Writing for an audience? Always include editing in your project budget.

… there are different kinds of editors just as there are different forms of editing. Know what you want done to your copy.

Here’s the thing about editing. Anyone who writes text and sends it out into the world needs it reviewed. That makes how many of us in a day? Seriously, I can’t count that high.

For all of your projects that carry text, consider allocating resources toward revisions. This includes investing the dollars as well as spending time to work with an editor to get the copy’s readability where you need it to be. Reason being: think how disorganized writing or one-too-many misspelled words can turn people off. You lose them quickly. The next time you build your project budget, include editing. It’s an investment with returns.

Here’s something to know when seeking an editor: there are different kinds of editors just as there are different forms of editing. Know what you want done to your copy. There’s developmental editing,  structural editing, stylistic editing, copy editing, proofreading and more. Finally, it’s definitely worth knowing that  many skilled editors follow standards. Check out the Professional Editorial Standards 2016 for a good idea of what clients can expect and what editors should be doing.