Today we’d like to introduce you to Deb Hall.
Deb, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
About five or six years ago, I began attending a brand-new local writers’ group called Writers on the Rock. As a former English teacher, I was now searching (slowly) for a new direction as my two sons were soon headed to school. Feeling called both toward writing, which I’d always loved, and nudged by a few wise friends toward editing as well, I began researching the field of freelance editing. I soon discovered an online editors’ group called the Christian PEN, which offers online courses and support as well as an annual conference, and which ultimately proved to be instrumental in equipping me to begin and grow my own freelance editing business. With my past experience as a writing tutor, I tacked on writing tutoring to my list of services, all of which have transferred extremely well from my teaching skills in general.
I began trying my hand at professional editing via the blessing of word-of-mouth referrals, which included nonfiction and fiction works by local self-publishing writers as well as dissertations by PhD doctoral candidates. Slowly, my business grew and expanded to cover a wider variety of genres and clientele. Since 2014, I have worked with authors and students in many states and even other countries. One of my favorite things about what I do is encouraging writers in their craft while also showing them how they can improve their writing. These simultaneous tasks come naturally, I believe, from my being a teacher at heart.
Has it been a smooth road?
I am not confrontational or naturally entrepreneurial or business-minded really at all. So, in my business, the topics of contracts, price estimates, invoicing, payment, etc. can be uncomfortable. I have had to talk through some of these issues, often at great length, with various people, both those who know me well and those who know the business well. I’d say this is crucial for other women starting out in their own businesses: be sure to identify others in your life who will be safe and helpful to you as you sort out business dilemmas and questions. It takes a while for some of us to feel confident in our abilities and professionalism, but it’s vital to believe in yourself, to trust in your expertise and skills, and to own your place in the field—and to be grateful for it.
What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
Although I continue to offer writing tutoring for students—usually via online conferencing and usually for high school seniors seeking assistance with their college application essays—the bulk of my editing work is for self-publishing authors (both fiction and nonfiction) as well as for writers and organizations seeking help with book proposals, agency query letters, website content, pamphlets, promotional materials, and more. I enjoy a vast variety in the writing that comes my way for editing.
I also offer an array of services in terms of the types of editing I offer to my clients—from big-picture (developmental or substantive) content editing to copyediting at the line or sentence level to final-stage proofreading. I have come to consider copyediting as a particular specialty of mine, but there is a joy in each level of editing and in each genre of writing. I am thankful for this variety in my work and grateful for the feedback I often hear from clients that my input enhances their prose without sabotaging their voice. Having heard early on that editors should never seek to alter the author’s voice and style, I’m glad that my clients seem to welcome my suggestions perhaps because they simultaneously sense my effort to hear their voice and understand their message in each and every line.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
Believe in yourself—in your expertise, your know-how, your background and training, your abilities and skills. Believe you have something valuable to offer to your field. Believe you are doing what you are doing for a reason. Surround yourself with people who will encourage you in these beliefs.
But also be willing to learn. Be willing to take criticism and grow in your abilities and skills. Be willing to change your methods, if necessary, from time to time. Surround yourself with people, perhaps and hopefully the same encouraging people as above, who will challenge you in these areas.
Contact Info:
- Website: TheWriteInsight.com
- Email: Deb@TheWriteInsight.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriteInsight
Image Credit:
Jen Honeycutt Photography (JenHoneycuttPhotography.com)
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