explore | Grilled Cheese

#StetChat | A6: Let them know the vulnerabilities I see and give them options for making repairs. I'm an editor, so giving feedback is my forte, after all! :D

#StetChat A4
I'd try to have a conversation with them about why they're rejecting all my suggestions. It's perfectly okay for the author to find alternative solutions, but if none of my suggestions work for them, maybe I'm not the best match. 1/3

I very quickly realized that I had no interest in coaching, thankfully I never positioned myself as a coach. I prefer not having a lot of meetings or phone calls, but I know plenty of editors who are awesome coaches. #StetChat

#StetChat This goes double for inexperienced writers. Getting that first book done is so often a herculean lift. If this helps somebody write their memoir or what have you, fine. (That's what venting away from the client is for, I would think.)

#StetChat I actually had a kind of jokey answer for this because people can do whatever they want if they pay me, but actually, I want to push back on this a little. Writing is hard, especially in this day and age. If talking to me helps them at least think about their writing, I'm game.

A5: I've sent a personalized version of this email to writers who have reached out and asked for a copyedit or proofread.

I explain gently that their manuscript is not ready and explain what next steps I'd recommend they take.

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#StetChat Okay, I was going to say the same thing and I'm glad it's not just me. I'm basically in this exact situation, though luckily it's mostly me setting a timer for her to write versus active coaching. But even otherwise... it's their money, and I would like it to be my money. 😅

Hi Michael! Glad to have you here. Merriam-Webster is my favorite dictionary (and yes, I do have a preference!).

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Q6: A self-publishing author you’re working with wants your feedback on their book cover…that they designed themself with a combo of ChatGPT and Microsoft Paint. It’s comically awful. What do you do?

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A2 pt 3. & in addition to the rate increase, I would let them know that there is, of course, absolutely zero tolerance for any more lying/AI use moving forward (how we'd work together would also probably change to increase transparency). Bc I get making a mistake, but don't lie to me pls!

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If it's someone I've been working with for years, I might give them a little more leeway and try to get to the root of what's going on, because I know it's rough out there. But I'm also not sure if I could ever trust them again. 🤔 #StetChat

Great point. Filling out a form is less daunting than figuring out how to word a long email. #StetChat

A2 pt 2. what I found, & I'd reiterate our previous conversations about AI (or our contract paperwork.) It'd be v hard for me to reestablish trust, esp if it's been yrs of collab. If they were v apologetic & really wanted to keep working together, tbh I'd probably do it but raise my rates. #StetChat

A5c: Sometimes the author refuses to order a higher level of editing. But, thankfully, I’ve mainly had authors agree with me that their game needed more work, and be willing to have me do a developmental edit first. #StetChat 3/3

A5b: What I did in those instances was to send the author a detailed email laying out my concerns and offering to do a developmental edit instead of a proofread. This does mean that the client would need to spend more time and money on their game. #StetChat 2/3

A5a: I have worked on TTRPGs where the author thought all the game needed was a proofread, and I might have initially assumed that to be the case as well based on a test edit, but then I discovered that the underlying structure was faulty. #StetChat 1/3

I remember checking and re-checking my email throughout the day. This was when I was just getting my start, so I didn't have another paying project to work on. But I'm glad I eventually fired him. #StetChat