Learn how to work with your editor as a freelancer, from billing issues to setting your basic working rules and guidelines, as well as great tips on how to deal with your editor and deadlines.

Video Transcription

Speaker: Hi, I am going to share with you a couple of tips on how to deal with your Editor. The first most important thing, even if it isn't something you want bring up is, talking about money and billing. You want to know how much you are getting, and how much they are willing to pay, whether it is by the hour, by the word, or just a month's sum. It is important that you determine that price with your editor, and you follow up with it in the billing process. This isn't something that necessarily happens directly with direct deposit. This is you creating the document, you creating the invoice, and you following up with the account department, to make sure that you get paid. Income tax time, you've got lots to deal with, but that's another story. Time is another issue that you should be worried about. Time and deadline is something that you would be talking about with your editor, and you would want to know what it is that they really want to do, and not just a tentative idea. And it is important that you meet those deadlines, that you give things in a correct word counts, and that you are giving them exactly what they want with enough time to do a rewrite. Very important thing to talk about with your editor is the ethic of the publication. You need to know what they find acceptable, and what they do not find acceptable. Are you able accept gifts, or are you able to accept trips, or are you able to accept products in order to help with the process of reporting and writing out your story. Last, the most important thing I think, you need to make your sources aware of, is off the record. There is no such thing as off the record. This is a relationship between you and your sources, and you should make it clear to them that whatever they say to you, doesn't legally -- you are not legally bound to them, that, they can keep that as secrete. However, if you want to be able to interview those people again, you might want to respect their wishes. But no, off the record is not the option.