How Do I Find a Good Editor?

It is difficult for nearly every individual to edit his or her own written work. When working on a written document, we are extremely familiar with the content, and are therefore less likely to see any typos, spelling errors, or confusing parts. An experienced editor who reviews your paper with a “fresh” set of eyes will be able to see these errors or confusing parts, and will change any areas needing improvement. Editing and proofreading are critical in the process of writing, and are particularly important for any writer who needs to make a good impression through his or her writing.

When choosing a professional document editor, it is important to have a good understanding of the editor’s style, or in other words, how the editor works in terms of the editing process. For example, if keeping your voice in the document is important, you want to make sure you find an editor who can improve your work while still keeping your voice, not someone who makes heavy revisions and changes the tone of the document. To find out about an editor’s style, many editing service providers offer a free sample edit, where you submit a document and the editor edits a page or two. This allows you to see how the editor works as well as the quality of the editing.

Communication is also important when working with a freelance editor. You want to make sure your editor is responsive to your requests, returns documents prior to your deadline, and answers any questions or concerns you may have. There is nothing worse than paying for document editing services and not having it returned when you need it. It is also frustrating when you ask an editor to focus on a specific thing and find out when it’s returned that your request was ignored.

Originally published at www.EditorWorld.com.