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One of those questions we ask a client is what they want. We bypass all the fluff. You know what I am speaking of. The “I don’t knows” and the “I don’t really need an edit, just a polish but if you find anything” or the “I just want it right.”

There are a million versions of the above. I find if we ask complete and direct questions prior to examining the manuscript or document it starts off better. We let them know we will review their work or the work they had done and provide a critique and our recommendations. 

This is where we provide a bid quote for the work and what we see that must be done. This is a very, I repeat, very necessary piece of the process. It lets our client know what we think and how much it will cost. Then we discuss it with them via Zoom or the telephone.

Why? Because we know whatever we have been given will not be what they will have in the end. Further, we need our clients to know there are limits to what we will do. Limits? Yes, I will not continuously make changes upon changes without extra payment. Normally we will provide the customer with what we think they want and send it back for review. 

Once a client sees what they asked for, it is rarely what they want. So, we go into round 2. They send a detailed list of the changes they want made and we make the changes we recommended that they approved. One book I took the liberty of doing the hard edits myself because I had lost the ability to communicate with the client what was needed. Once she saw what I had done, she terminated our contract.

This happens. It most definitely is an expected response during the hard editing phase of a manuscript or potential eBook. This is where we “Kill the Babies.” It is also where we get down to the nitty gritty of punctuation, structure, and fluff.

Once the second go round is complete, we come to the final go round. The third time is the charm as they say. This is where the client has had several chances to review their own work as well as what we have suggested to be done to make the book flow, be readable, and be publishable.

You must communicate with your clients from the git go. Keep them in the loop and have them keep you in their loop as well. And keep it professional. Ensure if it is a freelance piece, they are aware when they are strolling out of the confines of your agreement. Make sure they know and are prepared to pay you. Remember, as much fun as it can be to work on someone else’s book, it is theirs and they are responsible for the financial side of creation. Not you.

I’m Ross, The Editor-in-Chief for The Pyrateheart Press and I’m out.