How to Make Your Editor's Job Easier
Freelancers are always looking for ways to score recurring gigs. Creating a lasting relationship with your editor is a great way to keep the assignments rolling in.
There are a few basic things you can do right off the bat: be timely, courteous and professional. Be honest and open if you can’t make a deadline. And most importantly: make sure that your article is thoroughly fact checked:
Chandra Turner, executive editor of Parents magazine, says that nothing drives an editor crazier than reading a wonderful piece and having it fall apart in fact checking. “[Writers] should source all their content. Have your backup for everything that you’ve written.” [Elena Mauer, deputy editor of The Bump, print and online] emphasizes the importance of fact checking too. “Make sure you talk to an expert, or you’ve looked up a study or you have some sort of a credible resource that says this is true.”
For more freelancer advice, including how to create a killer pitch, read: What Editors Really Want From Writers.
The full version of this article is exclusively available to Mediabistro AvantGuild subscribers. If you’re not a member yet, register now for as little as $55 a year for access to hundreds of articles like this one, discounts on Mediabistro seminars and workshops, and all sorts of other bonuses.
