Rachel Laidler – Editor

In my current role I am responsible for project managing a list of travel guides though an in-depth update process. This includes:

– Reviewing the current content in the guides
– Commissioning and writing new content for the guides
– Working closely with authors and other freelancers
– Copy-editing text, whether this be editing brand-new content or reworking and updating older text
– Working with a diverse team – including picture researchers, cartographers and designers – to produce the final product
– Working to strict deadlines and budgets
– Developing concepts for new titles

In my role as Online Editor for DK Travel, my responsibilities included:

The production of content for DK Travel's website,. This included:
- Commissioning and writing, alongside editing and publishing, content on
- Managing the editorial calendar for the website
- Conducting image research for articles
- Ensuring content is optimised for discoverability and engagement
- Liaising with authors and factcheckers
- Reporting regularly on the performance of our online content
- Responsibility for all content-related admin, including contracts, purchase orders and payments
- Working closely with DK's Sales, Marketing and PR departments to produce relevant content
- Working alongside PRs and DMOs, as well as representing DK Travel at industry events
- Managing the press-trip schedule for

The creation of monthly newsletters for DK Travel:
- Creating the newsletter schedule
- Building both the UK and US monthly newsletters - includes writing and editing newsletter content
- The creation of promotional banner images
- Scheduling both the UK and US monthly newsletters
- Reporting regularly on the performance of newsletters

Managing DK Travel's social media channels:
- Posting regularly on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
- Writing guidelines for all three channels, alongside ensuring best practice is understood across both UK and US offices
- Regularly reporting on the success of each channel

In my role as Editorial Assistant I provided both editorial and administrative support to DK Travel's Editorial team (both print and digital).

My main responsibilities in this role included:

Admin:
- Ensuring the efficient organisation and running of administrative systems within the Editorial team
- Dealing with general editorial queries and responding customer phone calls, emails and letters
- Ordering gratis copies and advances for the Editorial team and freelancers
- Raising purchase orders and contract requests, as well as processing payments where required
- Distributing incoming mail and processing outgoing mail
- Ordering stationery
- Organising cards for birthdays, alongside cards and presents for staff members leaving the company
- Organising the Christmas party for DK Travel

Editorial - print:
- Helping to create outlines or flatplans
- Creating tracking documents, as well as information documents for carto and editorial, as part of the Top 10 relaunch process
- Checking and correcting proofs, plotters and web pages
- Undertaking copyediting, proofreading and factchecking
- Creating presentations for in-house briefings

Editorial - web:
- Providing support to the Web Editorial Assistant for DK Travel's website, in particular regarding web content (destination pages and illustrations) and social media channels