They Aren't Your Client

(Following links on this blog may result in my earning a small fee. As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases.)

The ideal audience for this post is editors, especially newer ones. Authors who'd like a sneak peek into issues editors face are welcome to read this, too. 

Editors, I’ve got four words of advice for you:

"They aren't your client."

Any new editor who I've mentored and is reading this now is probably laughing because I say this a lot.

What do I mean by "they aren't your client"?

This is probably best explained with some theoretical situations:

Scenario 1:

A potential client gets in touch about a quote but refuses to send the manuscript because of some misguided idea they have (or bad advice they received) that anyone who sees their work will steal it. They hem and haw. How much time are you going to spend trying to convince someone you simply want to get an idea of the scope of the job and how much time it'll take you to do it?

When this happens to me, I gently suggest maybe they're not ready for an editor if the process makes them that uncomfortable. I encourage them to do their research into the fact that copyright exists the minute you put words to paper, and that means electronically, too. I reassure them that professional editors are not interested in stealing their work. I encourage them to ask questions and vet me, but after several back-and-forths, if I sense there is no movement, then I release them with kindness, wish them luck with their project, and move on. My time is valuable and I'm not here to convince anyone that they NEED me to edit their work.

It's okay if they're not my client. Someone out there is. And someone out there is their editor if it isn't me. It's all good!

Scenario 2:

An author sent a sample for you to evaluate the work and prepare a quote. They sent the first chapter and it didn't look too messy, so you quoted the job based on that, but when you begin, you realize it needs a lot more work than you thought. Now you're stuck possibly missing a deadline or not being fairly compensated for increased scope ... or are you?

What's the solution here? Well, it's fair to reach out and let the client know the part of the manuscript they sent for evaluation wasn't representative of the whole piece and that there will have to be an increase in scope/time/fee. Renegotiate. If they balk, then they weren't your client. It's a rough lesson to learn, but it's okay that you went through it to learn it. (And now you know to ask for the full manuscript before evaluating the job.)

Scenario 3: 

You're a new editor who has successfully passed some editing courses and you really want that first job under your belt. You throw a wide net out there in marketing land, trying to reel in any fish you can. The problem with that scenario is that you may not be a good fit for an author's needs. 

Wait, scratch that. Let me revise: You WILL NOT BE a good fit for EVERY author's needs. Period. You could be the best editor out there, gotten all As in your coursework, and still not everyone out there is your client. 

Are you triggered by violent scenes? Maybe don't waste time pitching that author who writes serial killer thrillers. They aren't your client. 

Only like clean romance? Maybe don't try to reel in that paranormal shifter romance writer who writes explicit sex scenes. They aren't your client. 

Intimidated by bibliography and reference rules in nonfiction? You could have a great love of history but not be a good fit for a publisher of history books unless you're ready to dive into that morass of references and bib. That publisher may not be your client unless and until you wrap your head around how to treat references. 

When you're new, it's tempting to try to be everything to everyone. Instead, be thoughtful about your interests, skills, and understanding of genres and expectations for those genres (including nonfiction). Also, think about what you like or dislike. Tailor your marketing to the writers whose work fits your vision. Those other authors aren't your clients, but the ones who fit your vision are, and you are all (editor and authors) better served if you honor this about yourself up front. In the meantime, if you know you want to work with a certain type of author but don't have that experience yet, make it a goal to learn more about their genre, conventions for that genre, and, in the case of nonfiction (if that's what you really want to do) dive into the references chapters of Chicago Manual of Style and learn all about how to handle notes and bibliography. Just because someone isn't your client now doesn't meant they couldn't be your client in the future.

Scenario 4: 

You put a lot of time into a beautiful quote and project proposal, fair to both you and author in terms of scope of work, timeline, and price. They say they want to move ahead, but try to negotiate the price down. Are they your client?  If they are respectful of you, your expertise and your time, but they're on a budget, and you can meet them at a new price without causing yourself any issues, then they are potentially your client. (Note that you are not obligated to ever discount your work; some people do discount in certain scenarios or offer pro bono work, but don't let that take up all of your resources.) 

However, if a potential client is disrespectful, demanding, unreasonable, or simply can't afford you: they aren't your client. Wish them well, and let them find an editor who can meet their budget/expectations. I have a lot of respect for authors who realized I wasn't their editor for some reason (usually they couldn't afford the cost but wanted to be respectful of my value as a professional and not try to get a discount), and we still have a good relationship today. They have referred me to other authors, and I have promoted their books. There are good relationships to be had even when someone isn't your client, and that in and of itself is a gift.

Scenario 5:

You get a manuscript to evaluate for a proofread, but you realize there's a lot more needed than a simple check for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and the other things involved in a proofread. (See how I define a proofread here.) For example: all of the dialogue needs to be formatted, there's head-hopping, and the book just doesn't quite hold together plot-wise: Do you go ahead and quote a proofread? Or do you let the author know the truth? 

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I let them know the truth. They aren't my client. They're the client of a developmental editor, line editor, or copy editor (whatever the case may be) but not a proofreader. OR: they're my client if I feel the work needed is within my skillset, in which case, I'll negotiate for that scope, NOT a simple proofread. If they agree and we move ahead, then great! But if they are convinced they only need a proofread, and I know that scope is not appropriate, then I will gently refuse the job. 

The way I see it is this: It's not fair to authors for an editor to ignore major issues in a manuscript just to get the proofreading job. It's also not fair for authors to expect an editor to do free labor or go against their professional opinion when it comes to what a book needs. I will always let an author know if I think their book is or is not ready for me. That's the most ethical thing to do. Until their manuscript is in shape to be proofread, then: they're not my proofreading client. 

And that's totally okay!

Scenario 6:

You've been contacted by an possible client for a lengthy job. You've spent valuable time and effort preparing a thoughtful quote, only to have them tell you they'd rather use an AI tool instead of your services to clean up what three other editors have missed. 

The obvious reason they aren't your client is because they have just decided they'd prefer to use a free AI tool instead of paying for your professional services. You could try to give them a counterargument as to how AI misses things or introduces errors, but that's probably going to be ignored if someone is already convinced they need AI. 

But the other question you should be asking yourself is this: they've had three other editors? And they still don't believe their work has been sufficiently edited? This is definitely a sign that you need to ask good questions to find out what's going on. 

I will say this: if it's a situation where the author is critical of the editors, please be careful about throwing those other editors under the bus in an attempt to get the job. After all, there are two sides to every story. The author may have misunderstood the scope of the editing job, or perhaps they introduced errors later. Or maybe they were really burned by three different editors...but the number of editors is definitely a sign that you need to figure out what's going on so you truly understand the scope of the job.

Either way, grace, understanding, and diplomacy are the way to go in a situation like this, and perhaps at the end of the conversation you'll get some paid work ...but maybe not.  And in that case, it's okay that the author wasn't your client. 

Conclusion

Don't be discouraged if someone isn't your client (or your editor).

None of what I've said above is a judgment on anyone: it's okay for anyone in the process to say "Hey, maybe this isn't a good match" for any reason. Indeed, all of my contracts have what I call a "kill clause" so that at any time and for any reason, the parties can stop working together and wrap it up according to whatever they agreed to (payment for partial services rendered, for instance—and if you want contracts help for editing clients, this book is a great resource!).

It's worth noting that the majority of people with whom I was honest thanked me for steering them in the right direction. In those cases, it led them to find the right help for their book, and I'm happy for them, even if they weren't MY client.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

I hope this helps any editors navigate the mindset around whether or not to work with someone. (Plus, if any authors are reading this, you can see some of what goes on in our side of the writing industry.)  It isn't something that needs to be stressful or contentious. Knowing where you stand on whether someone is your client is an empowering tool and will help you navigate your career with more ease.

Got any other good scenarios or examples of when it's okay for someone to not be your client? Drop a comment below! (Please keep comments thoughtful, respectful, and mindful of privacy.) 

In the meantime, don't be disappointed if someone isn't your client. Anytime something doesn't work out, you are freed up to find the RIGHT client. (And this goes both ways: authors are freed up to find the RIGHT editor!) 

Win-win, as far as I'm concerned! 

Giving an Editor Credit or Not: What Should You Do?

I've had many conversations over the years about whether an editor should be credited or acknowledged in a book. It has led to some great discussions, mostly with newer editors who want to know how to navigate the issue, but occasionally with authors too. After another of these discussions with colleagues a while back, I came across this article and this one and bookmarked them because I found them to be a good overview of the topic. 

The gist is this: while it's lovely you want to credit your editor in your book, consider asking them for their preference, first. If your editor says, “No, thank you” and you’re confused by this, then below are some reasons your editor may politely decline being acknowledged in your book.

Editors' reputations rely on how their work is viewed by the public, and many people don't understand the scope of different types of editing. For instance, if you worked with a developmental editor to nail down the structure and plot of your story but didn't hire a copy editor or proofreader to clean up the grammar and spelling, you could accidentally create the impression that the editor you credited in your acknowledgments didn't do their job cleaning up the text. But it’s not a developmental editor's job to clean up the text...and because readers don't know that, they may blame the developmental editor unfairly for any typos.

Or let's say you hired a copy editor or proofreader to clean up the manuscript, but then before publishing, you added some last-minute text...including that unfortunate typo right on the first page that Word's spellcheck didn't catch. This actually happened to me with a book that got a lot of visibility, and several people thought it was funny to tease me for that one typo in a piece of writing I never even saw before the book was published. It’s not a big deal at the end of the day, but based on some people’s reactions, you’d think it was the Great Typo Debacle of 2023. 

(And just a note to editors who work on high-visibility projects: get ready to develop thick skin. There’s something about the internet that causes people to poke at minor things. In my case, I was touched that the client was happy with my work and came to my defense, even though he didn’t have to.) 

Here’s another thing to consider: everyone involved in the production of a book—author, editors, proofreader, layout person, cover designer, your cat walking across the keyboard—is human. (Okay, not that last one. 🐈) A mistake can be introduced at any point in the process, and one or two will absolutely slip through. There is no such thing as perfection...but we copy editors and proofreaders will do our utmost to get your work as close to perfection (grammar- and punctuation-wise) as we can. In our industry, there is an acceptable error rate (and depending on who you ask, you might get a different answer), but even the best editors will miss a few things here and there, and we can't control anything that happens to the file after we've handed it off.

At the end of the day, all decisions regarding the book, whether it be research, creative direction, art placement, adding text at the last minute, or accepting/rejecting an editor's suggested changes (and they are suggestions based on our expertise, but suggestions all the same) are up to the author. 

So what should you do if you’re happy with your editor’s work and you’d like to acknowledge them? Simply ask them if they are okay with acknowledgment, and if they say yes, ask them how they'd like to be acknowledged. If your editor chooses not to be credited for editorial work, please don't be offended or worried about it. Other ways to support your editor include:

• recommending their services to other authors
• writing a testimonial
• mentioning them generally in the acknowledgments along with anyone else who helped you

I'm always touched when an author wants to give me some sort of credit, but I am fine with staying in the background too. (Though getting a shoutout from a client during his band's concert was REALLY sweet, I have to admit! 😊) These days I usually opt for a general mention in the acknowledgements. I feel it's my job to support my authors' work and not take any more credit than helping them polish it up, and I try to make that very clear when people ask me about editing anyone's book. Any credit truly should go to the author for the content itself, so if you think you've read a great book, please consider leaving a five-star review for that author and/or reaching out to them (via their newsletter, website, or social media) and letting them know how much you enjoyed it. Authors deserve (and thrive on) that feedback. 

via GIPHY

To all of the authors who have so sweetly supported me in my journey as an editor by giving a referral to your friends or colleagues, writing a testimonial, or thanking me in the acknowledgments, thank you! I really like you, too! 😃

PS: Thanks to the editor who helped me make this a better article than the first draft had been. You rock!

E-Book Preorders: Best Practices and Issues

(Following links on this blog may result in my earning a small fee. As an Amazon associate I may earn from qualifying purchases.)

So I ran into a situation a little while ago that got me thinking about book sales, and once you read it, I hope you'll (thoughtfully and respectfully) opine in the comments. It has to do with best practices in e-book preorders.

As you've probably noticed in the post wrapping up my 2022 Reading Year, I read A LOT of books. One of the things that makes a high number easy for me to achieve is the ability to binge books in a series. I tend to read authors who have at least four or five books in a series before I begin so if I get sucked in, I can keep going. So whether this means the library has them in stock, they're on Kindle Unlimited, or they're at an affordable price point in an e-book edition—whatever the situation, if I can binge 'em, I will. 

The question is what to do when the series comes to an end and you see the next item in the series is available for preorder. Do you preorder the book, or do you wait for it to be released? And then if you decide to preorder, do you visit the author's website and buy direct, or do you do it through a major retailer such as Amazon?

Let's review some of the pros and cons of preorders.

Pros of Preorders for the Reader:

1. You get the book as soon as it is released and will be notified that it's out, which is both convenient and a way to ensure you won't miss out.
2. If purchasing on a major vendor's website, such as Amazon or other retailers, the process is streamlined, and, at least in the case of Amazon, protected if anything goes wrong.

Cons of Preorders for the Reader:

1. You're waiting for a book you really, really want to read! (j/k—You'd be waiting anyway!)
2. What if the author doesn't deliver? How would you feel about that risk? Are you okay with late delivery? Or do you have recourse for a refund if they never publish the book?

Pros of Preorders for the Author: 

1. It fosters a relationship with readers and ensures continuity of readership.
2. Advanced sales = advanced payments.
3. By offering sales on their own website, authors keep a higher percentage from the sales. (This is according to authors I've spoken to or have seen talking about it online.)

Cons of Preorders for the Author: 

1. There's pressure to deliver on time, sometimes with tight publishing schedules
2. The added burden of juggling multiple series can lead to throwing every series into a deadline tailspin if one is late.
3. Being late or not following through can lead to reader dissatisfaction.

Is there anything I haven't thought of in these lists? 

So what was the scenario I recently encountered?

What Happened When I Preordered 2 Books

I read several books of a series and enjoyed them very much. The first book was free, and that hooked me in on the rest of the series. Great strategy! They were utterly bingeable. I was using my Kindle, and after finishing the last available book, I saw another book in the series, but not the NEXT book, was available for preorder on Amazon, so I preordered it.  We'll call this book "A."

But then I realized, "Hey, this is book A, not the next book in the series, book 'B'... where is that one?" (Yeah, I was slow on the uptake. 😁)

So I Googled the author, found their website, and realized they had book B available for presale on their own site. Figuring they were in the process of moving book sales over to their site instead of residing solely at Amazon (something I've seen authors do), I preordered book B from their site and left my preorder of book A at Amazon. I received purchase confirmation from BookFunnel, who would distribute the book when the files were uploaded.

Well, the expected launch date came and went, and no book arrived. But I did get an email from the author a few days after it was supposed to have been published. The author explained that they had been ill, had fallen way behind, and that the lack of delivery was not in any way BookFunnel's fault. The author took full responsibility and offered either a refund or to wait until the end of September, when the book would be published and delivered via BookFunnel.

Super classy, right? I really appreciated this email, and since I understood completely how illness can set one back, I replied that I'd wait for the book at end of September and sent good wishes about the illness. 

Unfortunately, the book never arrived. By the end of November, I reached out to the author and asked for an update. I was willing to assume I'd missed an email or if they were still delayed, they'd tell me—and I'd be okay with whatever the scenario was, because illnesses these days are rampant and troubling.

No response. I began to worry, because we all know how devastating the last few years have been, so I checked their social media and while their presence wasn't super regular, they did appear to be still alive. Okay, good! But I hadn't gotten a response to my question, so by mid-December, I reached out to BookFunnel to see if there was an update on their end. Interestingly, BookFunnel informed me that they've been emailing the author repeatedly about when they'd be uploading book B, with no response. At that time, book B was now a couple of months late.

After a couple of weeks, BookFunnel said the files were uploaded as of December 23rd. I was excited to hear this and rushed to the site, downloaded my copy and ... wait. Why it is only 10 pages? 

The upload only contained Chapter 1! I reached back out to BookFunnel to ask if it's possible there's an error with the file. BookFunnel's response was that they'd reach back out to author and try to get an idea of what happened.

Okay, I know mercury is in retrograde and all, but this was bordering on comically funny!

Now for the plot twist: Amazon canceled my preorder of book A! This had me back to worrying about the author. 

Anyway, as I'm writing a book myself, it is eye-opening for me to think about this from an author perspective and not just a reader perspective. I began to write down some best practices from both sides.

 

Best Practices

Authors: Communication and managing reader expectations is important. If you don't do these two very important things, you may lose your audience, which means you'll lose income and create bad will. If you're juggling too much, take a breath, slow down, refigure your due dates, and communicate—not just a one-off email, but often—with your readership. In this case, I've seen a few people get really frustrated with book B being late as well as book A being canceled by Amazon because according to them, they have no idea what's going on. But I don't know where that gap is in this situation. I feel like author was pretty clear they were having health issues in that first round of communicating, so did the other fans miss that email? I don't know.

Readers: Consider whether you're comfortable giving an author money for a preorder. Do some research on how they treat their fans, if they deliver on time, and also check in with yourself about how you'll feel if they're late. They're human, so try to be patient, but at the end of the day, it's up to you to decide how you'll spend your money. If you're someone who will get upset if the book doesn't arrive on time, consider not preordering at all. If you prefer waiting until the book is published but are concerned you will miss out, you can follow the author on social media, mailing list, or even clicking "Follow" on Goodreads or Amazon if you want to be notified of a new book. 

Coda to My Situation

For this instance, I'm glad I kept my head, remembered to be patient and kind toward someone who is struggling with health issues, and realized that at the end of the day, the world won't end if I don't read another book in the series anytime soon. Let them get their health sorted, first. 

Also, I had never heard of the author before I started reading their books via Kindle. I wasn't in their reading/fan groups, social media follows, or email list. (I've since rectified this.) But while the author was a little slow to respond, they DID stay in communication with me. I get what they are going through. And they have kindly offered me a refund since a few deadlines have come and gone, which I have accepted.

As to late delivery in general, I'm okay with mistakes especially if the communication is decent. I completely understand deadlines snowballing and unanswered emails piling up. I have assured author that while I'm accepting a refund now, I will definitely support their work going forward whenever they do publish another book in the series by purchasing, reading, and reviewing.

And on a side note, this is a reminder to me to always listen to my intuition. When I preordered book B on the author's website, I had a little niggling feeling somewhere inside, but I got wrapped up in the idea that the expected publish date would be pretty soon after my purchase and, well, I couldn't wait to read it. I had no idea what that little feeling meant at the time, but it is a tiny validation to me that my intuition is always right when I bother to listen to it, LOL!

I'm sending all the best out to this author. They have really been through it, and it must be so stressful to want to satisfy readers while figuring out what's going on with a serious illness. 

Finally, in my editing business I bill myself as an "author advocate," so I'm sure this comes as no surprise: It's my hope that when readers encounter an issue with a preorder, instead of getting angry and reactive, they will have a little patience for the authors they follow, take time to find out what's going on, and be kind. I also hope readers will have a little self-awareness about their own expectations, review the pros and cons listed above, and make informed decisions before preordering.

On Writing Memoir

Last week I was able to attend a one-hour live event hosted by The Stories Between Us writing community (which operates in a Mighty Networks space). In it, they interviewed author and editor Lisa-Jo Baker, who took us through many aspects of memoir writing. (There is also a podcast by the same name, and they did record the interview, if you want to listen when it's released.)

I was fascinated to hear her take on elements of memoir, including:

• How memoir helps you not only tell, but figure out your origin story.
• How you have to love people—truly love them—to write about them, even if they hurt you. That there is an opportunity for forgiveness (not absolution) in the act of loving them enough to write about them. 
• How a memoir offers the reader a "visceral immediacy"—they're on the path right next to you as you journey through the experience you're relating.
• How memoir should read like fiction. It shouldn't be an A to B to C narrative of things that happened but rather should be composed of scenes with characters, setting, and dialogue.
• How the opening of a memoir will make or break the book (and she discussed her top 5 examples of opening paragraphs).

This session really lit a fire under me to take a critical look at my book so far. I realize now that I will have to rework several parts of my book that are done, because I’ve learned from this one-hour class that my story can be told so much better than I’m currently telling it. 

Deep breaths. 

It’ll be for the best. It’ll be for the best. It’ll be for the best.

(And since I was inspired, I just wrote an opening scene as prologue that drops the reader right into it. At least I hope it does!) 

Have you written a memoir? Any advice for me or others hoping to do so? 

Below are links to several books that were discussed in this class—held up as examples of how to start a memoir or memoirs that touched the speaker as being incredible examples of the genre. I plan on reading at least a few of these, myself.