Building Successful Freelancer-client Relationships

Today’s publishing landscape offers more opportunities than ever for freelancers and clients to work together. Major publishers, university presses, and small presses regularly hire freelancers to support every aspect of the publishing process. Many writers seek editorial services to develop their projects prior to submitting to an agent. Self-publishing authors avail themselves of expertise-for-hire at various points in the creative process, from research and fact-checking to project management, editing, proofreading, indexing, and book design. Freelancers might be called in on a short-term basis, or we might be engaged for longer-term projects. Whatever the scenario, a good-faith relationship between freelancer and client enhances both the editorial process and finished product. But how do we build that trust?