Hilary has worked with most of her clients previously, or they come to her via referrals; if not, she researches them thoroughly. “I ask, does this align with my skills? Would taking it be a disservice to the client? I refuse a job if I think it won’t benefit them,” she explained.
 
Lynette said, “When I receive queries for bids, I ask lots of questions!” Particularly regarding the type of editing they want, since her specialty is copyediting; other types of editing jobs are sent elsewhere. She also asks prospective clients how they found out about her company in order to track advertising effectiveness and to acknowledge referrals.
 
Most of Anita’s new clients find her via word of mouth. When considering a prospective job, she factors in the time it takes to educate a new client on levels of editing and editing methods, turnaround times, and total number of pages. If the project would not be profitable—if it’s too long or tedious, or from an unskilled writer who needs excessive time for explanations—she declines it.
 
Formulating Bids and Quotes
Hilary, who primarily writes articles, pointed out that when working in a creative space, all the real work is done upfront. To come up with an estimate, she mentally visualizes the entire project before estimating the time required. She makes sure to include plenty of time for research, which can be significant. Given her body of already-published materials, she doesn’t need to provide a sample. She advised asking as many questions as possible, and making sure you understand the project well enough to be able to explain it to someone else.