn’t involve writing, but most of my freelance work does.

However, editing is not writing. When you edit someone else’s work, don your editor cap, and set aside the writer cap. An editor’s job is to make the writing the best — that includes keeping a writer’s voice intact and fulfilling a publication’s purpose.

If you can’t resist the urge to make your mark on a piece, consider that you are not an editor, and work to grow in your writing career without moving into editing.

Or consider ghostwriting. Ghostwriting — composing work that will be published under someone else’s name — isn’t editing, but the services could go hand in hand. Determine what kind of work you’re willing to take on, and set clear boundaries with clients before accepting jobs.

Types of editors

Because “editing” encompasses so many different types of work, editing jobs vary a ton, too. You could work at all levels of an organization, on any medium or at any point in a project, depending on your skill and experience level, and what kind of work you prefer.

Everyone defines and labels the levels of editing differently, but they generally mean the same thing: levels of editing denote the point at which the editor enters the production process. 

I use Stacy Ennis’s definitions from “The Editor’s Eye” to delineate types of editors:

Developmental editor

This editor helps a writer plan and shape a piece of writing, usually a book or long-form content. You might get involved before they’ve done any writing, or you might look at a rough draft to make recommendations about overarching elements, like storyline and characters.

Substantive editor

This work is focused on macro edits, or suggestions for the organization of a piece. You’ll help the writer cut or add information and reorder content to best convey a story or message to the audience.

Line editor

Here you’ll move into micro edits, or corrections to grammar and suggestions to strengthen and tighten copy. (This role is often called “copy editor” across industries, but I’ll go with “line editor” for this piece to distinguish from the specific newsroom title of copy editor, defined below.)

Proofreader

This is the last line of defense between reader and error. You’ll catch errors in grammar and punctuation, as well as inconsistencies: incorrect page numbers, mismatched table of contents, font styles, character names or use of terms. Learn more about how to become a proofreader here.

Common areas of editing

You can provide these levels of editing on pretty much anything written. A lot of editors focus on particular media to more easily find clients and stick with work they enjoy. 

Here are some common examples of areas of editing:

Book editor 

Edit book-length manuscripts. Editors usually specialize in either fiction or nonfiction. You’ll need to understand how to organize information and ensure continuity across several chapters over something like 80,000 words.

Blog or web editor

Edit blog posts and copy for website pages, newsletters, social media and other online content. You’ll need to know web-specific skills, such as search engine optimization (SEO), catchy headline writing and blog post formatting.

News editor

Edit for newspapers, websites, broadcast media or magazines. You’ll need to be familiar with the style of news writing and the nuances of journalism, such as working with sources, ethical standards and the pace of the news cycle.

Academic editor

Edit essays, research papers, theses and dissertations. You’ll need to be familiar with academic stylebooks per field, and scholars often prefer an editor with a relevant degree, especially an advanced degree.

Multimedia editor

This isn’t a field but a set of skills you could apply anywhere. The ability to edit and proofread copy off the page — in graphics, video or other visuals — could increase your value as an editor. Even better if you can make visual recommendations or work with visual editing software yourself.

Known by many names — other editor titles you might encounter

People with the “editor” title also often take on duties beyond working with copy, such as staff, project and content management.

This is common in newsrooms and companies that have adopted the newsroom structure, such as content marketing agencies or blogs. Some editor titles you might encounter:

Copy editor

This role is focused on copy. They’re usually the last to look at content before it’s published, performing line edits, fact-checking and proofreading, as well as writing headlines and meta data. Supervisory roles, such as slot or copy chief (both almost exclusively in traditional newsrooms) perform copy editing duties and manage other copy editors.

Assignment editor

In a newsroom, this editor is responsible for a specific section of the paper. In a less traditional environment, they might simply oversee an editorial team. Writers might report directly to an assignment editor, and the editor assigns pieces and works with writers on developmental and substantive editing before sending content to the copy desk.

Managing editor

This editor oversees newsroom operation and is usually not directly involved in content production. They manage people, ensure content quality and are involved in content strategy. 

Editor in chief or executive editor

This is a business role, even though it has “editor” in the name. They manage an organization’s operations, including budgets and staffing, as well as guiding content strategy and setting the standard for content quality.

Are you a staff editor or freelance editor?

These job titles are based on traditional newsrooms. You’ll encounter these duties or combinations of them under various titles, depending on industry.

Regardless of any of these job titles, however, one of the most impactful distinctions on your work is whether you are a staffer a freelancer. This is the difference between working for someone else and working for yourself, but it can also affect the type of work. 

Staff editor

Within a company, you’re more likely to have the opportunity (or expectation) to become a manager, and help shape writers’ skills and careers. Staying focused on actual editing could mean hitting a ceiling, because the assumed career progression generally leads to management.

Freelance editor

Freelance work is more likely focused on content. With a long-term client, you might work on content strategy, and handle communication and administrative duties with contributors, but you’re not as likely as on a staff to become deeply involved with employee or organizational development.

How much do editors make?

Defining a typical editor salary is tough. How much an editor makes depends on the above job duties, the industry, the location and — often, especially in freelancing — how much you ask for and how much someone is willing to pay.

To set your salary or rates, research typical pay for the work. Here are some useful resources:

Editorial Freelancers Association: This organization’s rate table is a go-to for freelance editors, probably because it’s so comprehensive. It’s a good start for understanding how to charge for your work, but I caution sticking to it strictly — not least of all because it doesn’t site any source for what it calls “common editorial rates,” and too many variables exist to call any rate “common.”

Salary-comparison sites, including Glassdoor, LinkedIn and Payscale, plus job-search sites including Indeed and ZipRecruiter, let you search by job title and location to learn a pay range based on crowd-sourced salaries.

What clients expect to pay: Look at the other side of the equation. When a writer hires an editor, for example, how much are they expecting to pay?

Other editors: Research your competition. What rates do similar editors list on their websites? You might even reach out to friendly colleagues and ask directly, but with caution, considering any differences between your situations.

Friends and family rates

Freelancers often set discounted rates for friends and family. Mine is about 40%, but that’s arbitrary, so decide what works for you. 

The F&F rate can be a way to remain professional while softening the awkwardness of telling those expectant acquaintances they cannot use your services for free. Setting it along with your other rates makes the negotiation easy — either they’ll pay the rate or not.

Specialization pays more

If you have specialized knowledge that qualifies you in a particular field, such as academia, science or law, you’ll command a higher rate. It’s harder to find editors who are both well-versed in grammar and style, and knowledgeable enough about, say, corporate law or environmental science to catch mistakes and shape copy for a relevant audience.

How to get editing jobs

Searching for editing jobs, whether as a contractor or employee, looks similar to searching for writing jobs (minus the pitches). 

Try these resources to find freelance editing jobs and staff editor jobs:

Freelance brokers: Gig sites such as Upwork, Toptal and Freelancer help you connect with people who need freelance services. These can help you dip your toe into the business or fill in gaps during slow months. I don’t recommend them to sustain your business, because clients are often choosing services based on the lowest price, not the best quality.

Job-search sites: You can find both freelance and full-time editing jobs through sites like Indeed, ZipRecruiter and LinkedIn.

Journalism and media sites: Search for news editing jobs through Media Bistro, JournalismJobs.com or Mediagazer.

Publishing firms: Contracting with a company that helps authors publish books (or other content) can help you get a steady stream and variety of freelance editing work without chasing clients yourself. Check out Elite Editing and Scribe Media.

ACES: The Society for Editing: A $75 annual membership to this organization for editors across industries comes with a number of perks, including access to a job bank of high-quality jobs and projects as well as a listing in the ACES Editors for Hire directory.

Your website: Don’t forget to hang out your shingle yourself! Add editing services to your freelance writer website to attract queries. Optimize your site by creating content that will attract the kinds of clients you want: tips on how to write a book, how to grow a blog or how to write an academic essay, for example.

What do clients look for in freelance editors?

Many writers and business owners don’t know what editors do, so your first hurdle as a freelancer is often explaining the types of editing you offer and helping potential clients understand what they need. It’s usually more than the proofreading they think they’re hiring you for.

In my experience, clients don’t often dig deeply into your experience for one-off projects. Whether fiction authors or PR pros, they’re often bound by a budget and want to find affordable editing. That works in your favor; just don’t sell yourself short out of desperation for work.

For an ongoing gig, clients might want you to take an editing test or at least check out your resume and talk through your editing experience. Familiarize yourself with their industry, audience and the appropriate style guide for their work (e.g. AP, MLA or Chicago).

What do employers look for when hiring editors?

Like any job, the process to get hired as a staff editor with a company is more extensive than that to get a freelance gig. Here are some things employers look for in editors:

You’re familiar with their industry. Some companies, especially those in highly technical industries like health care or technology, prefer specialized editors. More often, though, companies want to know you can work in their type of environment — a fast-paced newsroom, a government agency or corporate communications, for example. Experience as a writer in these environments might be sufficient.

You can work with freelancers. A lot of companies work with freelance writers for at least some of their content, and many editor job listings look for experience working with freelancers, which requires an organization and finesse in communication that differs from working with staff writers.

You have hard skills beyond editing. Different from freelance projects, most staff editors do more than edit copy. Employers want to know you understand SEO, headline writing (including for the web), content management systems such as WordPress; and working with multimedia, including editing graphics, selecting photos and inserting meta data in media and web pages. Doing any of these for your own blog might be enough to showcase your know-how.

You can edit for an online audience. Everyone wants digital experience, and surprisingly few experienced editors have it to the degree they need. Show that you can write a headline that’ll catch attention on Facebook and choose strong anchor text, in addition to cutting an extraneous em dash, and you’re in.

Do you want to be an editor?

Each spring, hundreds of editors gather somewhere in the U.S. for the annual ACES conference, three full days of talking about words and how we use them. It’s my favorite thing all year, way above Christmas or even the Feb. 15 candy sales.

I love being surrounded by people who care that the “Associated Press Style Guide” decided in a 2019 update that the percent symbol is OK and we don’t need hyphens in every compound modifier. I love having discussions about the history of words and the way we write, because the way we write shapes who we are as a society.

If that doesn’t fire you up, editing probably isn’t for you.

If it does, consider adding editing to your repertoire to add a layer to your relationship with writing and expand your career opportunities.

Exploring other writing careers? Check out this article, where you’ll find more options to get paid as a writer.

Perhaps this quiz can help you decide.

This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.

Photo via GuadiLab / Shutterstock 

This is how carefully good writers choose words — or, more likely, cut words from a first draft.

Wordiness clutters sentences and obfuscates your message.

5 ways to say more with less

Conciseness is especially important in blog writing and social media, but it’s nothing new. You might remember William Strunk’s 1918 words: “Vigorous writing is concise.”

That sentiment is behind the slashing you face under a copy editor’s pen. Avoid the bloodbath and delight your editor with these tips to slim and strengthen your copy before you submit.

1. A number of

I see too many of these in instructional writing. My job as an editor is to comment every time, “How many?” Too often, a writer uses this phrase because they don’t know the “number” in question.

Then don’t mention it. Your copy will be better if you can be specific, but when you can’t, don’t waste words showcasing what you don’t know.

• You’ll face a number of doors. → You’ll face three doors.
• The police detained a number of suspects. → The police detained suspects, but haven’t reported how many.
• You have a number of options. → You have options.

2. In order to 

I haven’t met an “in order to” I can’t cut to “to” without changing the meaning of a phrase. 

I hardly know what it means and suspect “in order” hitched itself to infinitives in one of those professions that convinces its practitioners bloated copy sounds smart, like law or academia or the people who teach you how to write a cover letter.

• In order to start, we’ll need… → To start, we need… 
• Go to the website in order to officially apply. → Go to the website to apply. → Apply on the website.
• In order to determine the aggregate volume… → To determine the aggregate volume… 

3. The fact that

You can often lob this phrase from a sentence and be done with it, but sometimes you’ll need to rewrite. 

“The fact that” isn’t incorrect, and it may feel like your only option, but it’s kind of a limp noodle of a phrase, and I think you can do better. Your writing deserves a farfalle or cavatappi — ingredients with the strength to stand up to sausages and creams.

•  The fact that you’re reading this means… → Your reading this means…
• I didn’t like the fact that she stood up. → I didn’t like that she stood up.
• Given the fact that most people aren’t rich… → Most people aren’t rich, so… 

4. -ing verbs

You rarely need the progressive* tense of a verb. Try simple present tense first; it’ll usually convey the same information in fewer syllables.

• Many families are spending 50% of their income on housing. → Many families spend… 
• It doesn’t work when you’re standing. → It doesn’t work when you stand.
• The law, enabling workers to receive an extra $600… → The law, which enables… 

*It’s also called “continuous,” but I like the option that makes it sound like the verbs support universal health care. I Googled the name to sound smart in this newsletter. Did it work?

5. When it comes to

I feel like this phrase came from a clever writer charging by the word. Its sole purpose seems to be to lengthen otherwise concise sentences — or maybe to insert a search keyword with awkward phrasing? Whatever the reason, don’t.

You can usually cut whatever clause this phrase is attached to. (And try harder if you have to work in that keyword.)

• When it comes to writing a book, motivation is hard. → Finding motivation to write a book is hard.
• I’m not sure what to tell you when it comes to Mary. → I’m not sure what to tell you about Mary.
• When it comes to finding the treasure, you’ll want to go to the X. → Go to the X to find the treasure.

This article was originally published in Notes newsletter, a monthly selection of pet peeves, warnings, advice, secrets and pro-tips for pitching, writing and — above all — keeping editors happy.

Photo by Green Chameleon on Unsplash

They’re the words you almost never need in a sentence. They occupy space, trip tongues and take readers down a long, winding path when a short, straight one would do.

Many exist, but a few grind my gears, because they show up in everything I edit. Once you commit this list to memory, they’ll jump off the page, and you won’t believe you ever deigned to include them before. 

5 words you (almost) never need in a sentence

Cut these from your writing! Here are five words you never need in a sentence.

1. Different

Writers use “different” often to indicate variety, but I rarely encounter a “different” I can’t cut from a sentence without changing the sentence’s meaning.

• We have many different types of soup. → We have many types of soup.
• Each waiter serves a different segment of the restaurant. → Each waiter serves a segment of the restaurant.
• You have several different options for dinner. → You have options for dinner.

The words “types,” “segment” and “options” each imply difference, so the word is unnecessary. And the sentences are sharper without the redundancy. Notice the cut “several” in the third example, too. It’s just another way to say “different,” so that original sentence is drowning in fat.

2. That

I built this into my routine years ago after getting this self-editing tip from TWL’s founder Alexis Grant: Nix “that.”

It rolls off the tongue when you speak, but it clutters your written sentences. Plus, it’s easy to cut: Literally CTRL+F your document for “that,” and cut it anywhere you can without convoluting your sentence.

• Can you believe that she doesn’t want to come with us? → Can you believe she doesn’t want to come with us?
• I know that you don’t want this. → I know you don’t want this.
• She decided that she’d go after all. → She decided she’d go after all.

3. Currently

It feels necessary, I know. You feel like you have to say “I currently work at Acme Co.” But you don’t. “I work at Acme Co.” means the same thing.

In rare cases, “currently” may help clarify what is now versus another time. But most of the time, a simple present-tense verb will do the trick.

• She’s currently dating Taylor, but she was married to Jamie before. → She’s dating Taylor, but she was married to Jamie before.
• I’m currently between jobs. → I’m between jobs.
• Currently, you have two options for student loans. → You have two options for student loans.

4. Certain, specific or particular

Confoundingly, these words are vague, which makes them useless to most sentences. I can’t tell whether writers use them in an attempt to narrow the definition of a noun or for emphasis. Either way, they don’t work.

Cutting these will strengthen a sentence, but replacing them with a more precise modifier will do even better.

• A specific location → a location → a location to be named by your instructor
• A certain amount → an amount→ a large amount
• Your particular problems → your problems → your unusual problems

5. Very, really, totally — any emphasizing adverb

Instead of adding a boring adverb to emphasize the greatness of an adjective or verb — e.g. “really big” or “greatly appreciate” — use a stronger adjective or verb on its own.

Instances of these adverbs abound, but here are a few examples and alternatives, from simple to I-obviously-own-a-thesaurus.

• Very big → Huge, gigantic, enormous, prodigious
• Really want → desire, crave, covet, yearn for
• Extremely tall → giant, towering, soaring, altitudinous
• Highly likely → probable, feasible, expected, anticipated 
• Totally surprised → astonished, dumbfounded, flabbergasted, nonplused
• Greatly appreciated → applauded, relished, treasured, extolled
• Truly believe → affirm, conclude, suppose, ratiocinate

This article was originally published in Notes newsletter, a monthly selection of pet peeves, warnings, advice, secrets and pro-tips for pitching, writing and — above all — keeping editors happy.

Photo via Lamai Prasitsuwan / Shutterstock 

Well, actually, we use them to avoid talking about unpleasant and uncomfortable subjects.

In my career, I’ve written about death, money, sex and all kinds of personal development. I’ve become comfortable speaking plainly. 

To do otherwise is a disservice to the reader. It tells them they should be uncomfortable talking or learning about the subject, and it clouds the information they’re there to learn.

To be fair, some euphemisms are fun. In researching for this post, I came across “making a deposit in the porcelain bank” (using the toilet) and “one sandwich short of a picnic” (not smart). Let’s never lose these gems.

But most of them are useless and debilitate your effort to connect with or teach readers. Train your eye to catch and cut meaningless euphemisms from your writing — they abound.

Start with these five common euphemisms… 

5 euphemisms to cut from your writing

1. Less than ideal (instead of ‘bad’)

Literally most things are less than ideal. “Ideal” is a high standard. Worse, everyone’s definition of “ideal” is different, so this description tells your reader nothing. Or it makes them feel judged.

If something is bad, say “bad.” Or grab a thesaurus, and find a more meaningful word. Or avoid judgement altogether, and just describe the thing:

• My credit score is less than ideal. Credit scores come in standard categories that include “poor” and “fair.” You can also say what you mean, which is “low.”
• This dress isn’t exactly ideal. What isn’t right about the dress? Is it too tight, too short, too many polka-dots?
• Circumstances aren’t ideal. What’s wrong with your circumstances? Were you trying to get a WiFi signal for your Zoom meeting in your backyard and fell into a sinkhole?

2. Doing well (instead of ‘rich’)

The Midwest has a tight hold on my heart, and I know we don’t like to talk about money — especially when we’ve got it.

If someone is so bold as to let their wealth or success be known, we might describe them, demurely, as “doing well for themselves.”

That beige phrase strips away all mention of money while at the same time implying it takes money to “do well.” What a mess.

I advocate talking plainly about money so we can all get over our hang ups.

But I know that’s tough, so try baby steps. I like to describe my vast accumulation of wealth with specifics that don’t involve numbers, like:

• I no longer save the extra condiment packets that come with take out.
• I always have a backup shampoo.
• I order appetizers when I go out to eat.
• I don’t cut my own bangs anymore.

3. Decent (instead of anything)

Do you have a “decent” job or earn a “decent” wage or have a “decent” home?

This is another weird euphemism that says nothing but still passes judgement.

The same goes for “good” and “reasonable.”

Be specific, so readers understand what you mean. Does a “decent job” give you a corner office or let you work from home? Is a “reasonable wage” $15 an hour or $50? Is a “good home” a loft in Brooklyn or a farmhouse in Ohio?

Keep an eye out for your biases creeping into descriptions like these, and add specifics to give readers an accurate picture they can see from their own perspective.

4. Passed away (instead of ‘died’)

After two years writing about death and end-of-life experiences, I have no tolerance for words that invite us to ignore the reality of death.

People die; it’s the only universal truth we all experience.

Speaking about it in hushed tones and with sanitized language perpetuates our fear and shame around the subject. 

Some death euphemisms, like “no longer with us,” are actually confusing.

Heavenly euphemisms like “passed away” might inject values and beliefs your audience doesn’t share or understand, which makes it tougher for them to connect with your writing.

Just say “died.”

Caveat: If death-related events like “crossing over” or “being with God” are part of your reality, these aren’t euphemisms. Use them as long as your audience is on the same page about their meaning — but opt for “died” when writing about the end of a life.

5. Slept together (instead of ‘had sex’)

Through a little sleuthing around age nine, I figured out the basic mechanics of sexual intercourse.

By that time, I was also quite familiar with the concept of a sleepover.

I was genuinely confused when the characters on “Friends” and “Fraisier” talked about “sleeping together” in scandalous tones. I used to sleep with my friends all the time. My cousins, even. When I was afraid of the dark, I slept with my sister.

When I figured out the adults were (avoiding) talking about sex, I thought, “Wow, grow up.”

As with death and money, clouding sex in meaningless language perpetuates shame, fear and confusion. It even has dangerous consequences, like our discomfort with talking about consent and boundaries.

Like money, I advocate for specific language around sex. At least, get comfortable with the word “sex.” Even better, get used to discussing specific actions — because, really, “sex” alone isn’t that clear.

This article was originally published in Notes newsletter, a monthly selection of pet peeves, warnings, advice, secrets and pro-tips for pitching, writing and — above all — keeping editors happy.

Photo via Dean Drobot / Shutterstock