Editing clients prefer honesty
Editing is expensive. When I edit a book, the cost often exceeds $10,000.
You might think I’d go out of my way to promise extra value at that price. It’s sort of the opposite. I never want to overpromise, because that makes trouble later.
This is what I promise:
- I’ll read every word.
- I’ll critique the text at every possible level. Is the idea compelling and convincing? Are the chapters in a logical order? Does each chapter make sense? Are the examples or case studies believable? Are the paragraphs, sentences, and words what they should be?
- I’ll write up a 2+ page edit memo about the biggest problems, why they are problems, and how to fix them.
- I will pull no punches, nor will I say nice things just for the sake of being nice. I’m here to critique, not to make people feel good.
- My expertise is in nonfiction business books. That’s what I know. I’m don’t critique fiction, history, memoirs, or anything primarily narrative focused.
- I’ll discuss the problems in detail on a phone call or two.
But I also make sure people understand that:
- I don’t check facts. I do not verify accuracy.
- I am not a copy editor. I do not catch every spelling or grammatical error.
- I will not rewrite things. That’s the author’s job.
- I will not do a second pass on the text for free. That costs extra.
Clients prefer honesty
They want to know the truth.
They are reassured to hear what I don’t do (and that way, we don’t argue about it after I’m done).
They generally find the truthful but fair commentary helpful — especially because I explain why things need to be different and how to fix them.
They almost always tell their friends.
Honesty sells. Who knew?