Written by Zoey Lackie
When you’re just starting out as a freelancer, getting your first client is a thrilling experience. I remember when I first received an email from someone looking for an editor. While this story starts off strong, it went downhill rather quickly. Through this onboarding process, I learned three tips to help you vet potential clients as a new freelance editor.
Tip#1: Never agree to start work without seeing the whole project (or at least most of it).
After seeing this client’s email, I immediately reached out with a short questionnaire to learn more about the project. The author was prompt in answering my questions. This project seemed right up my alley, even as a newbie editor. I sent the author a contract and said once it was signed I could start work.
Here was my first mistake. Always view the whole—or at least a large part of the—manuscript before you agree to start work.
I skipped this step and quickly regretted my decision.
After getting eyes on the manuscript, I quickly realized it needed much more work than the author was expecting. As promised, I performed a few sample edits on the manuscript and then strongly urged the author to have me perform a developmental edit rather than the copyedit. However, a contract was already signed for a copyedit.
As a bonus tip, if you’re following this story closely, you’ll also see I had one success: I had the author sign a contract. That was something I learned from a more experienced editor. It’s a good idea to have some sort of written agreement signed before starting work. It’s just an extra layer of protection for you and the author.
Tip #2: Listen to your gut.
After receiving the manuscript, I set up a Zoom call with the author to get more information about the project and its purpose. Over the course of our conversation the author said something that didn’t sit right with me. They confessed they had “cheated the system” to self-publish their book for free on a self-publishing website. Unfortunately for them, the online printing company had caught on and the author could no longer publish their book.
Despite this concerning statement, I was determined to keep this client, which leads me to my next tip.
Tip#3: Don’t let your excitement and/or pride get in the way.
I was elated to have my first ever client. I had a signed contract, an estimated delivery date, and the project all drafted in my task management system. I was ready to complete the project even though the manuscript needed much more work than expected, and I was questioning the working relationship with this author. The excitement, however, pushed me to explain away any bad feelings I had.
What I should have done was encourage the author to get a macro edit. And if they declined, I should have politely declined the project and encouraged them to come back for a copy edit once they’d worked on their manuscript more. Instead, I was prepared to keep this client at all costs. This was motivated by my own prideful heart rather than a heart motivated by love for the author. As editors, we must have the author’s best interest in mind.
In a turn of events, I had some personal problems that forced me to step back from editing for a time. As I look back now, I see how the Lord was intervening in an area where I didn’t yet have the wisdom to make a good decision. I hope my foibles as a new editor provide a guidepost of what not to do in your own freelance editing as you navigate onboarding new clients.
Zoey Lackie is a freelance writer and editor living in New Hampshire with her husband and two kids. When not editing or mothering her littles, Zoey spends her time writing on her Substack, The Afternoon Cup, where she shares short personal devotionals, essays, and more. Zoey is a lover of wholesome food. Her hobbies include making sourdough baked goods for her family and growing fresh fruits and vegetables in her home garden.