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Looking for a discount?

Boxing Day! Valentine’s Day! Easter! EOFY!

Grand sale, grand sale, grand sale!

There are certain times of year when the reality of marketing really hits home. Our inboxes and social media feeds are overflowing with sales offers, discount codes and exhortations to buy, buy, buy.

Yet, rather than helping us, these messages seem only to fuel consumer angst, like FOMO (fear of missing out).

I don’t know about you, but these repetitive sales messages drive me to despair. They’re exhausting. On peak sales days I seem to spend more time deleting and unsubscribing than considering a purchase – and swear I’ll never sign up to any “updates” ever again.

You may be surprised to read that I do not offer discounts on my services – read on to find out why.

The psychology of pricing

Pricing one’s products and services is more than a business decision, or a matter of “breaking even”: it’s a psychological technique that can be highly profitable, especially if you’re willing to look past the ethical issues.

In marketing parlance, “psychological pricing” is a strategic approach that uses targeted techniques to influence the consumer’s perception of a product and its value.

The anchoring effect

A common technique is the anchoring effect, which aims to influence consumers’ decision-making through apparently “rational” means. Sellers create an “anchor”, which means they set a high price for a desirable product, and then offer a lower (“sale”) price alongside this anchor. The desired effect is that the consumer decides to buy as quickly as possible, so they avoid having to pay the higher “standard” price.

This practice is probably familiar to most consumers. While we might joke about the ubiquitous “Closing down sale” associated with shops selling rugs and other floor coverings, anchoring is commonly used to great effect by retailers, including online, who have no plans to shut up shop.

Product sales

From time to time, you’ll encounter a sale on this website for products like books in print, ebooks and recorded training/workshop sessions.

There may be a launch sale for a new product to encourage visitors to buy early in the product’s life cycle. The only way I can do this without reducing my overall revenue is to allocate a portion of my annual marketing budget to subsidising the sale.

Or I may offer a discount on products nearing the end of their cycle – perhaps the stock is running low, I have no plans to reprint the book (or card deck) in its current edition.

Bundle sales

Another form of sale you’ll find on this website is a reduced price for a “bundle” – like prepayment for a series of coaching sessions, or for a combined purchase of recorded workshops or presentations.

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Help! Need beta reader, editor, agent and publisher. Seventy-five year old on fixed income.
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I'm looking for free/discounted editing in exchange for a review of your business.
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Why are editors so expensive?!
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Good services, fair rates, all year round

As stated, I do not offer discounts on services: writing, editing, manuscript assessment and live coaching or training. My commitment to you, the client, is to offer the lowest possible price every day of the year.

One way to verify that you’re getting value for money is to check the industry standard for editorial pay rates.

What you get

I have invested well over $100,000 in my education.

Over more than 3 decades I have poured my energy, creativity, sheer hard work and enthusiasm into every single project, and I have been recognised for this through several prestigious awards and scholarships.

When you purchase my services, you get the cumulative benefit of that investment, experience, knowledge and expertise, including my sensitivity reading and editing, and my work on Cultivating a Trauma-Sensitive approach to editing practice.

How to avoid the "bargain" buy

As a small business owner – and a consumer just like you – I believe you should only buy something if you really, truly love and value it.

Look for high quality, longevity and impact.

Buy the book if it’s going to give you the knowledge and advice you need. Ensure you read it and make a plan to apply what you’ve learnt to improve your own situation.

Let the impact of your purchase be a positive one.

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We need to talk about…

Building a sustainable freelance editing business

You don’t have a lot of time right now, so I’ll get right to it.

Problem

You’re looking for new sources of freelance editing work.

The pool of available work in the publishing industry is small – and shrinking.

+

The number of people freelancing, or wanting to go freelance, is increasing. Every single day.

=

Competition is fierce!

If you’re just starting out (or if you’ve hit a dry patch) and you’re looking for work, this can feel scary. What to do?

Solutions

Build a killer profile: qualifications, experience, expertise.

Find novel ways to attract new customers.

Provide a high-quality service so you can keep existing customers happy.

Offer the cheapest editorial services on the market. [Seriously, don’t]

Maintain your services at current market rates.

Find sources of work outside the publishing industry.

What else…?

These are, of course, only a few of many, many available solutions.

It’s easy to panic and throw a bunch of solutions at the
problem and hope that one of them will work.

But I’m sure I don’t have to convince you: not all of them
will work for everyone, and some of them won’t work for anyone.

The secret?

Take the tried and true method. Steady as she goes.

Build a sustainable freelance editing business. One that can grow as you grow. That allows you to be flexible and ethical and joyful and inspired.

To create the right small business infrastructure to suit your needs, desires and goals, you need to think strategically. Which means having a business mindset.

It’s not rocket science. It’s not a hard slog. It’s working out
what you want and then creating it, step by step. Baby steps or big steps – you
decide.

Marketing your freelance editing business: A step-by-step guide for Australian editors is designed to hold your hand as you work to develop your sustainable editing business.

Are you new to editing and/or freelancing?* Would you like to take a fresh approach to an existing practice? then you’re in the right place!

This eBook provides the support and encouragement you’ll need to do that painlessly and cost-effectively, in ways that are aligned with your personal values and principles. You may even have a little fun along the way!

*If you would like to find out how to become an editor, visit the website of the Institute for Professional Editors (IPEd).