One of the most important aspects of working with a freelance editor is your comfort level with that editor. So, you’ve selected an editor who is not only competent, but is accessible, responsive and reliable. And you like him or her. However, this is a two-way street. You also have to be accessible, responsive and reliable --- and communicative. Clear communication is the key to an effective author-editor relationship, freelance or otherwise. However, with a freelance editor, this may be more challenging, as the editor is reporting to no one but him or herself, so you have no “customer service” resource to fall back on if things aren’t working.
The good editor does more than just edit. He or she should also be able to provide suggestions on how to make your work better and more marketable. You should never be hesitant to tap into the expertise and experience of your editor in these regards, and should strive to build a rapport that makes this give and take flow easily and painlessly. Remember, just as you have to deal with the editor on a professional basis, so too does the editor have to deal with you. Be open to comments and criticisms or they won’t be offered to you. You’ll end up cheating yourself. Search around for a freelance editor, and check out the comments page. Notice the words that clients use. They might be things like helpful, thoughtful and even compassionate. These recommendations should give you a good idea of how an effective author-editor relationship works.
Here are five tips for working with your freelance editor:
A good freelance editor will greatly increase your project’s chance of success, and a good relationship with that editor will increase it exponentially.