Utah Freelance Editors

Local editors, copyeditors, & proofreaders

Author & Editor Relationship

by

6 Tips That Build Client Trust

An image of hospital beds—for editorial bedside manner. Image is overlaid with the words: "6 Tips That Build Client Trust by Lehua Parker" and the Utah Freelance Editors logo.
By Lehua Parker

You are ready.

You passed your final university exam with twenty minutes to spare. Commas, parallelism, metaphor, story structure—all down cold. Chicago calls you with esoteric grammar questions.

Your first freelance client! It’s for a quirky contemporary romance, the second novel of an indie author who’s looking for something between a developmental and a copyedit. You top off your Diet Coke and dive in, keeping your secret disappointments to yourself. Using track changes isn’t the same as your special red pen. You miss that printer paper smell.

Days later, you resurface, slurping the last watery dregs of your tepid Diet Coke. You know you’ve nailed it. Every misplaced modifier, stereotypical character, and historical inaccuracy is meticulously identified and annotated. Your backup research detailing which wildflowers are actually in season for an August New Hampshire wedding is particularly stellar. You send off the edited manuscript and wait with bated breath for the accolades that will surely come.

Crickets.

Read More

by

How to Build Client Relationships

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.

A photo of a business handshake overlaid with text: "How to Build Client Relationships, by Kristy S. Gilbert" and the Utah Freelance Editors logo.

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.

Read More

by

The Editing Funnel

by Jennie Stevens

When I first started my career, I encountered an issue many new editors face: there are no clear-cut definitions for the different types of editing. It seems every publishing house, editing firm, and freelancer has their own vocabulary and definitions for the same work. Even the term editor is an umbrella term that can encompass every job from acquiring a manuscript to fixing errant commas.

So what are the different categories of editing and how do they fit together? Once I understood the terms and structure myself, I found it relatively easy to explain to others using a simple image: the editing funnel. The editing funnel represents the order of editing, moving from big problems to small problems.

It is important to remember that each editor has their own understanding of these terms and how to apply them. If you are an author, make sure you and your editor are on the same page about the level of editing your manuscript requires, but it should generally follow the same path from draft to final product.

Read More

by

Sample Edits

by Talysa Sainz

Finding the right editor can be difficult. Even editors know the importance of an author finding the right editor for their manuscript. The best thing you can do before you choose your editor is request sample edits from a variety of potential editors.

What is a sample edit?

A sample edit is a light or full edit on a small piece of your manuscript. It gives both the author and editor an idea of what a complete edit would look like. If you plan to pay for a professional edit, you should get as many sample edits as possible. Sample edits benefit both the author and the editor. When it comes to finding an editor for your manuscript, do not hesitate to shop around a little or to ask potential editors for a sample edit so you can see an example of their work.

Read More

by

Editing Teammates

Balancing the Author/Editor Relationship

By Candace Thomas

There is often a tug of war when it comes to editors and authors, particularly when it comes to the author’s voice. Keeping the integrity of the author’s voice is critical to any editing gig. But what authors, and editors, should come to understand is that everyone is on the same side. It’s the reader we are rooting for in the end. Working together to reach that audience makes you teammates. 

These three things are important to your teammate and will help you navigate the editing process together. 

Read More