It's January 6th—is it still okay to say Happy New Year? I say yes, because I'm still feeling happy about it! I'm also feeling blown away by the growth Bailey Editing has seen during just one year. Read on for a few highlights!
Editing Accomplishments
I provided editorial services for five new clients and three returning clients. I also began subcontracting with another editorial agency, Beacon Point Services, through which I worked with three other authors.
Compared to editors who have been in the business for awhile or who have a talent for marketing, these numbers might not seem impressive. But considering this was my first real year promoting, networking, and actively seeking clients while still figuring out how to run a business, I'm pretty happy.
One of my new clients, Janelle Brown, left me a very generous review. I like to read it from time to time to remind me why I love my job: "I was blown away by the attention to detail that Sarah provided when completing the final proofread of my debut novel. Her eagle eye discovered errors that evaded previous rounds of editing, and she took the time to explain the complicated corrections, allowing me to understand the 'why' behind the change. Sarah's editing and proofreading services were the exact level of detail I needed to push my manuscript to the finish line. I highly recommend Bailey Editing and look forward to working with Sarah in the future." I can't wait for Janelle's debut novel, In the Shadow of Ghosts, to hit the shelves soon! It's going to be thrilling! Follow Janelle on IG
In 2024, I also became an editor and publication coordinator for Inkpot, a literary magazine publishing work by members the League of Utah Writers. We've gone through three full publication cycles now, with the fourth edition coming out during the last two weeks of January.
"I was blown away by the attention to detail that Sarah provided when completing the final proofread of my debut novel."
Speaking Accomplishments
I love sharing what I've learned over the years, and I had the pleasure of speaking at three events this year. I presented on self-editing techniques to a local romance writers' group conference and on self-care for authors for another local writing group. I also presented on querying at Writer's Workout first-ever conference in March 2024. You can still view the presentation here. I'm looking forward to several speaking opportunities I already have booked for 2025!
Continuing Education
Although I didn't have as much time for continuing education as I'd hoped last year, I still had some valuable opportunities to expand my knowledge. I attended two webinars through Jane Friedman's site, one on character psychology, presented by Lisa Cooper Ellison, and one on querying memoir, presented by Jane Friedman. I've found Jane Friedman's webinars to be a very cost-effective way to learn from industry experts. I always feel I get my money's worth!
I am trying to be proactive when it comes to AI, so I enrolled in Erin Servais's AI for Editors course in October. I'm still working on finishing up the course, but I'm already playing around with AI much more confidently. I hope to share about the ways I will be implementing AI in an ethical way in my editing services soon! I'm excited to see how this will enhance the value of the services I already provide.
The biggest source of improvement and education I've found this year has been other editors. I've been fortunate to become acquainted with several like-minded talented freelance editors and to learn from their processes and perspectives. In my work with Beacon Point, I especially improved my nonfiction copyediting skills!
Books I Read
Favorite adult fiction: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Gail Honeyman
Favorite middle-grade fiction: The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams, by Daniel Nayeri (also my favorite book of the whole year!)
Favorite non-fiction: Hard to choose! Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach. Life-changing.
Looking Ahead
I am proud of all I accomplished in 2024, and I am excited to see what opportunities and experiences come my way in 2025. Some of my business resolutions are to find a sustainable rhythm for social media posting and interacting, to speak and network at several conferences (I already have three engagements booked!), and to provide more value to clients by fine-tuning my editing processes. I'm especially excited to attend the ACES (American Copy Editing Society) conference in April!
I hope you also have an exciting year to look forward to as well! If one of your resolutions this year is to prepare a book for querying or publication, be sure to reach out for a free consultation!
Happy New Year! (And happy writing, too!)
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