Freelance Editorial Association News, Summer 1991 Volume 7, Number 3
Cornelia Bland Wright
One editor calls you for another freelance assignment; another doesn't. Was the second client unhappy with your work? Being an editorial freelancer has many advantages, but isolation and the lack of peer review aren't among them. Many staff editors either don't realize that you'd like a professional assessment of your work or don't have the time to do it spontaneously. It's up to you, the freelancer, to establish the channels of communication that make it happen.
Constructive feedback can help you feel more confident about your skills at a number of stages of your career. Whereas you might feel that you need client feedback more as a new freelancer than when you're established, assessments of your work can also be valuable when you have moved to a new area, are working with a new client, are trying to break into a specialized field or type of publication, or want to negotiate for a better rate.
Feedback plays a part in every step of the freelancer-client relationship, from marketing yourself through completing the job. Keep in mind that many clients don't have the time to give you unsolicited feedback. You can make the task easier for them.
Clients Come First
When you approach new clients, stress the importance of understanding their needs and of building long-term relationships. For example, you might carefully review a publisher's house style and call with questions as you begin an assignment. Editors who also want to make this arrangement work will respond positively.
Gather Information, the More the Better
Get all the information you can before starting the job. You might ask for a house style sheet, type specs, data about the target audience, a sample publication, and detailed instructions about the level of editing or writing desired. In the process, you're asking for feedback about your understanding of the task at hand and sending the message that you take the job seriously.
Check In
Sending back the first part of a job before you finish the project is an essential step with any new client or new type of work. By checking in like this, you have the opportunity to make sure that you are meeting the client's needs at all levels.
Be Specific
Breaking up your requests for feedback into small parts helps the in-house editor focus on the things you most want to know about. Frequent contact also brings out misunderstandings or areas in which you aren't meeting the client's needs—for example, you might be using codes that aren't house approved—before these mishaps become serious problems. Dealing with problems early on, when you can rectify matters, is a lot easier on your ego.
Was the editor satisfied with your treatment of style, punctuation, or the way you handled design specs, coding, tables, and other peripherals? What was the author's reaction to your work? What did the proofreader catch? Put these queries in the letter you send back with the finished project and suggest that the staff editor write a response directly on your letter and send a copy back to you.
Choose a Mentor
Ask a client you respect about becoming your mentor. Explain your goal, whether it's improving your existing skills, moving into a new field, finding more work, or something else entirely.
Don't Wait Until the Job Is Over
Asking for feedback after you've returned a job can be embarrassing. The strategies listed here are designed to help you avoid ending up in this situation. Even at a late date, however, do use these strategies to approach the issue as one professional to another.
Always keep in mind that unconstructive feedback is generally unsolicited. Clients will see your openness about requesting feedback as a sign that you want to meet their needs and maintain high standards, and they'll generally respond constructively. Some clients will be relieved because they haven't developed the skill of giving feedback—they do so only when they are very unhappy with a freelancer's work and don't plan on working with that person again. When you use feedback techniques successfully, you can generate a constructive dialogue that will help you develop new skills, assess your growth in your field, and earn more respect as a professional.
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