The Writer-Editor Relationship: The Sample Stage

Editors do not expect to be taken at their word. Previously, we stated that finding a good editor is like finding a good therapist. While there are a lot of good editors out there, what matters is that you find the right editor for you. 

We’ve described the sample stage as being part of the writer-editor relationship and that it’s advisable to get more than one sample for your project. 

Your sample should be about 5-10 pages of your work. Usually, it’s the beginning of your manuscript. Sometimes, writers will send over 5-10 pages of a section of their work that they struggled with to see how an editor might handle it. There’s nothing wrong with taking this approach, but be prepared to give context if necessary.

While some editors do charge a small fee for their samples, many editors (including us) give our samples for free.

So, why should you get more than one sample?

Your priority should be to find an editor who will complement your voice. Your work is not your editor’s. It is yours, and your editor should be your collaborator. Different editors, even if they have similar backgrounds and skill sets, will handle the same text differently.

Here’s what Purposeful Prose recommends:  

After you’ve received your edited sample, always take the time to communicate with the editor that you’ve sent it out to. If you get a stellar sample that fits your needs perfectly, that’s great! However, if you do have questions or concerns, make sure that you convey them, and ask for any rationale you might need. 

This communication will tell you everything you need to know about what working with that editor will be like. 

How do I know this would be a good strategy?

For a few years, I evaluated writing samples of varying subjects. These samples were approximately 15 pages in length. Each writer who completed a sample was provided with a prompt and a set of instructions. If the writer did well on their sample, they were brought on to work with us.

Essentially, I was a part of this company’s hiring process. I had to make sure that writers understood how to research, how to work with a style guide, and I had to make sure that their writing could represent our organization well. 

I would provide edits to the piece of writing, and I would send a message to the writer after I was done. A part of that message usually said something like: “For any edit that you disagree with or have questions about, respond to the comment directly! This will help us learn more about how you would work with an editor on a full project.” 

The writing sample didn’t have to be perfect for me to admit them. The determining factor was communication. How would the writer respond to comments and changes to their written work?

Below, I’ve written out two different scenarios with two different writers I worked with. Some details have been changed to keep anonymity. 

Scenario #1

A writer is given an outline, detailed instructions, and a prompt to write about. The writer takes about five days to complete the project.

Then, the editor jumps in and begins the evaluation process. The formatting is correct, the citations at the end of the piece are correct, everything seems to be in order so far. The text is promising, and I see that this writer is capable, but they’re using a lot of citations. Sources are great to have, but they shouldn’t be carrying your writing. The sources should be supporting the information the writer is giving. Most of the piece is this way, so they reach out to the writer. It takes a while for the writer to notice what the editor is pointing out, which is understandable. They’ve spent a long time perfecting this piece of writing. Once the writer sees where the editor is coming from, fixing it feels challenging, but the editor has a method that the writer can use to help them balance their research with their thoughts. 

The writer takes some time to employ the method. It takes a while to get used to, but with help and encouragement from the editor, they’re able to strike a good balance, and they’re more confident in what they have to say. 

We accepted this writer, and they have successfully completed many projects. It has been a pleasure to work with them. 

Scenario #2

Another writer is given an outline, detailed instructions, and a prompt. The writer takes about five days to complete the project.

Again, the editor begins the evaluation process. The formatting seems sound, and all of the parts that need to be there are there. The editor makes their positive notes and continues. The writing is good-quality, and it’s clear that the writer knows how to structure a sentence. This is important. Also, the sentences vary in length. Again, positive marks for the writer. 

Overall, the writing is good, but it’s missing citations. There are works listed in the bibliography, but the work is so distinct from the sources that it’s difficult to tell where the writer got this information. 

The editor gives the writer a great deal of praise for the quality of their writing. All the parts seem to be in order, but one of the requirements is for in-text citations. The editor points out that the sources are different from the sample to the point that it’s difficult to tell where the information comes from. 

The writer feels challenged by this, stating that they only added sources because the instructions told them to, not because they felt willing to use the research in their work. This was a problem because, if our projects require research and citations, we couldn’t rely on her writing skills alone to carry the project. Our clients would reject a project like that. 

We didn’t reject this writer because they weren’t capable. We rejected them because we needed a collaborator, and this wasn’t the type of communication that gave us the confidence we could rely on them. 

Let’s turn this around to you. 

Imagine you receive a sample from an editor, and there’s a choice they made that you disagree with. You ask them why they made that choice. Editors are, after all, humans and fallible. After learning their reasoning, you and that editor work together to find language that would best suit your project. With the editor’s insight and your topic knowledge, you figure out something that helps you present yourself well. 

Both you and the editor learn something from that exchange. That sounds like a great editor for you.

Any questions? Let us know if we can help you! Contact us to learn more, and let us know if we can complete a sample for you.