(Apologies to Melissa Manchester.)
My Zoom meeting this past week went extraordinarily well. I met, as I said last week, with a woman from my grad school alma mater. She was very enthusiastic about my work and, right then and there, formed a business partnership with me in which she will put me in touch with scientific researchers at the university and I will edit their grant proposals. I will also be a contractor for the university. How exciting! She will get back in touch with me in late July. The only caveat is that I will have to wait a few months to get actual work to edit, as COVID-19 has forced the state to cut the university’s budget.
This opportunity came about when one of my former grad school professors mentioned me and my editing business to the woman in charge of grant proposals. Hooray for the professor, and hooray for word of mouth!
Word of mouth also worked in my favor this week when a member of an organization of which I am a member recommended me to a fellow member who needed the assistance of an editor who specializes in scientific writing. Score another really cool paper for me to edit. 🙂
Bottom line: Word of mouth is the best advertising tool there is, so if you are starting out as a freelance editor, make sure to tell everyone you know what you are doing. It takes time, but it works.