How sample edits help writers trust editors and proofreaders

What is a sample edit? 

A sample edit is a short example of edited work that shows a writer how an editorial professional works – their approach, style and level of intervention. 

The length of a sample edit can vary from just a few paragraphs to a few thousand words depending on what the editor wants to show and the writer wants to see. 

Pricing varies too. Some editors and proofreaders provide free samples, while others charge for them. Sometimes an editorial professional will charge for the sample, but deduct the cost from the final invoice if the writer chooses them to work on the full project. 

Why sample edits help writers 

Sourcing a professional editor or proofreader is easy. Sourcing a good-fit professional editor is more of a challenge because of the subjective nature of the work.  

Here are three reasons why a sample edit will help you as a writer find an editor you can trust, and feel like you’re in control. 

1. Choosing an editorial professional based on results 

Unlike the legal, finance and medical professions, there’s no industry regulator when it comes to editing and proofreading. Anyone can decide to do this work, and no one can be barred from doing as a result of underperformance. 

That doesn’t need to be a barrier. Asking for a sample edit helps see the editing in action, and that means you can decide who’s a good fit based on results rather than regulations.  

2. Choosing an editorial professional based on style 

Editorial work is subjective. Editors and proofreaders have to use their human judgement to decide whether and how to intervene. 

For example, what might at first sight appear to be an unintentional error could be a deliberate a stylistic choice on the writer’s part. Then again, an editor might suggest an amendment that would improve pacing, flow or emotional resonance even though there are no obvious problems with conventional grammar, punctuation and spelling. 

Asking for a sample edit helps you move beyond just the technicalities and make choices based on an editorial professional’s stylistic approach. 

3. Choosing an editorial professional based on skill 

There are multiple levels of editing, including: 

• Coaching: This is big-picture feedback, guidance and collaboration rather than direct revision. It helps writers improve their ideas, structure and voice. 
• Developmental editing: This is big-picture revision to a text’s structure and pacing to strengthen its overall effectiveness. 
• Stylistic line editing: This is sentence-level revision that focuses on sense, clarity, rhythm and emotion. 
• Copyediting: This is sentence-level revision that focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, consistency, accuracy and clarity. 
• Proofreading: This is sentence-level quality control that catches remaining typos, formatting errors, and minor mistakes before publication.

One of the challenges for writers trying to source an editor is that editors define their services in ways that don’t always match precisely with the list above. And not all editors have the skills to offer all of these services. 

Asking for a sample edit helps you move beyond definitions and assess the whether the editor has the skills you want and can demonstrate them in your text.  

Why sample edits help editorial professionals  

Sample edits are useful tools for editors and proofreaders, too, because not every editorial professional is the perfect candidate for every editing job.  

Here are three reasons why providing a sample-editing service will help you as an editor, and make sure you’re taking on good-fit work. 

1. Showing rather than telling editorial skills 

Lots of editors have a list of qualifications on their websites. That list is a useful tool that tells an author that you’re trustworthy. However, that list is all about you. 

Offering a sample edit, on the other hand, is about the writer, because it shows them that you’re seeking to earn their trust rather than asking them to assume your trustworthiness as given. 

2. Assessing whether your skills are a good match 

If you’ve worked for a client previously, you’ll already have a good idea of how your skill set matches their needs. When you’re considering working with a new client, you’re still in the process of working this out. 

Doing a sample edit enables you to review the writer’s style and voice, assess whether the service they’ve requested matches the service you think they need, and provide them with feedback on your observations. 

Think of it as the start of the conversation, one that will determine whether you both take the next step with confidence, or whether you agree to go your separate ways. 

3. Ensuring the pricing model works 

Deciding whether a piece of editorial work is priced appropriately can be critical for deciding whether to take on a job. Working out what your hourly rate will be is easier when you’ve got historical data to work with. With new clients, that data’s missing. 

The sample edit is the perfect opportunity to collect information on how long it will take you to do what’s required, and then calculate what price you need to set or whether the price the client’s offered you is acceptable or needs negotiating. 

Case study: Earning trust with a sample edit 

I’m stylistic line editor who specialises in working with indie authors of crime fiction, mysteries and thrillers. 

An author contacted me about providing editorial support for their first novel. They told me in their introductory email that they felt fearful about sharing their work with others, and extremely nervous about being edited. 

Initially they asked me to quote for a stylistic line edit, but made it clear that they were very keen to preserve their distinct style of writing. 

They sent me a few chapters to review, and from those it was evident to me that their writing style was indeed distinct … so much so that I was worried that my line editing service would be far too invasive. 

The solution I came up with was to offer two very short sample edits – one a stylistic line edit, the other a proofread. This would allow them to compare how each type of intervention would: 

• affect their work 
• make them feel. 

I also made it clear that they could walk away and choose someone else if neither of the approaches I’d offered in the samples sat well with them. 

That alone generated an initial excellent outcome: the author was incredibly grateful that I’d respected their feelings and given them choices – including to walk away. It meant we’d taken the first step on the trust ladder. 

After reviewing both sample edits, they told me how comfortable they felt with my stylistic line edit, even though it was more interventionist. It gave them the confidence to book that service because they knew exactly what shape it would take and how it would make them feel.  

That was the second step on the trust ladder. 

It was a great start to our working relationship, and meant we both came to the full project knowing that we were a good writer–editor fit. 

5 tips for writers sourcing an editor 

Here are five quick tips for any writer who’s getting ready to ask editors or proofreaders for sample edits:  

1. Tell the editor what problems you hope they can solve (eg overwriting, punctuation, pacing) rather than specifying a particular service. 
2. Ask the editor to confirm what they charge before you agree to anything – that includes prices for sample edits, full edits and deposits. 
3. Let the editor know what types of editing (if any) have already been carried out prior to your contacting them. 
4. Get samples from several editors or proofreaders so you can compare their approaches. 
5. Walk away if you don’t feel the editorial professional is a good fit after you’ve reviewed their sample. It’s your writing and you have the right to choose. 

5 tips for editorial professionals doing sample editing 

And here are five quick tips for any editor or proofreader who’s about to embark on a sample edit:  

1. Be mindful of the writer’s emotional connection to their writing. They may be excited about being edited, but they may be nervous too. 
2. Position the sample edit as a demonstration of your approach, rather than a critique of their work. 
3. If you offer multiple services, consider offering two different sample approaches to help them compare how different types of editing affect the changes you suggest. 
4. Make sure your various services are clearly defined because not all writers will be familiar with editorial terminology, and not all editors or proofreaders use the same terminology. 
5. Give the writer explicit permission to not choose you – the goal is always a good fit.

How to find editors 

If you’re looking for professional editors or proofreaders – people with which you can discuss your project and explore – via a sample edit – how they work, and how their work makes you feel, take a look at the CIEP’s Directory.