Hello All!
Thank you for joining me today.

For those who are not a part of the LinkedIn community (or those that haven’t connected with me there yet), I thought I would share something with you. I was asked not long ago to be a part of a showcase on a fellow LinkedIn connection’s website. It is a showcase to introduce freelancers in the publishing industry. The website is Chapter One Book Production by Catherine Williams. Catherine has extensive experience in designing the content for and managing the production of books. She is based in the UK, but in today’s digital world that doesn’t matter.

She decided to put together the showcase since the publishing industry relies heavily on freelancers in a variety of areas. These include; book coaches, illustrators, editors, cover designers, interior content designers or typesetters, proofreaders, indexers and marketers. She is hopeful that the showcase will be a helpful resource for authors needing help with carious aspects of publishing their books. I must admit that I was pretty chuffed when Catherine asked me to be a part of this.

This is how mine went …

CW – What is your specialism within book publishing?
Me – I am an editor and proofreader. I specialise in fiction but do enjoy working with non-fiction and business documents to mix it up a little.

CW – Can you describe what you do in 10 words or fewer?
Me – I help authors tell their stories so readers can enjoy them. (Sorry, that was 11!)

CW – What led you to go freelance?
Me – We are a homeschooling family, which made my getting a job outside of the home not feasible. I absolutely love reading, love words in general, and decided to try to make a living doing something I love. I already had some experience in the business world, undertook studies to ensure I could do a fantastic job working with authors, and now I am a freelancer. The freedom of freelancing works very well for our family.

CW – Do you work primarily for publishing companies or independent authors or a mix?
Me – I work primarily with independent authors.

CW – What’s the best part of doing what you do?
Me – I get to read for a job!!

CW – What do you know now that you wish you had known when you started your freelance journey?
Me – Just how long it would take to build up a client base.

CW – How many books are in your TBR (to be read) pile/list? And do you plan to read them all eventually?
Me – I have about 40 books in my TBR (for enjoyment) list, and of course I plan to read them all!

CW – Do you prefer physical books or ebooks?
Me – The majority of the time I prefer physical books, especially for books I plan to keep and read again. There’s just something about holding an actual book in your hand, and the smell of new books with their crisp, fresh pages … I do read ebooks too of course, especially when I haven’t had a chance to buy any physical ones, or the budget is a bit tight. I also read a lot of ebooks while we were travelling last year to save space.

CW – Do you have any advice for anyone considering a career in publishing?
Me – I can only speak about the editing and proofreading side of things – be aware that it can take a long time to build a client base, and you need to market yourself lots!

CW – What is your favourite children’s book and your favourite adult’s book?
Me – My favourite children’s book would have to be Snugglepot and Cuddlepie by May Gibbs, my grandmother used to read it to me when I was little. And my favourite adult book (the entire series really!) would have to be Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon (released in some countries and as a TV series as Outlander).

To see the article for yourself, or to meet more members of the publishing industry, please CLICK HERE. To find out more about Catherine Williams and how she might be able to help you, CLICK HERE.

A special thanks to Catherine for including me in her showcase.

Note from Jenni: I hope you found this article interesting, a bit of insight into me. Next week I will be sharing the first of a short series of posts about my experience completing a Creative Writing Course. Please follow my blog so you don’t miss out on any upcoming posts.
If you have any questions or feedback, please feel free to contact me via my Contact Me page or leave a comment below. To find out more about my services, visit My Services page. You can also find me on Facebook by clicking the ‘F’ icon at the bottom of any page on my website.

(Photo supplied by: pexels.com 1193600)