From Contact to Contract: How Editors Get Clients to Work with Them, edited by Karin Cather, is the first in Editors Canada’s new series on the business of editing. In this short book, nine highly experienced editors offer their advice and perspectives on how to find clients and build agreements with them. The topics covered include the following:
- Cold calling
- Networking
- Applying for jobs effectively
- Building a relationship with a prospective client, including ways to build trust
- When and how to do a sample edit
- Deciding whether to accept a client or refer them to a colleague
- Estimating a project
Contents
- Introduction
- Evaluating the client
- How to respond to potential clients: Three case studies
- How to impress a client from the first email
- Considering the client’s needs
- Choosing clients based on mutual interests
- Sample edits: Are they necessary and should you charge for them?
- From another author’s perspective
- Closing the sale: A semi-cautionary tale
- Not closing the sale
- Conclusion
The book isn’t a textbook of how-to instructions for these skills, but instead focuses on strategies for making the best use of your time and showing yourself to your best advantage. I would recommend it for intermediate to advanced editors who are looking for ideas about how to sharpen up their business practices. I found a number of ideas for things I could do better.
Available as a paperback or ebook.
