How to communicate with a proofreader or editor

When you use a proofreading or editing service as a student, you want to ensure everything goes right the first time.

However, if things go wrong when you’re using editing services, what’s the best way to communicate with your editor and let them know?

Professional editors and proofreaders are usually very busy, which means that they do not necessarily read correspondence or instructions carefully. This may also be true if you are criticising their work, or letting them know you were not satisfied with some aspect of their writing or proofreading.

It is worthwhile to note that this is the case with all professionals who are dealing with multiple tasks from day to day, and it is valuable to have the communication skills to deal with such situations.

Therefore, in order to communicate smoothly with your proofreader or editor on any matter ranging from low-quality work to arranging a deadline, this article highlights a few tips you can use for your next proofreading or proofreading service.

Image: A lot of the time, communication lies at the heart of good editing

Stay on track

Keep your communications with your proofreader or editor light, quick, and to the point.

If you’re contacting to enquire about a proofreader’s availability, do it in a precise and quick way. Say, if you want to know ifthe proofreader will work with you on an upcoming project, you can write that in the subject line of an email: “New Proofreading Task, 24 hours, 8,000 words.”

Then, in the body of the email, you can attach the document with other details about the proofreading task.

This type of clean and to-the-point communication is useful not only for proofreaders or editors but also for the users of editing services.

Image: Keep your communications quick and light

Bold and underline

When you write emails to proofreaders and editors to enquire about services, availability, and lodge complaints, styling your email can help you get a quicker response.

For example, if you use bold text, italics, and underline – don’t overdo it! – this can draw the reader’s attention to key parts of your text. If you use too much of either one, this can ruin the effect altogether.

If you’re trying to work with a popular and in-demand proofreader, for instance, you can embolden text in your email such as the word count, document type, or subject area.

This will help the proofreader navigate your email, which will increase their likelihood of responding.

Image: Format your text to have a strong impact

Don’t be afraid to phone

Proofreaders and editors are good writers and preparers of files and documents, but they are also usually well-spoken and good communicators, too.

For this reason, you should never be afraid to call your proofreader if there is anything you’re unsure about. Whether you are considering making an order or whether you’ve already ordered an editing service, your editor should always be happy to offer advice over the phone.