How a Softball Injury Led Me to My Dream Job

by Victoria Griffin

My path to professional editing was a bit unusual.

I’ve always known I wanted to write fiction, but during college, the rest of my career goals were murky at best. My plan while earning my BA in English was to continue my education, earn an MFA in creative writing, and become a college professor.

I also played softball for my university, and during an intersquad scrimmage a few weeks before my senior season, I took a hit to the head. What initially seemed like a simple concussion turned into a four-month ordeal.

Symptoms related to the brain injury meant I couldn’t read, walk, speak, understand language, be in public . . . The list goes on. I did manage to graduate on time, primarily because I had done all the reading for my classes over the break, in preparation for spring softball season.

How a Softball Injury Led Me to Freelance Editing

After graduation, grad school was out of the question. I lived with my family while I finished recovering. As I started to feel better, but not quite back to normal, I wanted to do something. But I still needed complete control over my hours and environment.

When my brain had enough, it forced me to stop whatever I was doing.

I had been building my author platform on Twitter, so I decided to reach out to my followers and see if anyone needed editing services. This allowed me to work at my own pace, from home, so I could manage my injury while still feeling productive.

The plan worked. I updated my website to include editing services, and I kept getting clients. Not long after, I decided this was my path. I loved the feeling of helping another writer turn their manuscript into what it was meant to be, and I wanted to edit full time.

Building a Freelance Business is Hard—You Have to Believe Things Will Eventually Happen

By this time, I was basically fully recovered. I had set my goal, and it was time to get down to the serious work.

I added more information to my website, began scouring job boards, and actively sought out clients on social media.

This was the worst time during my journey building my business. Each month, I looked at the income my editing had brought in, and it was never enough. I was working sun up to sun down, basically for free, as I marketed my services.

I had no real portfolio or professional experience. This is where everyone starts, and it’s hard. You have to toil away in the belief that if you keep working, things will eventually happen.

For me, they did. One month, I looked at my income numbers and found I’d hit my goal. I began bringing in more clients. I began bringing in quality clients. And it’s all been downhill from there.

How I Found My Editing Niche

My editing niche is simple. I edit what I read.

My bookshelf is full of adult fiction: literary, horror, fantasy, sci-fi, historical . . . you name it. That’s what I love to read and what I’m most familiar with, so I’m best equipped to help writers who write adult fiction.

I’m also extremely passionate about the representation of Southerners, especially Appalachians, in literature and I’m always seeking writers who share that passion.

Although I haven’t done much freelance writing in a couple years, as I’ve been focusing on editing and writing fiction, I am currently working toward entering the outdoor writing market. (Always be developing your business!)

I’m an avid backpacker and spend most weekends in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, so I’m working to build a portfolio of trip reports, gear reviews, and other pieces related to the outdoor industry.

How I Built My Platform on Twitter

The majority of my marketing happens on Twitter. That’s where my social media platform began, and it’s where I have the widest reach. (I recently hit forty thousand followers.)

I’m also on Facebook and YouTube, and I do devote some time to those platforms, but I find Twitter to be full of engaged writers searching for connections and camaraderie. I love building friendships on Twitter, and many of these lead to clients.

I also maintain the testimonials page on my website. Many clients have told me the testimonials were key in their decision to hire me, so I try to offer as many perspectives as I can. I include both submitted testimonials and social media posts from previous clients.

When business slows down, I turn to Twitter. I increase my post frequency, though not necessarily the frequency of posts about my editing services. I post new blogs and videos. I may also run a giveaway for a free line edit or query critique. I find that about half of my giveaway winners return for paid services.

Why Expanding My Services Didn’t Work for Me

After developing my business a bit, I did expand into other services.

I offered formatting and cover design services, and I expanded into editing and copywriting for company websites.

But I found that offering these services took time and energy away from what I’m really passionate about, which is fiction. So I eliminated those services to focus on editing fiction pieces, and ultimately, that move benefited both my enjoyment of my work and my bottom line.

Programs and Apps that Save Me Time as a Writer

I love any program that allows me to reduce the amount of time I spend on administrative tasks so I can get down to editing.

When I first started, I would schedule Twitter posts each morning using Hootsuite. That worked initially, but as I grew, I was spending one to two hours each morning scheduling posts. Obviously, that wasn’t the most productive use of my time.

I researched automated services and eventually settled on Social Jukebox (formerly Tweet Jukebox). You load tweets into the system, and it tweets them randomly at specified times. It’s a very set-it-and-forget-it type of tool, and it’s been a game changer for reducing the time I spend on marketing.

My other secret weapon, as far as applications, is Harvest, an invoicing and time-tracking tool. Harvest allows you to track the time you spend on specific projects and to connect those projects to invoices. It also allows you to adjust the settings on your invoices so you only pay a $0.50 fee per transaction, instead of PayPal’s percentage-based fee.

Advice for a Young Writer: Don’t Expect it to Happen Instantly

Don’t give up, and don’t expect it to happen instantly.

There’s a period at the beginning, after the excitement wears off, when it feels like you’re never going to be able to make ends meet. You have to set aside the fear and push through that time.

Keep working, and remind yourself that you’re good at what you do. If you have the skills and the drive, everything else will come.

* * *

Victoria Griffin is an East Tennessee author and editor. Her short fiction has appeared in more than forty publications, including A Journey of Words, Apeiron Review, FLARE: The Flagler Review, NonBinary Review, Sweatpants & Coffee, Synaesthesia Magazine, Torrid Literature Journal, and Unbound Octavo. She is represented by Sandy Lu of L. Perkins Agency.

As an editor, Victoria offers developmental and line editing for fiction manuscripts. She specializes in adult fiction, and although she works with most genres, she is especially fond of literary fiction, speculative fiction, and anything set in the South. Victoria is an active member of the Editorial Freelancers Association, the Knoxville Writers’ Guild, and the Tennessee Mountain Writers.

Victoria is the author of Craft Your Query: A Workbook, which provides a guide to the entire querying process, including developing a query letter and researching and submitting to agents.

For more information on Victoria and her work, please see her website, or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

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Craft Your Query: A Workbook takes you through the entire querying process. You’ll begin by completing worksheets, after which you’ll have written a query letter that will entice agents and make them want to read more.

After you’ve crafted your query letter, you’ll learn how to research agents to find those who best fit your manuscript and career goals. Finally, you’ll review the process for querying agents, from sending emails to navigating “the call.”

Use the query tracker pages at the end of the workbook to organize your queries and record important information about each submission.

Available at Amazon.