Interview with a Freelancer: April Michelle Davis, Editor, Indexer, and Writer

Meet April Michelle Davis, Freelance Editor, Indexer, and Writer. 

DEE-ANN: Why did you choose to use your own name or start your own business to work under?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: My business name is Editorial Inspirations, and it is an LLC. I chose to create a business because I thought it would look more professional. It shows that I am serious about what I do and that I am not going anywhere, making me more reliable. Also, I chose to become an LLC to protect my family in the event that I ever get sued.

DEE-ANN: What was involved in setting up your LLC?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Setting up an LLC is pretty easy, at least in Virginia. It is done through the state, so the process would be different in each state. In Virginia, I had to complete a one-page form and call to verify that my chosen business name had not already been taken. There is an annual fee of $50, and that's it!

DEE-ANN: What type of freelance work do you do?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: I represent myself as a freelance editor, indexer, and writer. I have several certifications in editing, and that is what I first began doing in 2001. I have performed a variety of types of editing, such as line edit and developmental edit. Since then, I began writing and even won two Writers Digest Awards. I have also taken classes in indexing. I have worked on books, magazines, and other publications in areas such as carpentry, engineering, law, self-help, memoir, dissertations, biography, children's, and fiction.

DEE-ANN: What types of certifications, and what was involved in earning them? Do you find that they make it easier to land work?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: I first obtained a certificate in editing and then one on book publishing from the University of Virginia. Each of these certificates required about 10 classes, but some of the classes overlapped. I was also working on a certificate in electronic publishing when UVA quit offering the program. I then went to EEI Communications and obtained a certificate in professional editing. This program required 11 classes in various types of editing and grammar. In this program, I had to take three elective classes, and I chose to take two in indexing.

These classes peaked my interest, and I would later pursue more education in indexing. These helped me get my first full-time position as an assistant editor for a magazine. In 2006, I began a master's degree in publishing at George Washington University. This program lasted two years, and its professors were professionals in the field, so they had a lot of relevant  experience.

DEE-ANN: For those who aren't familiar with the terms, what is the difference between line editing and developmental editing?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Developmental editing is performed when the book is still being created. An editor works with the author to create a book and include all of the pertinent information. The editor also helps to rearrange the material in a logical order. A line editor comes in after this and corrects grammar, punctuation, and also makes sure that the developmental aspects of the book are in order.

DEE-ANN: What did you win the awards for?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: The contest involved writing a single sentence for the opening line of a story based on a picture given.

• Writer's Digest Your Opening Line Contest - Honorable Mention (December 2006)
• Writer's Digest Your Opening Line Contest - Honorable Mention (September 2006)

DEE-ANN: What's involved in building a good index?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: There is a lot to know to write a good index. I have been indexing for several years. I have taken two courses: USDA Graduate School's Basic Indexing and UCLA - Berkeley's Indexing Theory and Practice. And I still feel like there is so much to learn about indexing. Many people never even think about where an index comes from, but it is a very complex process that must be completed in a short about of time.

DEE-ANN: How long have you been freelancing?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: I have been freelancing since 2001.

DEE-ANN: Full time or part time?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: I began freelancing part time while holding down a full time job as an editor of a magazine. In 2007, I graduated from grad school with a degree in publishing and decided to freelance full time.

DEE-ANN: How do you feel that your graduate degree helps you in your freelancing?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: A prerequisite for the graduate program was to already have a job in the publishing field. And the entire program was completed with the same students in each class, so a lot of networking and friendships grew out of the two-year program. The program helped me to visualize the entire publishing process, see what other people in the process do, and see where I fit in it.

DEE-ANN: Would you recommend that freelancers take courses in publishing? If so, what kinds?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Definitely! Courses help to keep skills updated and fresh and to practice those skills that are not used very often. Even if courses do not help land a job, they can help freelancers keep jobs by making clients happy with the skills that have been refreshed.

DEE-ANN: Can you describe a typical, or at least recent, project for us?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Because I offer a variety of services, many of my projects are very different from one another. One project I have been working on is a memoir for a man who was born in Croix des Bouquets. I have been working with the author to smooth his broken English and make the story flow. Another recent project was editing and then indexing the history of a town in Minnesota.

DEE-ANN: Are there any special challenges in working with someone whose first language isn't English? 

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: One major challenge of working with ESL authors is to figure out what they are trying to say. Once that has been accomplished the editor has to rewrite the text so it is understandable to the general reader, but also sounds like the ESL author wrote it. Keeping the author's tone can be tricky while maintaining the clarity of the manuscript.

DEE-ANN: About how much of your time do you spend on the business side, and how much on creating?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: In general, I probably spend about 10% on the business side. I usually try to work on the business side, such as creating new projects in my database that was created just for me or creating invoices as they come along, rather than letting them pile up.

DEE-ANN: Could you describe your database? What program is it in? How do you use it?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: The database my husband created is awesome! It is in Microsoft Access. When I receive a project, I enter in the title of the project, select the client it came from, and insert the date received. When the project is completed, I insert the services performed, the date of completion, and the date I am sending out the invoice. When I receive payment, I insert that date, and I also insert the date the payment is deposited. All of that occurs in just one table. From that table, I can see reports of pending projects and projects completed from any given year. I also have a table in Access for creating estimates on projects, all of my client contact information, my expenses, and my car expenses. At the end of the year, I simply print out the reports for taxes.

DEE-ANN: What is the most important piece of advice you could give to someone starting out or transitioning into your specialty?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Network and never give up. It was really hard for me to get my first break in the field, but once I did each new client was a little easier to obtain. I got my first break from meeting someone and then periodically touching base until he finally gave in and gave me a project. His company has been a client of mine since 2002.

DEE-ANN: What’s your favorite part of your work?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: I love the flexibility and the lack of office politics. I was never very good with the office politics because I am too independent. I really enjoy the flexibility because I can work really hard one day and take the next day off if there is something going on that I would like to participate in. Now that I have a son, I love that I can take him to the library for story time on Wednesday mornings. Though some people think I have the life because I work from home, I find it difficult to separate work and home life. When I have down time, I seem to gravitate to my computer and work on my current project or begin reading emails.

DEE-ANN: Do you have any work/life balance tips you'd like to share?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Balancing work and life can be hard, especially when I have a laptop and can read my emails in bed, in the living room, in the kitchen, everywhere. To help me balance my time, I have a lot of rules for my email accounts, and I prioritize the various folders. When I have a lot of work, I only read from two of the folders and let the others pile up.

Though I freelance full time, I also have a young son who stays home with me. I work when he sleeps. Therefore, I am extremely busy, but I am forced to stop working and to be with him when he is awake. In the beginning, I felt like I was waiting for each nap so I could do more work. I had to change my mindset and learn to enjoy the time I got to be with him, but also to enjoy his naps so that I could feel like I have accomplished something.

To help with the balance, my husband and I give each other one night a week to do whatever we please. Sometimes I catch up on work or emails or go grocery shopping. Though they are not what I would want to necessarily do on a night out, I get to choose what to do and getting chores done does make me feel like I have accomplished something and make my days less stressful, so I can enjoy being with my son and playing with him even more.

DEE-ANN: What would you rather farm off on someone else?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Nothing! If I am willing to take a project, I want to do the work. If I had to pick something, I would like to have an intern to work on my website and internet advertising.

DEE-ANN: Anything else you’d like to share with Freelance Survivors?

APRIL MICHELLE DAVIS: Being a freelancer has been my dream since undergraduate college. With a lot of hard work and determination, I was finally able to achieve it, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

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