We've all had them: clients who question everything and want to know the rules to back up our corrections. Most of them mean well and are likely attention-to-detail people who want to learn from our expertise. However, they can sometimes increase our stress level.

Here are a few tips for dealing with picky clients while doing a great job of proofreading or editing for them:

• Give yourself plenty of lead time: If you’ve been tracking your time and know approximately how quickly you typically proofread or edit for that client, build in some extra time to complete the job. Set a goal to finish the file at least a day earlier than expected. This will allow time to double-check a few problem areas of the file or read certain portions twice if needed.

• Slow down: Rushing can cause us to miss errors. Read the file aloud, read from the bottom up, or read the lines from right to left—whatever helps you do a thorough job.

• Stay alert: Proofread or edit the file during the time of day that you’re most alert and can work for a chunk of time without distractions.

• Question everything: If you have any doubt about the spelling of a word, the punctuation of a phrase, or a name listed in the file, take the time to look it up.

• Consider using digital tools to double-check the file: If you don’t run your files through a digital proofreading or editing tool after you’ve read it yourself, I encourage you to do so. I use Microsoft Word Editor, Grammarly, and PerfectIt (a tool that can check for consistency in your files).

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Remember this tip: Treat every client like a picky client. Excellent proofreaders and editors follow the steps listed above for every client, not just the picky ones. We should have as high a work ethic for the picky clients as we do for the not-so-picky ones.

Have you ever had a picky client? What other tips do you have for doing a great job of proofreading or editing for them?

To your success,
Julie from The Proofreader Greenhouse

P.S. If you'd like to read the other articles in The Watering Can, click here. 💦

How to Win Over a Picky Proofreading Client