Written by Ken Walker

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Growing up, roller coasters were my favorite amusement park ride. I especially remember one at Chicago’s now-defunct Riverview Park. As we finished, my father chuckled; apparently, my 10-year-old eyes had widened like saucers as I grabbed the car’s rails.

But fear didn’t create the reaction that sparked Dad’s laughter: I was mesmerized by each dip and turn. I loved it!

            I’m not always as fond of the freelancing roller coaster. After a 6% decline in 2024 revenue, this year started out better. But it’s hard to predict where the income statement will settle come Dec. 31—especially after one client cut my monthly retainer by 50% in June.

            As many of you know, the climbs can be exhilarating, but the dips tie your stomach into knots. This doesn’t get any easier with experience.

            And yet, I regularly remind myself that because I don’t know what’s coming, I can enjoy the rewards of unexpected book projects. No cold calls, other marketing, or connections on LinkedIn. They just appear.

            Last October, my stomach had been twirling after a book project I expected to start in August collapsed. A week after promising to send me background material, the author put the project on hold “until January” (maybe he meant of 2026).

            The next three months stayed on the soft side. Fortunately, writing and editing tasks for a foundation provided a modest retainer, but not enough to replace vanishing book projects.

            Then, in mid-October, an editor at a publishing house I used to work for regularly emailed to ask if she could forward my contact information to an author. I had edited the author’s first book five years earlier.

            While this publisher wasn’t going to release her newest book, the author—a doctor—liked my first edit so much that she wanted me to oversee this one.

            I said, “Sure.” The author called the same day, sent the manuscript the next day, and mailed a deposit a few days later.

            As with her first book, it needed considerable refining. But I enjoyed working on it as much as I had her previous title.

            As I was in the final stages, a fellow PEN member emailed me to see if I would be interested in talking with another author. A few days before I wrapped up edits on the doctor’s manuscript, author #2 and I had our first call.

            To say we “clicked” would be an understatement. Soon we had reached an agreement. He sent me the down payment via Zelle soon after my wife emailed an invoice.

            I am reluctant to divulge an author’s name or book title ahead of publication. But I will say this is one of the best I have ever worked on in 30-plus years of writing and editing.

So, the next time you’re in one of those inevitable editing income dips, remind yourself that God hasn’t forgotten you. He may be about to take you to the top of the loop.

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