How to Communicate Better with Your Editor and Proofreader

The biggest reason why writers opt-out of relying on an editor or proofreader is the myth that they will change your content, material, or style. That they will replace all your hard work and effort with something entirely different, we cannot begin to explain how incorrect that is. Sure, sometimes editors and proofreaders can be overwhelming and may impact your content, but most of the time, their job is to enhance your work so that your content or style reaches its true potential. In this article, you will find a simple guide on how you can communicate better with your editor and proofreader.

20.02.2022

How to Communicate Better with Your Editor and Proofreader

The biggest reason why writers opt-out of relying on an editor or proofreader is the myth that they will change your content, material, or style. That they will replace all your hard work and effort with something entirely different, we cannot begin to explain how incorrect that is. Sure, sometimes editors and proofreaders can be overwhelming and may impact your content, but most of the time, their job is to enhance your work so that your content or style reaches its true potential.

However, the key to all this lies in how well you communicate with them. If you do not convey your thoughts and ideas, chances are your editor and proofreader will make changes and suggestions that you won’t like. Therefore, to address that issue, we have brought you a simple guide on how you can communicate better with your editor and proofreader. If this is an area you have been struggling with, let us help you out.

1. Be specific about what you want

The first thing for you to do is to let them know what you expect out of them. Be specific about what you would like and what you want them to concentrate on. For example, there might be certain writing conventions that you do not want in your document. Let them know so they can edit and proofread your work accordingly.

Being specific about what you want and don’t want from the very get-go helps your editor and proofreader get a gist of what it is that you are looking for. Hence, they can concentrate on only that, save time, and deliver faster.

2. Explain to your editor and proofreader the context of the document

The next thing for you to do is to explain to your editor and proofreader about your document. Tell them how you have written it, what your context is, where you want to submit or publish it, what kind of target audience you have, what tone you are going for, and so on.

The bottom line is that your editor and proofreader, and yourself should be on the same page for things to proceed smoothly. Once your editor and proofreader have a better understanding of the purpose of your document, they can improvise their services accordingly to suit your needs better.

3. Confront your editor and proofreader about what you like and dislike

There might be suggestions from your editor and proofreader that you may not like. In that case, do not be afraid to state it. It is your work, and you are hiring their services — if you don’t like their suggestion, simply say so.

As experienced as they are, it is still your work that you would like in a certain way. This way, you can avoid them ‘‘sabotaging’’ your work. Also, you are letting them know what kind of services and suggestions you are looking for.

4. Discuss more

Communication is all about exchanging information back and forth. Therefore, the best thing you can do to maintain a good understanding with your editor and proofreader is to communicate effectively. You can sit together and discuss your work, take some third person’s opinion, and work together to make your project the best of the lot. The more you communicate, brainstorm, discuss, analyze — the better your understanding of each other and the process will become.

5. Be honest and open-minded

Last but not least, you need to be honest about the process. If you like it, show your appreciation for the service, rate your editor and proofreader, and send some feedback. However, if you don’t like it, you need to clearly specify it to your editor and proofreader. Do not be afraid of approaching them with an idea, a query, or an issue. After all, you hired them, and the least they can do is to listen to what you have to say.

6. Why are editors and proofreaders important?

You may feel like you do not need an editor and proofreader. However, that is a very big mistake. Editors and proofreaders are there to help you improve your work. Editing and proofreading in themselves are important stages of writing that you should not overlook.

While it is true that you can edit and proofread your work yourself but relying on experts and professionals will allow you that additional mile of improvement that you could not go alone. However, a lot rests on how you communicate with them, which is why this article exists. So, the next time you hire an editor and proofreader, make sure you follow these tips and advice to get the best out of your editor and proofreader. After all, they are your best ally when it comes to writing.

If you need us to make your manuscript shine, contact us unhesitatingly!

Best Edit & Proof expert editors and proofreaders focus on offering manuscripts with proper tone, content, and style of academic writing, and also provide an upscale editing and proofreading service for you. If you consider our pieces of advice, you will witness a notable increase in the chance for your research manuscript to be accepted by the publishers. We work together as an academic writing style guide by bestowing subject-area editing and proofreading around several categorized writing styles. With the group of our expert editors, you will always find us all set to help you identify the tone and style that your manuscript needs to get a nod from the publishers.

Editor and proofreader

English manuscript formatting service

You can also avail of our assistance if you are looking for editors who can format your manuscript, or just check on the particular styles for the formatting task as per the guidelines provided to you, e.g., APA, MLA, or Chicago/Turabian styles. Best Edit & Proof editors and proofreaders provide all sorts of academic writing help, including editing and proofreading services, using our user-friendly website, and a streamlined ordering process.

Get a free quote for editing and proofreading now!

Visit our order page if you want our subject-area editors or language experts to work on your manuscript to improve its tone and style and give it a perfect academic tone and style through proper editing and proofreading. The process of submitting a paper is very easy and quick. Click here to find out how it works.

Our pricing is based on the type of service you avail of here, be it editing or proofreading. We charge on the basis of the word count of your manuscript that you submit for editing and proofreading and the turnaround time it takes to get it done. If you want to get an instant price quote for your project, copy and paste your document or enter your word count into our pricing calculator.

Editor and proofreader

24/7 customer support | Live support

Contact us to get support with academic editing and proofreading. We have a 24/7 active live chat mode to offer you direct support along with qualified editors to refine and furbish your manuscript.

Editor and proofreader

Stay tuned for updated information about editing and proofreading services!

Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn,  Facebook, Instagram, and Medium.

For more posts, click here. 

This article discusses how to communicate better with your editor and proofreader. To give you an opportunity to practice proofreading, we have left a few spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors in the text. See if you can spot them! If you spot the errors correctly, you will be entitled to a 10% discount.

They Also Read

Editing & Proofreading Editing Proofreading
5 Common Editing and Proofreading Mistakes
20.02.2022

Academic papers demand writing styles that have various rules and regulations to maintain. Therefore, it is natural for first-timers to make several mistakes. As they say, you learn from your mistakes. Yet, writing an academic or research paper is a big deal, and you would like to avoid mistakes as much as possible. As we understand the need to not make any mistakes while writing academic or research papers, we have put together the most common editing and proofreading mistakes that almost every first-timer makes when they first start writing academically. This article discusses 5 common editing and proofreading mistakes.

Continue Reading
Editing & Proofreading Editing Proofreading
Editing and Proofreading Services for Books: What You Must Know
20.02.2022

Ever wondered how your favorite books are written, compiled, and presented to you? Of course, the writer is the captain of the ship, but there are numerous phases to how a book is compiled and published. One of the main phases is the editing and proofreading phase. That’s right — all the books that you have read to date are all edited and proofread several times before they get the final nod of approval for publication. This article discusses the process of editing and proofreading services for books. We will also focus on why editing and proofreading are important and why you should pay close attention to them.

Continue Reading
Editing & Proofreading Editing Proofreading
Dissertation Proofreading: Four Easy-to-Follow Steps
20.02.2022

Proofreading a dissertation differs from dissertation editing in the aspect that it does not drastically change the composition of the manuscript. The fundamental purpose of dissertation proofreading is to enhance a document's linguistic clarity and formatting. And as such, the amount of time required to proofread is lower than that needed to edit a dissertation. It is an integral part of the dissertation submission process that ensures a manuscript's overall veracity. But, owing to its low turnaround time and seemingly lackluster objective, many academics do not prioritize proofreading adequately.

Continue Reading