What Your Editor Needs to Know
Your editor knows what is on the page. You know what is happening behind it. If something affects how the document should be edited, tell them before they start.
A few useful details at the beginning can prevent unnecessary changes, questions and corrections later.
What Must Not Be Changed?
Some wording may already have been approved by Legal, management or a client. Product names, technical terminology, disclaimers and contractual wording may also have to remain exactly as supplied.
Mark it clearly so the editor knows it must not be changed.
What Is Still Changing?
A document may still contain provisional prices, unfinished sections, missing appendices or information waiting for approval.
Tell the editor which parts are still changing so they do not spend time editing material that is about to be replaced.
What Might Be Out of Date?
An old document is often used as the starting point for a new one. Prices change, people leave, services are renamed and policies are revised. Last year's report can easily become this year's report with one of last year's facts still hiding in it.
An editor may spot a date, name or figure that looks doubtful, but only the business can confirm whether it is still correct.
Who Can Answer Questions?
If two sections contain different figures, dates or instructions, the editor needs somebody who can say which is correct. This matters even more when several people or departments have contributed to the same document.
Decide who will answer editorial queries before the work begins.
Are There Restrictions?
The editor also needs to know about confidentiality and security. There may be rules about where files are stored, how they are sent, who may see them or which software can be used.
If a document contains sensitive client, financial, staff or commercial information, say so.
Send What Is Useful
If you have a company style guide, terminology list, previous publication or an approved example, send it. There is no point asking an editor to guess decisions the business has already made.
They do not need to know everything about your company. They need to know what matters to the document they are editing.
