A. James Editing, Inc » freelance

Fewer Projects, Better Quality, More Repeat Customers

Amber — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:05:50 +0000

This may seem counterintuitive for most freelancers (and business people in general), but it really is true.

I attended a small business development workshop recently and one thing the presenter really drove home was the fact that small business owners really need to be specific about what their product/service offerings are, and stick to them.

She warned against having too many choices or diversity in your offerings because most people get so overwhelmed with their choices, they become debilitated and choose nothing at all. Her example was as follows:

The Jam Study
The study group set-up a sample table at a grocery store that showcased a selection of 24 different flavors of jam. 40% of the passersby tasted the jams and each person tasted about 1.5 jams. 3% of those that tried the jam actually purchased any.

The group conducted this study a second time, but this time they only offered 6 jams for tasting. 60% of the passersby tasted the jams and each person, again, only tasted 1.5 jams. Of those that tried the jam, 30% of them purchased jam.

The moral?

Do a few things well and your customers will reward you with their wallets.

The end.

You Can’t Outsource Good Writing

Amber — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:10:19 +0000

I responded to a question on LinkedIn Answers this morning that asked about the various sites like Elance and Simply Hired that churn out low-paying copywriting gigs.

I gave my two cents as a professional freelance copywriter and remembered a post I read a few months ago by Peter Bowerman about this very topic.

He talked about the kinds of jobs that typically get “outsourced” like computer programming and customer service, for example.

But what about quality writing?

Well, quality writing doesn’t get sent overseas necessarily, but certainly the market has been saturated with sub par work by writers who are paid $5 or so per article they write. Obviously if this is going to be any kind of income source for them they’ll have to churn out as many articles as possible in as little time as possible.

It sounds scammish, but it happens. Regularly.

Instead of paraphrasing the whole article, read it here.

Another Writer’s Market Plug…For Children’s Writers and Illustrators

Amber — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:28:49 +0000

Timing is everything. Though I came across some useful information too late for the graphic designer I met in April, I was able to furnish a children’s writer and children’s illustrator with timely and very well-received information: the 2010 Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market.

You’re welcome.

For Freelance Graphic Designers

Amber — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:49:33 +0000

Dear Man I Met Yesterday Who is Thinking About Becoming a Freelance Graphic Designer,

It occurred to me only after you had walked away that there might be an equivalent to Writer’s Market. I did some quick research this morning and found out that there is indeed an equivalent! It’s called Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s Market. I haven’t looked through this book, so I can’t professionally recommend it, but if it’s anything like Writer’s Market, I recommend it.

If only I had given you my business card we could have been in touch and I could have told you about it! Oh, well. Hopefully other aspiring freelance graphic designers and artists read this post and find the tools they need to get started in this book.

Cheers.

And now for something completely different…Typos in a book!

Amber — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:40:06 +0000

Good evening gentle reader,

For those of you familiar with my blog and those of you who aren’t, I am a freelance copywriter who has until recently highlighted errors in news articles. I call it “Typos in the Nuwz…I Mean News.” Perhaps you’ve seen them around the WP blogroll. No periodical has been safe, The Huffington Post, The BBC, Fox News, MSNBC and even AOL News. I’ve critiqued their typographical errors, clarity and consistency. That’s been fun and the pictures are usually pretty, but I would like to add another facet to my blog: typos in books. In addition to being a copywriter, I am also a trained proofreader and avid reader. Do you see where this is going?

My trained eye picks out errors whether I want to or not and I must must perform the appropriate proofreading markage and make a note to myself at the top of the page. I said it was a gift in my last post. I might have exaggerated a bit and perhaps “curse” is a better word to use.

The first installment will begin…tomorrow! Muahahaha! Now I’ve got you hooked! Which book will it be? The blameless author? Which publisher was careless enough to let these bedeviled blemishes make it to print?!

Find out all that and more tomorrow on A. James Editing!

Typos in the Nuwz…I Mean News: Rihanna, Brown, and the AP

Amber — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:44:55 +0000

The beating of singer, Rihanna, at the the hands of her abusive boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, is still a hot topic nine months later. You can read all about it in this short article off the MSN homepage: “Rihanna: Going back to Brown after beating ‘wrong.’”

It’s because this topic is still front page news that I chose to highlight a typo in this Associated Press article.

What The Associated Press published:

NEW YORK (AP) — Rihanna said Thursday that she regrets returning to ex-boyfriend Chris Brown after he left her bruised and battered during an February assault, warning other women facing domestic violence to not let themselves be blinded by love.

What copywriter Amber would have written:

NEW YORK (AP) — Rihanna said Thursday that she regrets returning to ex-boyfriend Chris Brown after he left her bruised and battered during a February assault, warning other women facing domestic violence to not let themselves be blinded by love.

The letter ‘n’. Who knew it could be so pesky?

A Site for Writers

Amber — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 20:56:04 +0000

There are, of course, hundreds of thousands of internet resources for writers. One of the multitude that I know about and regularly recommend to others, is Mediabistro.

Mediabistro offers classes for further writing development in the areas of your choice, information and resources, job postings for seekers, and resume postings for employers. I don’t use this site enough but this post has reminded me why I should!

Copyediting and Proofreading for Dummies

Amber — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:32:10 +0000

I read this book when I launched my freelance writing and editing career two years ago. Believe it or not I found three typos in the book…I’m not kidding. Don’t worry though, I sent an e-mail to the publisher and made them aware of the faux pas. I can only hope the irony was not lost on them.

Portland Writers of All Stripes

Amber — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:10:18 +0000

Dear Writers of Portland, OR,

If you haven’t heard already, Portland Community College has an incredible line-up of Community Education classes, not least of all their writing classes.

Some of the classes instruction on: freelance writing, memoir, grammar, fiction and non-fiction, and children’s lit. I’ve taken a class from PCC before and I recommend them highly. A lot of their classes (maybe not the writing classes, but I would check on that) can be taken online. So if you’re out of state, you may still be able to benefit from these affordable ($89ish) and informative classes.

Happy learning!
Amber

Freelance Editing

Amber — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 02:06:43 +0000

Welcome to A. James Editing!

My name is Amber James and I help businesses, organizations, and individuals promote themselves. I achieve this promotion by copywriting, editing, or proofreading any print or web-based materials that you might generate. Such materials include articles for web publication, newsletters, website content, surveys, and brochures to name a few.

Please click on one of the links above for more information about what exactly it is I do and how I can help you achieve a higher level of promotion.