How to choose an editor or proofreader

Are you looking for a freelance editor or proofreader, but unsure how to pick the right one? Here are some hints to help you out.

What do you need them to do?

Copy-editing or proofreading?

In publishing, copy-editing and proofreading are two separate stages in the process of preparing a book for publication. They have different remits and are usually done by different people.

Outside the publishing world, though, many people get these terms mixed up with each other (and with others such as ‘copywriting’). 

If your work is very well written and in the required style, and it needs nothing more than an error check, proofreading will be enough (although it might well be done by editing a Word document, rather than marking up a PDF, which is how it’s conventionally done for publishers).

But if it might need improvements in the style and flow of the writing, or a more ‘professional’ tone, it should be copy-edited instead. You might want a service somewhere between the two, which could be thought of as ‘proof-editing’ or ‘light copy-editing’. Many editors and proofreaders are flexible about this. 

To avoid misunderstandings, it’s important to find someone who can provide the level of help you need, and to make this clear when asking for a quote.

Substantive or developmental editing

Rather than focusing on spelling, grammar and readability at a sentence level (though they might do that as well), a substantive or developmental editor looks at the bigger picture. They’ll usually start working with you early in the project, helping to shape the overall ideas, structure and coherence, often both before and during the writing stage. They might do some major rewriting, or just advise you on how you could do this.

Line editing

This is a tricky term that means very different things to different people. I don’t use it, and I won’t even try to define it here. If you ask someone about doing some line editing, it’s important to explain what you mean by it.

Business editing

Not many editors use this term, but I think it’s useful. As I see it, it means editing business material (reports, proposals, promotional content etc.) for clarity, coherence and impact, with a strong focus on how it will influence the target readers. Those readers are often customers, but also might be regulators, peers, employees or some other group. It’s much like copy-editing, but with the emphasis on business priorities, rather than simply producing something that’s grammatically correct and nice to read.

Other related services

These are not forms of editing or proofreading, but are sometimes confused with them – so I’ll mention them here for the sake of clarity.

• Rewriting: The author’s original work is completely replaced by newly written content.
• Copywriting: Based on a rough ‘sketch’ or set of ideas that the customer provides, a copywriter writes content from scratch in an appropriate style. It’s usually done for marketing purposes – for example, when creating a brochure or website content.

Many editors and proofreaders do offer services such as these – but they are different services, and they need different skillsets. You shouldn’t expect someone to offer them unless they actually say they do.

Picking your provider

Are they real?

For your peace of mind, it’s important to find an editor or proofreader who’s clearly genuine – not someone hiding behind a pseudonym and a logo. Look for an actual person’s name, a photo and some clue as to where they’re based. A convincing presence on social media – particularly on LinkedIn, which more-or-less forces people to be open about who, what and where they are – will help to prove their ‘realness’.

What you need to know

Much, if not all, of the following information might be available on each provider’s website, social media profiles, online directory entries and so on. If any of it is missing, don’t be afraid to ask.

Training  Editing and proofreading are acquired skills, and good-quality training is crucial. Although many UK organisations offer courses, those provided by the Publishing Training Centre (PTC) and the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) are widely considered to be the most valuable.

Skills  Do they have the particular editorial skills that you need: copy-editing, proofreading, using Word with Track Changes, marking up PDFs?

Background and knowledge  Most editors and proofreaders have also had other jobs. The skills and knowledge that they’ve gained from that work, from their education, and from other activities and interests, might well help them to do a good job for you. A familiarity with facts, names, concepts and terminology in your subject area will help them to spot errors and inconsistencies, and to clarify unclear wording.

Experience  What kinds of editorial work have they done? How much? How relevant is it to your needs? What types of client have they worked for? Look at portfolios, testimonials and reviews.

Professionalism  Read some of the content on the provider’s website, or anywhere else where they describe themselves and what they do. Do they give the impression of being well organised and businesslike? A bit of informality and humour does no harm, but it’s important to choose someone who approaches their work seriously enough to do it properly and interact with you in a professional way.

Affiliations  The SfEP is the UK’s main professional body dedicated to promoting high standards in editorial work. Its members have valuable access to training, help, advice and networking opportunities, and are bound by its code of practice, Ensuring Editorial Excellence. Other countries have similar organisations – you can find a list here (thanks to Louise Harnby).

How much?

Some editors and proofreaders advertise their hourly rates on their websites and elsewhere, while others choose not to. One problem with advertising rates up front is that a potential customer might have no idea how long the work would take.

An alternative is to show rates per thousand words or per page. This has its own drawback, though: it doesn’t allow for the inevitable variations between jobs. A lot depends on the complexity and quality of the writing, as well as its length.

The best way to get a realistic quote is to give the provider:

• a description of what you’re writing
• a sample of it
• details of your requirements (type of editing, timescale and so on).

That way, they can assess your job properly, and either give you a customised quote or advise you to look elsewhere.

Next steps

You might ask a number of editors and proofreaders whether they can help you and how much they would charge. It’s tempting to go for the lowest quote, but make sure you’re confident that you’re choosing someone who will do the job well. And if you decide not to use someone’s services after they’ve responded with a quote or a request for more information, please let them know (this is good courtesy, but it’s easy to forget).

Good luck with the search!

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This article is adapted from a blog post that I published in April 2018.