I'm watching The match so won't be joining today. But if you have no interest in that, this is where you should be. Calling #edibuddies! It's #StetChat day on a super important topic: the value of editing. Follow @stetchat.com and join in right here. #AmEditing #FreelanceEditor

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 2mo ago

Join us for our #StetChat about the value of editing at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT this week on Wednesday, July 15. We'll post the questions live throughout the hour and we can talk about the value of editing! #edibuddies #amediting #freelanceeditor

Join us for our next #StetChat about the value of editing on Wednesday, July 15, 4–5 p.m. ET | 1–2 p.m. PT #amediting #freelanceeditor #editing #editorsky

I missed #StetChat yesterday! 😱 Guess who was distracted? 😆 Now to set aside time to catch up. #AmEditing

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 2mo ago

Welcome to today’s #StetChat. Let’s talk about managing distractions! Remember to use the hashtag #StetChat for all your answers and label your answers A1, A2, etc. so we know which question you’re responding to. Missed a question? You can see all the questions under the Media tab on our profile.

Overcoming imposter syndrome (or at least pretending to) w/ @editorshannon.bsky.social for #EFACON2026. What is it? Why is it so pervasive in the freelance editorial and story coaching world? How can you overcome it? 'You can't. But you can learn valuable strategies for quieting that inner critic.'

Learn w/ Tiffany Vakilian how to - evaluate politically charged content objectively - identify dangerous rhetoric w/o imposing own ideology - navigate DEI-related language changes professionally _ maintain author voice, protect reader trust - write effective queries for sensitive topics #EFACON2026

Editorial Freelancers Association@efafreelancers.bsky.social · 3mo ago

The #EFA can't wait to have Tiffany Vakilian and her session "Editing Difficult Conversations: Politics, Identity, AI Use, and Inclusive Language" at #EFACON2026 this June! The session will give clear principles editors can apply immediately. Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4rXp0Ig

Learning Stream Decks w/ Rita Forbes. 10 mins in and I've learnt that 1 button -- ONE button -- can be set up to perform multiple actions at the same time. AND you can use a virtual version on travels. 😱 How did my hand injury know to remind me this week that I need this for self-care? #EFACON2026

Editorial Freelancers Association@efafreelancers.bsky.social · 3mo ago

"Push My Buttons: Using a Stream Deck in Your Editorial Workflow" with Rita Forbes is another #EFACON2026 session you don't want to miss! Reduce friction and mental load by using a Stream Deck in your editing and proofreading workflows. Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/4rXp0Ig

My next #EFACON2026 session is my uncomfortable, brave choice. I don't like money conversations & don't do them well -- social conditioning etc. Bringing my best active listening (as my child's teacher says) self to wealth advisor Bryan A. Thomas's session on 'Irregular income, intentional wealth'.

In the #EFACON2026 keynote by teacher and author John Warner: 'Only humans write'. AI generates. Intelligence doesn't generate, it creates -- art, culture, emotions, life, all of it. Lots to think about. If you ask AI, it'll nod in agreement.

Editorial Freelancers Association@efafreelancers.bsky.social · 6mo ago

We here at the #EFA are thrilled to announce one of our #EFACON2026 keynote speakers is John Warner, author of More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI and Why They Can't Write: Killing The Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities.

First session of #EFACON2026 w/ the wonderful @ehprybylski.bsky.social, who I've heard speak before and hugely admire for their firmly gentle humanity. All about scope creep, email creep, text msgs & other ways projects eat your life (and how to stop it). Takeaway: know thy frog! (jokin')

I have immediate availability for: Academic editing Copyediting for all types of fiction except extreme horror, religious fiction, and things containing a dialect I don't speak. Copyediting for general interest non-fiction (except religious). Line editing for science fiction, fantasy, and erotica.

Thanks to the brilliant @tanyagold.bsky.social, we now have two feeds and a starter pack! 😍😍😍 #StetChat feed: bsky.app/profile/did:... #StetChatters starter pack (#edibuddies who participate in #StetChat): go.bsky.app/EvhQHtM #StetChatters feed (posts by StetChatters): bsky.app/profile/did:...

Who's here? It's my first and I'm loving preview day (even though I'm in heatwave-stricken UK and juggling dinner and child and a string of other things). Say hi! 🙌🏾 #EFACON2026

Editorial Freelancers Association@efafreelancers.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Get a preview of the EFACON2026 experience at a portion of the cost ($59) by registering for pre-conference day. Already registered for EFACON2026? No worries! The pre-conference day is free to folks registered for the whole conference.

Just know that if you find a mistake in a published book, sometimes, the editor DID flag it and change it, and the author changed it back and said, no, I'd rather it be wrong. :) #amediting #freelanceediting #bookeditor #booksky

I am nowhere close to running out of """"hypothetical""""" red flag situations to use for Red Flag Roulettes, but I'd love to see some submissions! Especially from folks who aren't book editors—send in your horror stories and we might feature them in a future #StetChat!

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

Got a hypothetical red flag client or difficult #editing situation that you want to see discussed in a future Red Flag Roulette #StetChat? (Oh yeah, we’re gonna do this format again!) Share it with us via our submission form, Bluesky message, or email: stetchat.com/red-flag-sub...

I've been on both ends of this and know that life is what happens while we're making other plans. I've extended as much grace as possible when I've been on the receiving end, and I've been fortunate to have *received* grace when the situation is reversed. Life happens. #StetChat

Got a hypothetical red flag client or difficult #editing situation that you want to see discussed in a future Red Flag Roulette #StetChat? (Oh yeah, we’re gonna do this format again!) Share it with us via our submission form, Bluesky message, or email: stetchat.com/red-flag-sub...

A7: This is one reason why I started working w/ fixed project fees. It helps clients know how much to budget upfront, and it helps me know how much to expect in a month. A fixed fee either works or doesn't. I'm willing to negotiate on editing task priorities and quote a suitable fixed fee. #StetChat

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

Q7: After you send them a quote, a new-to-you author says they want to work with you but claims your hourly rate is too high for the service. What do you do? #StetChat

A6: Ask them directly? (No harm can come from well-meaning clear communication. This can truly help with most red flag client situations.) #StetChat

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

Q6: You suspect that a potential client has used AI to “write” their book. The sample pages are eerily perfect, no typos, but also flat, with no voice. What do you do? #StetChat

A5: I am honest with the client. I communicate potential delays (or problems) the earliest I sense them, and if I can't commit to a hard deadline for personal reasons, I share that to the extent I'm comfortable. In my experience, clients are generous with understanding life happens. #StetChat

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

Q5: Your edit is taking longer than you expected. You need to update your client with the new deadline, but the problem is…you don’t know how long it’ll take. What do you do? #StetChat

A4: This. Figuring out what is and isn't relevant/necessary to the story, narrative, character, plot etc. is key to advising the author to find alternative ways to express what they intend without harming readers, present and future. #StetChat

Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor@carolinavonkampen.com · 3mo ago

A4: If it happens once or twice in a novel: Leave a comment for the author, something like “Are the racial slurs necessary to put on the page? Can this character’s feelings for this guy be communicated without using slurs that could be offensive to some readers?” #StetChat

Agreed! Accessibility is not just about medical disabilities. We can usually find a strategy or service that would work for just about any budget (i.e., get an alpha reading instead of a manuscript evaluation). Low-income people write books and need editorial services, too! #StetChat

Steph 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ | Editor 🦦✍️@ottersediting.com · 3mo ago

#StetChat A2 I've been in exactly this point in my life. Not a red flag for me. I offer discounts to work with indie authors' budgets! If you can't afford editing because you are Gen Z, unemployed, marginalized (Black, trans, queer etc). I offer 10 - 50% off all my rates to work with you!

#StetChat A2 I've been in exactly this point in my life. Not a red flag for me. I offer discounts to work with indie authors' budgets! If you can't afford editing because you are Gen Z, unemployed, marginalized (Black, trans, queer etc). I offer 10 - 50% off all my rates to work with you!

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

Q2: An author wants you to edit their novel. When you ask for their budget, they say they don’t have a budget. They add that they have $1K in savings and they’re graduating from college this month. What do you do? #StetChat

A2: 1. chat about what they mean by “edit.” 2. congratulate them on this exciting stage and for wanting to develop their writing skills. 3. try to ease them into a book coaching arrangement—MUCH more affordable & a long-term thing that can work while adjusting to a new career. #StetChat 🧵1/2

#StetChat A2: 4. have honest chat about rates; maybe a less experienced editor is a better match. I’m upfront about my skills, as a 20+ yr editor, and how my rates reflect that. A less experienced editor might not approach the work the same way I would, but maybe that’s ok for them! 🧵2/2

A3: Depending on mood, a) ask for compensation to rewrite it or b) hard pass on editing it. Oh plus also tell the bosses exactly how crap their AI agent is. 😂 #StetChat

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

Q3: You’re editing a blog post that was generated by your company’s new blog-writing AI agent. The draft is absolute crap. What do you do? #StetChat

A2: Assuming it's a raw manuscript and first-time author, I'd suggest a pared down service - manuscript assessment (or similar) - and to come back later for the absolute essentials. I'd also try to give them an idea of costs for different types of editing. #StetChat

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

Q2: An author wants you to edit their novel. When you ask for their budget, they say they don’t have a budget. They add that they have $1K in savings and they’re graduating from college this month. What do you do? #StetChat

The only answer that matters for Q1. Double-check your own work, back it up with proof, explain gently, let it go. #StetChat

Carolina VonKampen 📚 Freelance Editor@carolinavonkampen.com · 3mo ago

A1: First, I’d double-check that *I* am not wrong. I’d have an #edibuddy look over the sentence and give me their opinion. Then if they confirmed I’m right, I’d leave another comment clarifying that the edit is grammatically correct and double-checking that they want to keep it the error. #stetchat

Here we go! Allo #StetChat peeps! Ayesha here, staying up to join from the UK. I'm distracted today cos I'm in deadline soup land this week. Will be lurking in @rhiannonroot.bsky.social's cool kids corner.

Set your alarms for #StetChat Wednesday! 9pm BST/10pm CET tomorrow, 17 June. I know it's late for folks this side of the ocean, but it'll be worth staying up for. #AmEditing #editors #proofreaders

#StetChat@stetchat.com · 3mo ago

#StetChat: 🚩 Red Flag Roulette 🚩 is TOMORROW, Wednesday, June 17 at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT. In Red Flag Roulette, we’ll pose questions about hypothetical red flag clients and difficult editing situations, and we’ll talk about how you’d deal with them. #edibuddies #amediting #freelanceeditor

My biggest editing client has officially replaced me with an LLM, meaning I am now functionally unemployed. If any of you need a proofreader or copy editor and value having a human being who can tell right from wrong doing the job, let me know?