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usmediapro2
Community Member

BEST PRACTICES EDITING IS TO REQUIRE WRITING SAMPLE

As every editor/proofreader/copy editor knows, it is IMPOSSIBLE to give any kind of hard estimate for a given work if you cannot read a sample of the text. This applies to every iteration of manuscript/content in this area. There are other platforms that simply put in the sample text as a requirement for potential clients completing the form. Please follow suit here. Low-hanging fruit. Saves your freelancer wasted connects. Saves clients wasted interactions. Please adopt best practices and require sample text to complete job descriptions.

4 REPLIES 4
PradeepH
Moderator
Moderator

Hi Michael,

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. I'll pass this along to the appropriate team for review.

 

Thank you.

Pradeep.

Upwork
wescowley
Community Member


michael s wrote:

As every editor/proofreader/copy editor knows, it is IMPOSSIBLE to give any kind of hard estimate for a given work if you cannot read a sample of the text. This applies to every iteration of manuscript/content in this area. There are other platforms that simply put in the sample text as a requirement for potential clients completing the form. Please follow suit here. Low-hanging fruit. Saves your freelancer wasted connects. Saves clients wasted interactions. Please adopt best practices and require sample text to complete job descriptions.

I don't think this is the solution. Many clients are reluctant to share their material publicly on a job post, and rightly so. And even a sample isn't usually enough for a firm quote, because you can't rely on the estimated word or page counts or that the quality of the full thing matches the sample.

 

What I do is state in my proposal that the bid is an estimate or placeholder and that I'll give a firm quote once I review the full document. I rarely have a problem with this approach,and when I do, I take it as at least a yellow flag.

Hey, Wes, thanks for the response. Yes, this is what I do on this platform. But, guess what? On other platforms where the expectation is that the client MUST supply some kind of writing sample, it is actually not a problem. I've signed a fair number of NDAs in my time here, and, as might be your experience, I often don't see what the big deal is. If Upwork builds in the expectation, then the client is obligated to show something. In other situations, I have had clients share a title page or some such with a note about the sensitivity of proposed material, which I respect. Most of the time, however, there is no immiment risk of theft of IP. It would just save to much time and eliminate so many Lookie Lous. Anything to separate the wheat from the chaff as early as possible. 

 

Best, Michael

The problem is that this is not a writing or editing platform.

 

This is a general freelancer platform that allows users to post jobs for editors, proofreaders, etc.

 

Most jobs posted here are not for editors.

 

Upwork is not going to modify the process of posting jobs to accommodate every imaginable niche job category. It is not workable to do so.

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