I recently wrote an article for Digital Book World about freelancer jobs in publishing. (Take my post, Freelance Jobs in Publishing: taking advantage of publisher outsourcing, from a few months back and put it on steroids.) In order to add more content and actually provide advice,  I put out a HARO request looking to get quotes from freelancers and those who hire them. (I am the sneakiest/most awesomest person ever. I now have about a dozen names of publishing execs who hire freelancers on a regular basis. Genius? Hells yeah.)

Anyhoozey, lots of people responded, but I got a fabulous book of an email from editor Katharine O’Moore-Klopf, of KOK Edit, with a list of the most amazing advice for any freelancer. Unfortunately, I couldn’t use all her tips in my article, so she is graciously letting me reprint some of them here.

So for your reading pleasure, soak up this woman’s ridiculous knowledge:

1. Hand out your business cards absolutely everywhere you go, including such places as banks and office-supply stores; you never know who’ll need your services.

2. Maintain a professional-looking web site: It’s your calling card on the Internet.

3. Keep in constant contact: Find reasons to periodically contact all of your clients so that they remember you. Frequently, the freelancer who gets the call or e-mail for a project is the one whose name is freshest in the client’s mind. Consider producing a very small periodic newsletter that you e-mail or snail-mail to clients.

4. Advertise judiciously: I advertise in the special edition of a Long Island newspaper that’s produced annually for a book fair here, and I have an ad on the web site of the Council of Science Editors.

5. Send out small gifts to regular clients: Once I’ve had a project or two with a particular contact, I send him or her a coffee mug or tote bag or other item with my company name and logo and contact info on it as a thank-you.

6. Put your name and contact info on everything you touch: Develop a signature that you can pop into place easily in each e-mail you send; it should contain at least your name, your company’s name (if you have one), your phone number, your e-mail address, and your web site URL. Every style sheet I produce (those unfamiliar with book editing should take a look at the “Style Sheet” section of this page of my web site) has my logo and contact info on it. If you do hard-copy editing, tape a business card onto the back of the last page of each ms. you edit. For onscreen edits, place your contact info in the document’s properties.

7. Investigate new clients constantly: Absolutely every single time a potential client’s name comes up on an e-mail list, in a news story, in a magazine feature, or anywhere else, search for the company’s web site online. Bookmark it. Find out everything you can about that company. And then set aside a bit of time each week to e-mail or snail-mail or call the companies you’ve checked up on. Let them know you’d like to be of service to them; never ask if they can give you work. In other words, always approach them from the perspective of their needs, not yours.

8. Buy the EFA booklet “Resumes for Freelancers.” Use it to structure your resume as that of a consultant rather than that of an employee.

There you have it. There’s advice all over the web for freelancers, but Katharine has hit the nail on the head with these little gems of knowledge. Hopefully you’ll find them as useful as I have! (And if you have any other tips, or things you wish you knew at my age… by all means, share away!)

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One of the coolest “get in to publishing” stories I’ve heard. Jayne, an Editorial Assistant at HarperCollins, had the same difficulties as the rest of us, but ended up landing her dream job. Her experience gives me the little hope I need when I start to seriously consider working at Burger King…

How long have you been in publishing?

Two and a half years.

What was your previous experience?

I had never worked in publishing before being hired as an Editorial Assistant in 2007. I studied English and Journalism in college and had planned to go into a career in Broadcast Journalism. After interning at CBS News Productions and WFMZ TV 69 in Allentown, I realized I didn’t really love the news. I had loved the idea of it: the glamour of TV (which, as it turns out, is remarkably unglamorous), and the prestige and recognizability that can come with a career in the “entertainment” business. But, I found the short deadlines tiresome, and I was particularly put off when required to push someone to speak to me when they weren’t willing. Although I was talking to so many people on a daily basis, I never really got to know anyone. I missed the relationships that develop by working on a project over the long term, and I longed to deviate from the news formula (the who, what, when, where and why), and be more creative.

And so, I turned down acceptance to the Medill School of Journalism (truly a sad day, merely for the fact that I had worked toward a goal and then so suddenly felt like I desperately wanted to run from it), and began to do some soul searching: What would make me happy? What could I be passionate about? I didn’t know the answer right away. And so, I spent several months waitressing and watching Little Bear on TV. which I hadn’t done since first semester freshman year of college when my roommate came back to the dorm while I was tuned into Nick Jr. and asked with horror, “What are you watching?!” I thought I was whittling away the time, but this was the first indicator of what made me happy, even at 22.

Later that summer, I browsed through a local flea market and emerged with just one item: an old, old copy of Mother Goose. I hadn’t the slightest idea what I was going to do with it, other than flip through it once and keep it on my shelves, but I loved the nostalgia of it and felt that I had to have it. And that’s when it finally occurred to me: I could work on children’s books, and I could help a new generation of kids discover wonderful stories that would feed their imagination and open them up to reading forever.

What was the job hunt like for you?

After deciding that I wanted to work in publishing, I submitted resumes for EVERY job I could find online—small publishing houses, big ones, jobs in adult and children’s books, jobs in text books, editorial positions, marketing and publicity positions. I just wanted to get some experience in the industry. I tried to do it on my own, but I felt like my resume wasn’t getting noticed, and I knew with the skill set I had developed through my work in journalism, I was qualified for a career in any facet of publishing.

Luckily, I have an uncle who worked in publishing years ago and kept in contact with some of his former colleagues. They graciously helped my resume get noticed. After a whirlwind of interviews in many areas of publishing, I received an offer for a job doing publicity for adult books at a major New York City publishing house. I was happy to have an offer, but at the same time, I felt myself hesitate. I wanted experience, any experience, but I was a bit sad that it wasn’t exactly the job that I had wished for.

But the stars were aligning for me. The next day, I received a call about a job in Children’s Editorial at HarperCollins. I had my opportunity! The trouble was, I had to get back to the other publishing house and either accept or turn down their offer. I quickly booked the interview at Harper, and I emerged with a great feeling about the job. I also emerged with three projects to test my writing and editorial eye. PANIC! I didn’t have much time to decide on the publicity job, which meant I didn’t have the luxury of taking a long weekend to work on my assignments and see how the HarperCollins job panned out.

And so I pulled an all-nighter. My first one ever (I hadn’t even done it in college)! I wrote a killer reader’s report for a teen manuscript, drafted flaps for a picture book, and gave a detailed analysis as to why I felt the company should reject a submission they received. I sent in my work first thing the next morning, explaining my situation and why I had done the assignments so quickly (but with much, much thought!). I asked the editors I interviewed with if they might get back to me that day, with a note that I, of course, understood if that wasn’t possible. Less than thirty minutes later, I had the job. After months and months of interviewing, my perfect job came to me so easily, and I really believe that that is how it should be. I now try to keep that in mind when anything isn’t going my way.

What do you like/dislike about your job?

I have the most wonderful managers. The job itself is wonderful, and I feel cared for and about by the company as a whole, but it is my bosses who have my loyalty. They are so nurturing, both personally and professionally, and they are a large part of why I have been so successful thus far. They want to see me do well and have given me so much support. I also love how I am challenged every day as an adult—to make decisions, meet goals and acquire new responsibilities—and yet, the child in me feels alive here. It is a wonderful balance of growing and staying connected to the things that are most important. I suppose the only thing I don’t like is the amount of reading that I do have to take home on nights and weekends, but at the same time, so much of it is enjoyable.

Tips for people who want to get into publishing:

Know what is out there. Read books that are on the current bestseller list and identify the reasons why you think they are successful. Make contacts, and don’t be too proud to reach out to the ones you already have. In this industry, it can be difficult without them! Also, I think my swift turnaround on my editorial assignments showed how much I wanted the job. Do anything to go above and beyond!

Top 3 favorite books of all time (and none of them are allowed to be classics!)

Matilda by Roald Dahl, Little Bear by Else Minarik and illustrated by Maurice Sendak, and Ramona by Beverly Cleary (though I suppose all are classics in the children’s world). All are remarkable characters.

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Publicity Assistant Candice Frederick gave me some serious insight into the world of publishing. Along with her job at Penguin she keeps an awesome film review blog called Reel Talk. Check out what she has to say:

How long have you been in publishing?:

Six years. I worked at Circulation Journal (a cardiovascular journal in Boston) and  Essence magazine. Now I’m at Penguin in book publishing.

Describe your job:

I provide admin and publicity support to the Gotham and Avery Publicity departments, as well as spearhead my own book campaigns. In the support role, I act as a liaison between the publicity, marketing and sales departments as well as making sure our media database is up to date and pitch media ideas to the publicists. In the project manager role, I launched the 2009 “Take Back Your Family” tour (a parenting book by Rev Run and his wife Justine Simmons), as well as help kick off the upcoming Hill Harper book, “The Conversation.”

How did you find this job?:

On bookjobs.com. I also worked with my current manager while I was at Essence Magazine.

What was your previous experience?:

Editorial Assistant at Essence Magazine.

Likes/dislikes about your job:

I like that my job is always changing. I never know what to expect on a  daily basis (whether it’s putting out a fire or embracing a new responsibility like highhandedly taking over the Rev Run tour). I like that it constantly pushes me to be a better publicist.

Tips for people who want to get into publishing:

Be nice to everyone. You never know who can help you along the way. And maintain contacts with everyone you meet. These people may come in handy later. Start a blog! Get your writing and your voice out there! And be persistent when it comes to interviews, put your best foot forward. Be well rounded and comfortable talking to people about anything. You can find out a lot just by talking to people.

Favorite books of all time:

To Kill a Mockingbird and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

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The best advice comes from people who actually do what you want to do. Danielle Poiesz, Editorial Assistant at Simon & Schuster, was kind enough to share her experiences and tips with the rest of us…

How long have you been in publishing?:

I’ve been in publishing for about three years. I’ve been in editorial for the past two and was in sales for my first.

Describe your job:

I work in the editorial department at Pocket Books. I assist two fantastic senior editors, working mostly with women’s fiction and romance, with some political non-fiction, true crime, and women’s health titles tossed into the mix. I’m also the editor for Pocket’s Ellora’s Cave Romantica anthologies. I’m not sure how to describe “briefly” what I do! I help see a book through the entire publishing process, from acquisition to publication, working with the author, agent, and all departments in house (production, art, interior design, publicity, subrights, etc.). I sometimes get to do the fun stuff like developmental and line edits, but other times I’m focused purely on the logistics.

How did you find this job? (i.e. job board, contacts, good interview, etc):

I found the posting for my current job in Publishers Lunch. I got my resume and cover letter all in order and contacted a friend of mine who works at Simon & Schuster, and she sent my application in directly through HR. I had two great interviews and voila!

What were your previous experiences?:

Prior to working Pocket, I worked at St. Martin’s Press as their wholesale sales coordinator. I assisted the director of wholesale sales and worked as the liaison between the 10 or so sales reps and the company.

What was the job hunt like?:

The job hunt was brutal, and was for most people I know who want to be in publishing. It’s a difficult industry to break into! So many people want to do it, but the number of available jobs keeps shrinking. After I graduated college and moved to New York, it took me six months to find my first publishing job—and I had already been hunting for three months at that point! I must have applied for at least 200 jobs before I was offered one. And of those 200, I can count the number of interviews I got on both hands. Brutal. It’s the only word for it.

Like/dislikes about your job:

I like pretty much everything about my job. Of course, every job has tasks you’d rather do without, but for the most part, I’m happy with my position. The only thing that really is difficult to get used to is the speed of movement in publishing. The editorial ladder in particular is a very tall one, and it takes a long time to get up each rung. But that’s the nature of editorial, and a lot of the industry in general. So I just need to learn to be patient ;) Not my strongest suit, but I’m getting better!

Tips for people who want to get into publishing:

The first tip would be not to give up. It’s a daunting job hunt with a lot of rejection, but if it’s what you want to do, just keep at it. Obviously, do something else in the meantime to make end’s meet—I did temp work to pay the rent—but keep going. Keep trolling the job boards (I found bookjobs.com, Publishers Lunch, and specific publisher sites to be most helpful) and keep applying.

My second tip would be to network as much as you can. Mediabistro.com sometimes lists events and mixers, so if you can, go to those and start getting to know people in the industry. Those contacts are going to be key. It’s much easier to get a job in publishing if your resume comes from the inside as opposed to into the big pile of resumes brought in from a website.

Thirdly, and perhaps the most important lesson I learned, is not to pigeonhole yourself when applying. For the first several months of my job hunt, I applied only for the exact job I wanted. I was very focused on getting a job in editorial, but I learned quickly that editorial is the most difficult department to break into without any experience. Everyone wants to be in editorial. While I’m glad I put so much unfailing energy into what I wanted, I realized (later than I would have liked) that sometimes you have to take a step off your planned path to get yourself onto it. In other words, get your foot in the door however you can.

I didn’t really start getting interviews until I began applying for jobs that were perhaps less than ideal for me, but that were in the industry and going to be a useful experience. I took a job in sales, despite not wanting to BE in sales, because I could learn about the industry, work with different departments, and get a solid, well-rounded background. And that’s exactly what I did. I didn’t really enjoy my first job in publishing–it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I didn’t enjoy making Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations, but I did it anyway. And I must say, it’s probably one of the main reasons I got my current job. I had experience that a lot of people applying for the job didn’t have. So, all I’m really trying to say is don’t be too picky about your first job in the industry. Of course, some departments are easier to transition from laterally than others (for editorial, the hardest transitions are probably managing editorial and production), but for the most part, getting any experience on the inside is going to help!

Top 3 favorite books of all time (and none of them are allowed to be classics!):

Saved the hardest one for last, huh? Let’s see, non-classic favs tend to vary for me, with the exception of my number one, which is THE ALCHEMIST by Paolo Coelho. Right now, my second and third would probably have to be THE GIRLS GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING by Melissa Bank and THE TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger.

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