1.
Contact
me to see if there is space in my
schedule for your project. For book-length projects, ideally contact me at least a month
in advance; a 50% rush fee applies to jobs with less than a week’s advance
notice. For smaller projects, such as brochures or fact sheets, ideally contact
me a week in advance; a 50% rush fee applies to jobs with less than 24 hours'
notice.
2. If
I have space in my schedule for your project, let's have a (complimentary)
conversation so
I can learn more about it (and you can learn more about me). Editing is
a sacred trust, so it's important to take the time
you need to find the right person.
I prefer meeting with new clients in person or talking on the phone, although we can
converse via
email if necessary. Here are some questions I might
ask to learn more about your project. You don't have to have all the answers when you contact me, but the
questions may help you think more about how you'd like to work with an editor.
3. After our conversation, if you're interested in working with me, send me a five-page sample of
your text, along with a word count for the whole document (in Word,
choose Tools < Word Count). I'll
copyedit the sample (at no charge) and give you a rough estimate of cost.
I’ll also send you a simple contract
summarizing my understanding of what we agreed on in our conversation -- specific fees, deadlines,
procedures, and so on. We'll make sure we both agree on what you'd like me to
do.
4.
You’ll return the contract to me,
signed, with the following:
 |
A Microsoft
Word file containing the document. One big file is ideal. Unless we've
made other arrangements, I will edit it online using revision marks, so you
can see the edits I've made and accept or reject them as you choose.
|
|
Any supplementary
information that may be helpful to me in editing. A few examples:
*
a list of
unusual words, names, and/or idiosyncratic spellings in the work
* a list of particular errors you'd like me to watch for, such as confusing
"its" and "it's" or uncertainty about whether to use
"lay" or "lie"
* a list of concerns you want me to address, such as too much passive voice,
wordiness, and the like
* sample pages showing the expected design of the document
|
|
A printout of
the document (single-spaced, 10-point type, and/or
double-sided is fine, to save paper).
|
|
A check for half
of my estimated fee (for
first-time clients). The balance will be due on completion of the work.
|
|
