As a professional freelance writer, one of the things you will need to deal with is Edits.

Edits sounds like such a benign thing. “Oh, yes. We found a thing or two in your carefully researched and written Article that we feel might be improved upon. Could you take a look at these?”

When edits are like this, it’s virtually a joy.

But, when edits go wrong…

Edit Misery Hall of Fame

I’ll be deliberately vague here to avoid pointing the finger at any past clients, but all of these things have happened to me. These kinds of edits are why I charge a lower Freelance Writing rate for on going clients. Once you’ve established a rapport with a client, and gotten used to what they are looking for, this almost never happens. But, with one-off clients, these kinds of things are all too common.

Have you seen my Credit Karma review?

1. What I Meant Was – The edit to end all edits. The client asks for an article, often with a specific title and word count. When submitted they realize that wasn’t really what they wanted at all. What they really wanted was a listicle, or a technical white paper, not a “blog post” like they asked for.
2. Word Count Shmord Count – When a client asks for a specific word count, like 500 words, or 5,000 words, they are setting more than a word count. They are setting the way an article is written, how in depth it is, and so on. A 500 word article about the sun is, by definition, a “high-level, not much detail,” article. After all, how much sun physics can you cover in 500 words, especially with an intro paragraph and a concluding paragraph. If you ask for 500 words, the only way you are getting a technical article, is if you give me a highly technical headline.
3. Blog Post, Article, Newsletter, Oh My! – A blog post and article for magazine publication are not the same thing. A newsletter article is not the same as a white paper. What clients ask for matters. A sure fire headache comes from the client that asks for a 750-word blog post, but expects a 750-word article for use in a catalog, or as a one-pager to accompany a presentation. I make my writing clear, please do the same with your request.
4. Use Your Judgement – Now Use Our Judgement – These make me hurt my forehead with the eye rolls. A client asks for Top 10 Dog Breeds, or something like that. They provide no guidance as to which breeds to use, of course, saying to follow your research. Once you submit your article, NOW they have guidance. “We only meant toy breeds,” or “Only breeds that are good for children.” That isn’t an edit. That’s a new article. Too many of these, and I’ll be “too busy” to continue on your projects, or “have to increase my rates” (DOUBLE! TRIPLE!) to deal with the fact that these kinds of edits are actually write a second article from scratch for us.

If you’re a freelance writer, what kinds of edits drive you crazy?

If you hire freelance writers, what kinds of edits do you think are an issue?

Freelance Writing and Edits originally published at Freelance Writing Blog of ArcticLlama.com