How to approach d20 publishers about editing?

[Quasqueton]

I want to be an editor in the RPG industry. Especially for companies publishing d20 material. There are dozens of d20 publishers in the market (most of them small businesses), and I would love to work for any and all of them. I have the skills and experience for the job, both in editing and gaming. I just need to find the best way to get my name out there.


I'd like to ask this forum:

What is the best 'generic' way to contact d20 publishers to offer my services as an editor?

How do you/they prefer to receive unsolicited resumes?

Are there any hints, suggestions, warnings, or other guidance you could give me to help my initial approach?

And of course, if you are a publisher with need of a professional and experienced editor, let me know.

Thank you.

Quasqueton

 

[Monte At Home]

You might find some interesting stuff here:

http://www.montecook.com/workshops.html

And don't forget to check the messageboards there.

 

[Mystic Eye]

You might find some interesting stuff here:

http://www.montecook.com/workshops.html

And don't forget to check the messageboards there.

I got a ton of editor applicants from the workshops at Montecook.com thanks to Sue. As a result, we had too many to respond to them all but we did take on a couple and there are a few more I would be interested in.

Chip, if you would like to take a crack at editing we generally have applicants do a small web based or free project (not for pay) to see how it goes. If it goes well we will then hire them for a print or for sale project. If you are interested send me an email that lists your skills and credits. It is critical that editors be very strong in the d20 rules so keep that in mind.

Thanks!

 

[Quasqueton]

Thank you very much for the information. I've started reading through your forums. But something I don't see is some guidance on what a standard pay rate would be for editing and proofreading.

I've never worked professionally in the RPG/d20 industry. I'm betting the pay rates are somewhat different than the IT and computer game markets. And it has been a few years since I worked freelance. Can you tell me at least a ballpark figure for an established editor?

I understand and accept the concept of doing projects for no pay at first to get a foot in the industry door, but I will need some idea of a standard for later.

Thanks.

Quasqueton

 

[Michelle Lyons]

My standard rate has been 1 cent a word or $20/hr. If I were new to the industry, I'd probably end up working with smaller publishers on a flat fee that was significantly less, at least for a little while. As it is, I started out at $18.50 an hour a couple years ago. I don't currently have a lot of companies that work with me on an hourly rate, and after doing this for a while, I'm up to 1.5 cents a word.