Most editors begin their training in college, in training programs, or as entry-level employees in a company. That means they learn to edit in ways that appeal to people who are interested in quality editing but are rarely the folks who wrote the material. When an editor turns freelance, that dynamic shifts.
As an independent editor, you often provide editing services directly to writer clients. Even when you interact with a managing editor or other non-writer, you’re building a relationship directly with them. An instructor will continue to give students assignments and training until a course is over, and an employer will continue to use and train their employee (unless things go really sour). A client has no ongoing, day-to-day pressure to return to that same editor when they next have a project. (Or a reason to send that editor personal referrals, which are the primary way freelancers find new clients.)
Clients return to editors who do good work and who build effective professional relationships. If you can already do good work, then it’s time to focus on nurturing client relationships. I asked Utah Freelance Editors members about how they build these relationships to give you the best advice UFE has to offer.
Start Out on the Right Foot
As one respondent said, it’s vital to “set expectations up front.” Some clients approach an editor knowing exactly what they want and how the editing and publishing processes work. Others need a lot more coaching.
When UFE editors start talking with a potential client, they use several strategies to get things started out right.
Explain the Editing Process
All the survey respondents explain the editing process to new potential clients. That doesn’t necessarily mean they give each and every client a lecture about the editing funnel. But your initial contact with a new client should include at least some indicators about how the process should play out.
For example, if Client 1 asks you for a copyediting quote, you can reply with the price quote and a brief paragraph that explains what your copyediting service includes. It could look something like this: “Copyediting checks for grammar, punctuation, appropriate word choice, and adherence to a style guide appropriate to your publication. It does not include editing for organization, so all major revisions should be complete before copyediting.”
This sort of paragraph is unobtrusive if Client 1 understands what copyediting is and where it fits in the process. But if Client 1 is less experienced, it will let them know that copyediting is a narrowly defined task and will help them set their expectations appropriately. You can also put a link in your email to a longer explanation of the editing process, just in case Client 1 needs it.
Screen Clients for Readiness
Close to 75 percent of survey respondents screen potential clients to see if they’re ready for professional editing. This screening will look different in different industries and for different types of editing. For example, if a business is launching their website in two weeks, they’re ready for editing, even if the writing is poor. They just may need to pay more for the editing than they expected. But a fiction writer who has never shown their work to anyone else before probably isn’t ready for professional editing, and they’re definitely not ready for an in-depth line edit.
Screening clients for readiness doesn’t always have to be a formal process. Here are a few of the strategies I’ve used:
- Reading a sample of the writing to see if its needs match what the client requested.
- Asking proofreading clients if their work has already been professionally copyedited. (I do this on my site’s contact form.)
- Asking developmental editing clients if they’ve worked with a writing group. (I usually do this at conferences.)
- Providing two options for services that might be appropriate and explaining what type of readiness each service requires.
- Asking about client’s goals for the project.
If a client isn’t ready for pro editing, the weight of the feedback and changes can discourage them. And they’ll likely be disappointed in the results—a copyedit can’t fix structural issues. Ensure they’re ready for your services to help start the relationship out right.
Screen Projects for Fit
Another element that can create a disappointing relationship is a bad fit between the project and the editor. I often say that even when an editor is awesome, that doesn’t make them the right kind of awesome for every project. That’s why close to 75 percent of UFE editors screen projects to make sure they’re a good fit for the editor’s genre expertise and reading preferences.
For example, although I have over ten years’ experience editing in a wide range of genres, I’ve never done any medical editing. That means I’m wholly unfamiliar with medical editing needs and conventions. I’d disappoint a medical editing client, and they’d waste their money hiring me. It would be terrible all around.
I also know editors who screen for content they don’t want to work with. For example, explicit sex, extreme or graphic violence, racism, sexism, ableism, etc. I even had a stretch when I was going through my divorce when I didn’t take on any fiction that dealt with marriage issues. (Not because such fiction shouldn’t exist, but because I couldn’t create enough emotional distance from the material to be a good editor until I’d done more healing.) Don’t take on work that you can’t engage with in a useful way!
Screening for fit can also take many forms. Here are some I’ve used:
- Reading some sample pages.
- Reviewing a synopsis of book-length projects.
- Checking out comparable projects—comparable companies, magazines, websites, or books.
- Asking the client for a few adjectives or a short sentence that describes the tone of the book.
If a project is an awful fit for you, pass on it. (Refer it to another editor you trust!) If some aspects are a good fit and some aren’t, communicate that to your client so they can make an informed decision.
Set Expectations
Communicating clearly so clients can make informed decisions is vital. It helps set expectations. One of the biggest sources of disappointment (in life, not just in business relationships) is when high expectations do not match reality. That’s why around 90 percent of UFE members head off relationship-souring disappointment by setting expectations from the outset.
You can set expectations in many ways: by directing clients to a webpage where you explain your typical workflow and timelines; by including due dates and responsibilities in your contract or work-for-hire agreement; or by asking clients what they prefer and integrating those preferences into your workflow. But make sure expectations are clear.
Here are a few things to set expectations about:
- Communication style and timing, including any boundaries. (For example, I communicate primarily over email and reply within a business day or two unless the project is a rush project. I don’t answer unscheduled client phone calls because I still have small children who make that difficult, and I don’t usually reply to work emails over the weekend.)
- Project deliverables.
- Any deadlines or due dates for you and for the client.
- The number of editing rounds included in the contract.
- Payment plans and any other financial expectations.
- How to cancel or reschedule a project if necessary, including any additional fees.
Continue Building the Relationship
After you’ve started things out on the right foot, you continue building your professional relationship with each client. Each step of a project provides an opportunity to make sure you’re doing good work, to meet (or exceed) client expectations, and foster a collaborative approach to the editing process.
During the Project
While you edit a project, keep your client and their perspective in mind. One UFE survey respondent said, “I strive to be encouraging, kind, and complimentary in my comments in the document [and] in the emails I send.” Even though editing tasks are often about finding things that are broken or weak and fixing them, positive reinforcement and compliments should be in the mix. They help build writers’ confidence and help them trust your editorial judgment.
Other survey respondents mentioned that they answer all clients’ questions. This may seem like a given, but it can be important for editors to plan time for questions in their project estimates. (If you don’t, you can end up resenting client questions.)
Remain friendly in your project communications. Just because you’re being professional doesn’t mean you have to be stuffy or insincere. Several survey respondents mentioned this in different ways:
- “Treat each author with patience and kindness.” —Lia Huntington
- “Be personable.”
- “Be a real person; be friendly and supportive.”
- “Just be yourself. … Make funny comments on the manuscript, be your bubbly self when on a business call, etc.” —Eanna Webb, Penmanship Editing
Professional doesn’t mean without personality. Make sure to stay clear and use a register appropriate for your ideal clients, but don’t worry about scrubbing your soul out of your emails.
After the Project
Your relationship with a client may end when you hand over the project files and they pay their final invoice—but hopefully not. Referrals from current and past clients are a major source of new business for freelance editors, and it’s usually much easier to keep an existing client than it is to find a new one. After-project communications can include a wide range of activities, and different strategies will be better fits for certain niches.
Here are some of the after-project strategies UFE members use:
- Scheduled follow-up emails (30 percent of survey respondents). These don’t have to be requests for new work. Editors often use these to check in and make sure everything is working smoothly with the project or learn more about a client’s progress.
- A returning customer discount or other loyalty program (23 percent). A returning client normally doesn’t require as much initial screening or other project-start communication as a new client, and a discount can pay some of those time savings to the client.
- Following a client on social media (15 percent). A social media follow lets you keep tabs on clients and cheer their successes, which can build a positive and more personal relationship.
- Client-only resources (8 percent). Some editors provide access to a private Facebook group, a login-only portion of their website, or a stash of educational handouts or videos to help clients level up their writing. This keeps clients coming to you for advice even when you’re not actively working on their project.
- Feedback requests (8 percent). It can be helpful to check in and see if there’s anything the client would like you to do differently next time. I find this less useful with individual writers but very useful for company clients. Businesses and publishers usually have a lot of work they need done, but they also have existing workflows and expectations. Checking in to see how you can better fit in their flow makes you more appealing for the next project.
- Free or discounted second passes (8 percent). If a project is long, handing out a free second edit may not be a profitable exercise. But for shorter projects (or small additions), it can be a great way to add value.
- Guarantees on your work (15 percent). No editor can guarantee a completely error-free product (we’re human). But you can offer to revisit any errors, recheck sections if the client finds any errors, or include edits on updated material in your contract.
- Client thank-you gifts or cards (8 percent). These are more appropriate for editing that deals in large or expensive projects. Personalized thank-yous can contribute to a more bespoke, upscale brand experience.
What are your best tips for building effective, friendly relationships with clients?
Kristy S. Gilbert is a book editor and designer specializing in science fiction and fantasy for her company, Looseleaf Editorial & Production. In 2021, she was named the first-ever Editor of the Year for the League of Utah Writers and Utah Freelance Editors. Outside of all things bookish, she enjoys cooking, kayaking, and krav maga.