Reedy? Easy? Reedsy! An Editor’s View

When people ask me what I’m working on these days, more often than not they’re wanting to know about my food writing because, well…food. I have a regular gig with Tucson Foodie, which I enjoy because, well…food. I mostly write profiles of Tucson chefs, which means I get to talk to creative, interesting people, albeit people who are somewhat insane for sticking it out in such a tough business.

Naturally, I also go to their restaurants because research is essential.

I also profile people in the arts sometimes. The picture of me below was taken in the pristinely clean garage of a power couple who collect art. I can’t recall if the motorcycle is a work of conceptual art or a gussied up machine that belonged to an artist. In any case, I didn’t ride it out of the garage.

But I digress.

Other Interesting People

Concurrent with my writing assignments are editing projects. More often than not, I get these through Reedsy, a meetup site for freelance publishing professionals and the authors who want them, sans messy romantic expectations.

One of the great things about being on this platform is that I don’t have to drum up work on my own. Marketing is my least favorite part of freelancing. Once you put up a profile, people looking for your particular subject specialty — in my case, travel, food, and memoir — can find you through a search for those topics.

I also don’t have to worry about getting paid, which is up there with my loathing of marketing myself. Reedsy collects payment information and a job can’t start without that payment method being verified and payments automatically scheduled.

Another bonus: the platform, created in England, is international, so many of my clients are from other countries, including a French chef who works at a ski resort and a Danish banker turned hotel manager in Panama. I also work with people in a variety of professions, from radio show hosts and weavers to physicians and professors.

Different Strokes

And then there’s the positive feedback for my work, which is posted on my profile page for anyone to see, no humble bragging required. One of my favorite reviews was from a writer originally from the southern US, whose prose was wonderfully rich and colorful. She ended her praise of my edits with: “Bless your heart and all your other vital organs.”

I often enjoy interacting with potential clients too. Case in point: An author from New Zealand who had a terrific sense of humor and a way with words but her manuscript was more than 600 pages long and she had budgetary constraints.

Still, I was considering taking the project on and told her so. Until I decided to let it go.

I wrote: “I’ve been thinking about it and your book deserves to be met with joy for the delight I’m sure it is, not ambivalence because of the length. I wish you all the best of luck with it. And if you ever need any other editorial services that you think would be a good fit for my time and your budget, you know where to find me. I’d love to work with you.”

She wrote back: “This may be the nicest breakup letter I’ve ever received.”

Hmmm. Maybe there is a romantic component to these match ups after all.

What’s in a Name?

When I tell friends who are not in the book biz the name of the main source of my editing work, they are often confused. “What’s reedy? What’s easy?”

It is an unusual name, so I looked it up. According to the site, the name combines “reed”–an ancient writing tool–with the suffix “-sy” “to create a modern friendly tech brand for authors.”

Okay, so maybe the name is easier to understand when you see it written out than when you hear it. No matter. You can see it right here, on this page.

If you’re interested in working for Reedsy, click on this link to split a $200 referral bonus — $100 for me, $100 for you. Easy peasy — or easy Reedsy!

Tags: editing, Reedsy, Tucson Foodie