My First Month on Fiverr as a Freelance Editor 

You’re welcome!

That’s awesome! You clearly have good taste 👏🏻😂

Thank you!

Thank you!

Thanks!

Lol I loved those books!

I’m glad you enjoyed it! I made a 6 month update and just recently posted this video talking about why I’m switching off of Fiverr and onto Ko-Fi if you want to hear more about my freelance work :) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WEKr_GN4EqI.html (Thanks for commenting this-it reminded me I should probably pin an update to the comments!)

It’s been great to use so far! I’ll be making a “6 months” update video at the end of June too :)

Thanks! Good luck starting your gigs!

Thank you! I priced them at first low intentionally to gather reviews and have since raised them to a living wage, but thank you for the advice!

I’m just using standard Fiverr. I believe Pro is the top level which sellers have to reach certain requirements for (I just recently got approved for Level 1 and doubt I will ever get to “Pro Verified” level since this is a side hustle rather than a full time endeavor) and the Business version is more for managing teams of multiple freelancers. So if you as an individual are looking into Fiverr you’d start as a Level 0 seller and work up the rank to “Pro Verified”

No problem! 1) it’s a combination of continually practicing & learning for me. I’m always looking for resources or classes to help me grow 2) Ive been a “writer” for a while so editing naturally came out of that. I learned I loved editing in college - I studied film and minored in creative writing so in my writing classes we had to peer edit & critique.

@@LeahRummel Thank you for your response! Are there any resources you would recommend? Also, do you know any free resources one could look into?

Of course! I’m not sure if resources for copy/line editing or proofreading since that’s not what I do but for developmental editing the key is learning as much about story crafting as possible! There’s a ton of stuff on RU-vid about this (I recommend Alexa Donne, Jenna Moreci, Hello Future Me) and craft books like Save the Cat & The Anatomy of Story have helped me a lot (one of my recent videos is me reviewing 5 craft books if u wanna check it out 😊) though they would only be free through a library or something

@@LeahRummel Thank you so much Leah for your thorough response and the recommendations! I'll definitely look into the YT channels you mentioned and your review video when I get the chance. I truly appreciate you taking time to respond. Have a great week ahead and please stay safe during these trying times! :)

Definitely! I’m planning on making a 6-month update video at the end of June :)

@@LeahRummel subbed! Can’t wait

Yes! It has been good. I was able to raise my prices to a more reasonable rate and am currently booked until August!

Yes, I have a “please attach your document here” section under the requirements they fill out for the gig when ordering

My best advice is to keep tweaking the title and description until something sticks with the algorithm. Try to think of keywords that your target clients would be searching into google or Fiverr's search and include those in both. You wanna put yourself in your customer's shoes. Also, try making your thumbnail look sleek, professional, and inviting. There are lots of tutorials on how to make good thumbnails here on RU-vid if you want more specifics about that! Hope that helps. I'm dealing with the same searchability issues on Etsy right now-sometimes it's just a matter of trying new things and patiently waiting for something to stick lol

You mean as a seller? That’s strange, I’m unsure why it would limit your options like that. I was able to set the delivery time in the “edit gig” section when making mine. Other than that I’m unsure what else would be the problem

@@LeahRummel I sent support a message- hope they can clear it up! Thnks!!

Sellers aren’t allowed to promote anything that would bring a buyer off site. So if someone was asking me about my services on Fiverr I couldn’t direct them to my kofi instead or my Fiverr account will get a strike against it or shut down. But they have no way to enforce if someone contacted me on Instagram and I directed them to kofi from there, so it’s on site specifically.

I studied this in college & read (past & present tense) lots about story structure, narrative theory, etc. And for developmental editing I read widely in the genres I edit to gauge current standards/trends. Which is why I don’t do copy editing (grammar, spelling, etc.) since I’ve not done any specific study of copy level editing. I hope this helps!

Thanks!

I asked for an attachment of the word doc, asked if there was any explicit content mostly so I had a warning and then could decide if it was something I was comfortable editing for, and asked for context if the buyer was submitting a portion of the manuscript (like if they’re submitting the first x number of pages, I need to know how the story ends so I can evaluate how effective the set up is). For beta reading I also ask if there are any specific problems or questions the author wants me to look out for. Hope that helps :)

Hi! I’m not sure what you mean by fixed price but each seller will set their own prices. Most people post set prices that do not change. As a buyer you would message the seller if you want to discuss the project & pricing before purchasing the gig. For copyright, this is from copyright.gov: “copyright protection exists from the moment an original work is “fixed” in a tangible medium. For writers, fixation occurs when your ideas are written down on paper or typed using a computer, for example. You don’t need to do anything else for your work to be protected by copyright.” // aka, you don’t need to file a formal copyright if you are worried someone will steal your work. You already legally own it.

@@LeahRummel Thank you for answering. What I mean is price per project not per hour. Apologies. What about Non Disclosure or s contract? Thank you

Yes Fiverr gigs are pretty much always per project not per hour. As for non disclosures I've never worked with anyone who asked me to sign one so I'm unsure how that would work on Fiverr. Paying for the gig itself would be the contract because it outlines what services the seller is agreeing to provide and how much you are agreeing to pay. Any other contract you're interested in using would be up to you to provide the seller.

@@LeahRummel Got it. Thank you so much. 🙏 Have a great day ☀️

I feel like Fiverr is super hit or miss on what gigs people are looking for. It's so weird how many people have asked for dev edits but I haven't got any interest on my screenplay ones even still!

@@LeahRummel I debate trying to sell my excel expertise but not sure I want to add more on my plate

@@TaniasWritingRealm I totally feel you. Adding this has made me pretty busy lol. Definitely do whatever you think will be best for your lifestyle & mental health!

@@LeahRummel good luck with everything!

Same. Lol. Advertised the ebook covers. But not the RU-vid thumbnails. At least you got contacts though. I got nothing but my stats said it was visited. Or clicked on.

Yes that was what I explained in this video about doing work for a low price temporarily to gain reviews. Now my prices are MUCH higher than in this video I made a year ago & I’m currently transitioning off the site for that exact reason :)

I do Fiverr part time off an on and focus mainly on my personal novel writing which I am not paid for yet. For context: I am married and we live off my husbands income which is why I’m lucky enough to have that flexibility. (Also ive raised my rates from what I talked about in this video. I made a 6 month update video talking about that)

@@LeahRummel Thank you for sharing this! The context gave me a much clearer perspective!

What do u mean about rank?

@@LeahRummel I mean ranking on first page of the Fiverr platform

@@saiyan7288 oh I see. Idk I’m not sure how to check that but i do know I show up on the first page of certain search terms related to my gigs 👍🏻

I’m currently closed to orders which is why I took it off :)

I am facing the same problem too haha

Yes you'd be messaging the editor directly on Fiverr and they facilitate video chats so if the editor you're looking at doesn't offer one directly you can request it! If they refuse and a video chat is something you feel is necessary then that editor may just not be a good fit for you. Definitely advocate for what you want! I've moved off of Fiverr onto Ko-Fi but my schedule is currently full so I'm not taking new clients.

@@LeahRummel ...Thank you for the info :-)

I’d love to make some in the future :)

What companies would you suggest?

@@charlottetilley3835 Scribendi, Edanz, Scribbr, and American Journal Experts are a few.

I am currently closed to orders, so my gigs are paused