You’re planning for the time when you’ll need a copyeditor or proofreader. You’re a few weeks or a couple of months away from needing one, but you want to make sure the one you select has availability to work on your project when you need her, so you’re trying to find her now. There are so many copyeditors and proofreaders out there. How do you pick one?
Review Websites
Do a search for copyeditors or proofreaders, maybe ones that specialize in your area. You can also post a job or perform a search on the EFA’s website. Review their websites. Do they seem to be professional? Do they seem to keep their websites reasonably updated? If their rates are posted, are they within your budget (or do you need to plan to raise your budget from your original expectations)?
You can often tell a lot about a person from her website and be able to narrow down your choices. For example, you may be able to tell from the tone of the content that this person is not someone you think you would want to work with. Perhaps this person has a sense of humor that you enjoy, so you think you would enjoy working with her. Does she have a FAQ section? If so, are her answers thoughtful and informative? If so, she would probably take the same care with your manuscript.
Communicate
Contact your narrowed-down selections. Describe your project, including the topic and the length (preferably word count rounded to the nearest hundred), and indicate your timeframe. Inquire if she would be interested in working together and whether she would be willing to do a sample edit. Also ask any other introductory questions you have that might impact whether you could work together (e.g., if speaking Hebrew is a requirement, if working in a serialized manner is critical, etc.).
First, does she respond in a timeframe that’s acceptable to you? If she responded sometime within twenty-four hours would be okay with me, but is that acceptable to you? If she’s not going to be as responsive as you would like, it’s probably best not to move forward. However, communication expectations are something that you can discuss later on if you decide to continue.
Is she polite and professional in her response? Did she answer all of your questions? In a way, you’re conducting an interview. If a candidate for a job opening was short with you and only answered half of your questions, would you hire her? Of course not. In addition to the copyeditor or proofreader’s website, you should be getting a feeling for the personality of the copyeditor or proofreader at this point and start being able to tell whether this is someone you can work with.
It’s important to be honest with yourself too. Are you extra sensitive about your writing and need someone who is going to be over-the-top nice in asking about anything that may seem a little off in your manuscript? Or are you more of a roll-with-the-punches type who prefers someone who is blunt and gets to the point? Are you somewhere in between the two? You’ll probably be able to tell from the response to your inquiry which type is responding to see whether it’s a good match for your preferences or needs.
Get a Sample Edit or Proofread
After you’ve narrowed down the list more, now it’s time to send a sample to a few candidates to do a sample edit. Take the sample from your actual text that you plan to have copyedited or proofread, preferably not the beginning, but don’t send more than 1,250 words. Remember that you’re asking these copyeditors and proofreaders to take the time to do a sample edit, usually at no cost to you (though some do charge for their time). This limit respects their time by not asking them to do too much work for free. Please keep the number of candidates to a minimum for this reason as well; only ask for a sample edit if you’re truly interested in working with the person. When you send the sample, also ask that when the sample is returned, she also lets you know a firm quote and estimate on the amount of time it will take.
The sample edit is an opportunity for both sides. As the author, you’ll be able to see the candidates’ editing or proofreading styles and determine if it’s a good fit for you. You may feel that 1,250 words is too short for you to tell, but I promise it isn’t. It’s a manageable size for you to get several samples back and not feel exhausted by reviewing all of them. For the copyeditor or proofreader, it’s an opportunity to see if the topic is something she’s willing to work on and to see the quality of your work so that she can give you an accurate quote on how much it’ll cost and how long it’s likely to take.
After you get the samples and quotes back, evaluate whether the copyeditor’s or proofreader’s style meshes well with your own, whether the cost is in your budget, and whether their expected edit time is reasonable. Note that for copyediting it’s common for there to be queries to you as the author at the end of the edit that you’ll have to take the time to respond to or maybe do some minor rewrites, then you’ll probably send it back to the copyeditor to incorporate your answers or review your rewrites. Factor in some additional time for that process as well, which largely depends on how quickly you can respond.
I’m sure you recognize that you may not be able to get your dream copyeditor or proofreader for your original budget. You may have to decide if it’s worth paying more to get the person you really want to work with or if you can live with the work of someone else for a little less. Or, you may have to postpone your original publish date to be able to get on the schedule of the person you really want to work with. All of those decisions are up to you. Just remember that you want to find an ally or a teammate to work on your novel. You don’t want the copyediting or proofreading of this project to be something you dread. Find someone you enjoy working with; it’ll be worth it.