Panel description:

Freelancing offers a great variety of opportunities for editors. All freelancers face the same challenges: How do I market my business? How do I get clients? How do I build a network? In this panel discussion, three professional freelance editors and Chicago Women in Publishing (CWIP) members will discuss their experiences and give advice on marketing, client acquisition, and building a strong network of colleagues. Join us to learn best practices from experienced, successful freelancers!

Panelist bios:

Kelli Christiansen has spent more than two decades in publishing, as a bookseller, editor, literary agent, and writer. Over the years, she has acquired, developed, edited, or ghosted literally hundreds books, working with such publishers as Amacom, Ankerwyke, McGraw-Hill, Osprey Publishing, Sourcebooks, and Wiley. Her work has appeared in such publications as Book Business Magazine; Carol Stream Press; Chicago Book Review; Chicago Life; Chicago Literati; Collections & Credit Risk Magazine; Faith, Hope & Fiction; Midwest Book Review; Midwestern Gothic; and San Francisco Book Review. She launched bibliobibuli professional editorial services in 2007, and she is the founder of both Chicago Book Review and Chicago Publishing Network.

Donna Polydoros is a Chicago-based freelance editor and writer with thirteen years of publishing industry experience. She began her career in educational publishing, editing literature products for middle school and high school. Since then, she has branched out into academic editing, assessment writing, and web writing. Some of her specialties include APA editing for theses and dissertations and working with students who speak English as a second language.

Erin Wrightis a freelance editor specializing in substantive editing, copyediting, and proofreading for business and nonfiction writing. She is also the co-coordinator for the Chicago chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association. She regularly shares writing tips and document software tutorials at erinwrightwriting.com.

Moderator bio:

Marian Mangoubiis a former integrated marketer turned story mentor (aka writing coach) and editor who works with new and experienced authors and screenwriters to bring their stories to life. She honed her storytelling skills (writing and editing) through years of studying creative writing, fiction, and screenwriting and working on film, television, and commercial productions. Marian graduated with an MBA from Indiana University Northwest and a BA in Sociology from Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana.