As a freelance writer, having a good relationship with your editor is not just key but absolutely vital. You need to be the one they think of when a story pops into their head or comes across their assignment desk. In order to stay at the forefront of their mind, you’ve got to wow them with your writing, of course, but also respect certain writer-editor rules. Because the quickest way to fizzle out your freelance career is to become a writer that gives an editor any kind of a headache.
1. Respond quickly to all correspondence
A lot of times, editors are up against the clock and might realize they need a piece turned around in an unusually small amount of time. For this reason, it’s important you’re available and accessible as often as possible. If you’re not the type who checks their email throughout the day, be prepared to have potential stories passed on to those who can chime in to a “LAST MINUTE COVERAGE NEEDED!” email thread faster than you.
2. Don’t go over word count
Everyone knows the downfall of the writer is finding your own work too precious to part with. Talk to the veterans and they’ll tell you it took years to be okay with articles getting sliced and diced by their editors. Remember that it’s not your publication and if you submit a piece over word count, you’ve just given your editor more work. For a stretched-thin editor looking to turn around copy in light speed (along with juggle 15 other responsibilities day-to-day), the last thing he or she wants is to have to trim down a piece that came in over word count. Respect the assignment you were given and your editor’s time.
3. Don’t half-ass it
Here’s the thing: most editors are also writers and because of that, they can smell bullshit. When you phone in a piece you’ve had plenty of time to work on, your editor can tell and, ultimately, so will the reader. And when your editor is forced to go in and jazz up a dull piece that you cranked out the morning of your deadline, you’ve just made them furrow his or her brow over you.
4. Excuses, excuses, excuses
Okay, so you blew your deadline. You got carried away with your week or mixed it up on your calendar. Just tell your editor the truth and let them know a) you’re sorry and b) you’re going to get it to them as fast as you can. Editors aren’t grade school teachers and shouldn’t be treated as such with over-the-top excuses about the power going out at your house or your girlfriend getting you sick. Missing deadline is a part of life but the quickest way to endear yourself to your editor is to be honest about it and let them know it won’t happen again.
5. Check your own work before sending
Sounds pretty reasonable, right? You wouldn’t believe the amount of copy that comes in from writers that’s filled with typos, grammatical errors, and all sorts of work left for the copy-editors. Thing is, these days not every publication even has a copy editor so you’ve just given your editor (yep, you guessed it!) more work. Spending time changing “their” to “they’re” from a writer who clearly knows the difference will shoot you so far to the bottom rung of your editor’s go-to list, you can’t even believe it.
