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• Be clear about what you want the editor to do. Do you want the editor simply to assess the document, to edit or proofread it on hard copy, to edit it on disk, or to take full responsibility for producing the finished product? (Key editorial services are described opposite.) • You also need to be clear about accountability. Does someone in your organisation need to approve editorial changes (and if so, at what stages) or does the editor have a relatively ‘free hand’? • Ideally the tasks, roles and responsibilities should be set out in a written brief. Feel free to discuss the project with the editor in developing this brief. • Editors might be able to provide a ‘ballpark’ quote for a particular job before they have a detailed look at the project. A more accurate costing can only be provided, however, once they have a brief and have seen and assessed the document. • It pays to confirm with the editor whether the quote is firm or an estimate only. Extra charges may be incurred by late changes to the brief. • If possible, involve the editor early in the process of producing the publication, rather than later. Editorial corrections and other suggestions (such as improvements to the structure) are easier and cheaper to incorporate while the text is still in the developmental or editing phase, i.e. before it goes into the page layout or formatting stage. Adapted, with permission, from the Freelance Register of the Society of Editors (Vic.) Professional standards:
The Institute of Professional Editors (IPEd), formerly CASE, published
Australian Standards for Editing Practice
in 2001, which sets out the knowledge and skills expected
of experienced editors. |
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