Are You Underestimating the Power of Networking?

by Karin Beery

I started writing in 2007 after my husband was diagnosed with cancer.

I needed an outlet, so I wrote a novel (just to see if I could). When I tried to get it published, I realized I knew nothing about publishing and I needed to get some experience.

I live in a rural area with several small weekly papers, so I contacted them to find out about writing feature stories for them. They said yes. I wanted to learn more, though, so I took copywriting courses and started writing web content too.

As I wrote for them, I kept working on my novel. I couldn’t afford all of the editing I needed, so I had to learn how to edit. The more I edited, the more I liked it. I eventually shifted my focus from writing to editing (though I still write for hire here and there).

How I Gained Multiple Positions in Publishing

I now tell people that I work in publishing, as I have several jobs: I’m a published novelist; I own Write Now Editing, LLC; I’m the director of the Christian Editor Connection; I’m an instructor at the PEN Institute; and I’m Lead Managing Editor for Guiding Light Women’s Fiction, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas (or ME for GLWF at LPC—it’s faster to say).

All of these jobs essentially came from the same place—networking. I joined American Christian Writers and American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) when I started writing. I joined Christian Proofreaders and Editors Network (PEN) when I started editing.

I also got involved—I joined my local ACFW chapter and served on the board, I took classes through each organization, I answered questions on the email loops, I joined Facebook groups and followed people and organizations online, and I attended conferences.

I started at LPC because a friend of mine took the job as the ME for the historical romance line. When she needed substantive editors, she called me. It wasn’t a lot of money, but all of the books I worked on were under contract so I knew I’d eventually have my name listed in books as part of the editing team (and then have examples of my work for potential clients).

I worked with her for a few years before the position at GLWF opened. By then, I had the experience and understood how the publisher worked, so she recommended me for the job.

It’s taken time, but getting my name and face out there and being an active participant in the publishing world has opened a lot of doors for me.

Why I Decided Not to Offer Proofreading Services

I’m a substantive fiction editor who specializes in romance (contemporary and historical), women’s fiction, speculative fiction, and general fiction. My edits often include line edits (and quite a bit of copyediting). I don’t proofread because I’m terrible at it—I can read right past punctuation and grammar issues as long as the story holds my attention.

I discovered this when I took a proofreading test. I needed 85% to pass; I scored 65%, but I didn’t really care. I’m much more interested in the characters, plot, voice, etc. than commas.

How I Get New Editing Clients

I have a blog where I talk about writing, editing, and publishing; I don’t have a huge following, but it’s mostly there to give people a sample of my work in case that want to see what I have to say on certain topics.

I’m also active on Twitter and Facebook, as well as a member of the Christian Editor Connection, and I send out a monthly newsletter.

Most people contact me after meeting me, taking a class from me (online or at conferences), or from comments they see on social media. I’m involved in several groups and try to be as helpful as possible.

I have two standards for my social media involvement: always be honest and always be polite. Many of the people who contact me mention that they either appreciated what I had to say or the way I said it.

I’ve stopped working with authors who just want to be published and work with authors who want to publish good books.

Those are the people who not only listen to my advice, they don’t balk at my rates because they realize it’s an investment in their careers. Most of these clients have sought me out, either from having met me at a conference or interacted with me online.

Two Things that Serve Me Well in Getting More Writing Work

When it comes to signing contracts, two things have served me well: following directions and communicating. It sounds too simple to matter, but when I queried my agent I was only the second author in six months to follow his submission guidelines. I had already met him at a conference, but he said simply following the directions was enough to capture his attention because no one else did.

The other key: professional communication. I had to pass on a job because I was already booked. They came back several months later because the original writer couldn’t/wouldn’t communicate with them. I signed a contract to ghostwrite a book because I was timely and professional in my communications with the publisher and client.

To me, it just makes sense to follow the directions and be punctual/courteous in my emails. I assumed it was normal, but am finding out many people either don’t know how to do those things or they don’t try to. Being willing to do both will definitely open doors!

How I Got Into Teaching Editing Classes

Outside of writing and editing, teaching is my favorite service to offer.

I started teaching at conferences by applying to present at small local events. I have several years of experience as a substitute teacher, so I wanted to try presenting at conferences. As I gained experience (and confidence) I started applying to larger national conferences.

I usually apply to teach at events I’m planning to attend anyway, so even if the honorarium is small, it helps defray the expense.

I started teaching at the PEN Institute when the director contacted me. I’d been an active member of the Christian PEN for years and had attended the group’s annual conference (PENCON), so she knew my name and my experience.

When they had an opening to teach fiction substantive editing, she knew I had both the editing and teaching experience necessary to teach it. I’ve since proposed other classes; I’m already teaching one (Editing Romance) and am working on the curriculum for a second.

I offer a few products for sale on my website (the Press Release Tool Kit and Better Bios Tool Kit). My hope is to tweak the lessons from the PEN Institute and what I present at conferences, then make them available for sale on my website.

Why I Maintain a Blog as Part of My Editing Business

I keep the blog up for a few reasons:

a. It keeps me writing regularly. I work on my novel regularly, but there’s something to be said about small, monthly writing goals and deadlines. I like to think it keeps me sharp.

b. SEO/keywords. Each blog post adds more words to my website, which increases the chances of my website popping up in someone’s search for this or that bit of publishing information.

c. It lets people get to know me. My personality and knowledge come out in my blog posts. If someone doesn’t like my tone, they’re not going to contact me, and that’s okay; we probably wouldn’t be a good fit. If, however, they like what they read, it could give them the confidence they need to contact me.

d. It’s fun. I actually enjoy blogging. I open it up to a lot of interviews throughout the year to give other writers a chance to talk about themselves as well as helping me fill in my calendar.

Advice for a Young Writer: Stay Teachable

Be humble and stay teachable. Too many people think they already know it all.

Even if you knew it all ten years ago, publishing has changed and there’s something new to learn.

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Owner of Write Now Editing, Karin Beery is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers and the Christian Editor Network, where she teaches several editing classes through the PEN Institute and serves as the coordinator for the Christian Editor Connection.

She is the Managing Editor of Guiding Light Women’s Fiction, an imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas. Her debut novel, Summer Plans and Other Disasters, released in 2018, and her sophomore novel, Practically Married, released in October 2019.

For more about Karin and her work, see her author website, or connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Summer Plans and Other Disasters: Elementary school music teacher Callie Stevens thinks she’s finally figured out God ’s plan for her life—she even made a list to keep her on track.

Moving in with her brother and reconnecting with her ex-boyfriend are at the top of the list. What ’s not on the list is running into her childhood crush, Ryan. God wanted her to connect with Kyle, right? Trying to figure out God ’s plan is hard enough.

But a dating-averse older brother, the young blonde who adores him, a pregnant best friend, and Callie ’s continual mishaps make her wonder whether her best-laid plans were truly God-inspired.

Available at Amazon.

Practically Married: Ashley Johnson moved to northern Michigan to finally meet her fiancé face-to-face, but she arrived in time to attend his funeral. With no home back in Ohio, she decides to stay in what would have been their house, except his cousin Russ lives there too, and Russ has never heard of Ashley.

To complicate matters, her fiancé accidentally willed her the family farm house.

Eager to please everyone and desperate to disappoint no one, she proposes a marriage of convenience that could solve her and Russ’ problems, if they can get past her aunt, his sisters, and an ex-girlfriend.