When it comes to choosing writers and editors for projects, you need the right person for the job. Not everyone can work with any kind of text. Some prefer working on fiction, for instance, while others are great at travel books. Certain areas are very specialized though. For example, if you're going to produce a book that engineers would use, you need an engineering technical writer and editor.
Obviously the best person for the job would be someone who knew something about the subject. However, engineers aren't necessarily your best choice because they don't always have the writing skills to produce great texts. It's much better to choose someone who can write well or who can edit a text to improve it, even if they don't know much about engineering.
One reason why engineers don't automatically make a good choice is that they may assume that their readers will already understand the concepts in the text. However, someone new to the field may not always know what certain terms mean. People with a background in writing and editing know this and will ensure that they explain every concept in a way that is easy to understand.
It's very important that the members of your team will know how to do research. Moreover, they should be prepared to do so and be willing to learn something new. They shouldn't just accept what one source says as fact but should cross-check different sources. If they can find ways to understand the different concepts, they'll be better able to explain these concepts in a way that will make it easier for their readers to grasp too.
Editors naturally need to be excellent at going through texts and correcting grammar and spelling. They should also be able to restructure sentences or even entire paragraphs to make the text as readable as possible. However, you can shave weeks off the production process by choosing an author who pays attention to spelling, grammar and structure too, since the editor will be able to get through the text more quickly. In addition, light edits cost much less than rewrites of texts.
One thing to remember is that because your writing and editing team don't necessarily know much about the subject, factual errors may slip through. In a text for engineers this can have disastrous consequences. Therefore, as an extra measure of quality control, find a subject specialist, in other words an engineer, to go through the edited text to ensure it's accurate. This person doesn't need to look at the language but simply at the content.
There are different ways to find good writers and editors who might have the background needed for your project. These days, a popular method is to look on job sites for freelancers. However, you'll find many people applying for the job and not all of them will be qualified. Therefore, carefully go through their profiles to see what kind of professional experience they have. Ask for short samples of their previous work and check their references.
Finally, it helps to remember that, as with all things in life, you get what you pay for. If you're not offering market-related rates, the good writers and editors won't be interested in working for you. However, pay well and set realistic deadlines and you might have your pick of people who will be a real asset to your project.
Obviously the best person for the job would be someone who knew something about the subject. However, engineers aren't necessarily your best choice because they don't always have the writing skills to produce great texts. It's much better to choose someone who can write well or who can edit a text to improve it, even if they don't know much about engineering.
One reason why engineers don't automatically make a good choice is that they may assume that their readers will already understand the concepts in the text. However, someone new to the field may not always know what certain terms mean. People with a background in writing and editing know this and will ensure that they explain every concept in a way that is easy to understand.
It's very important that the members of your team will know how to do research. Moreover, they should be prepared to do so and be willing to learn something new. They shouldn't just accept what one source says as fact but should cross-check different sources. If they can find ways to understand the different concepts, they'll be better able to explain these concepts in a way that will make it easier for their readers to grasp too.
Editors naturally need to be excellent at going through texts and correcting grammar and spelling. They should also be able to restructure sentences or even entire paragraphs to make the text as readable as possible. However, you can shave weeks off the production process by choosing an author who pays attention to spelling, grammar and structure too, since the editor will be able to get through the text more quickly. In addition, light edits cost much less than rewrites of texts.
One thing to remember is that because your writing and editing team don't necessarily know much about the subject, factual errors may slip through. In a text for engineers this can have disastrous consequences. Therefore, as an extra measure of quality control, find a subject specialist, in other words an engineer, to go through the edited text to ensure it's accurate. This person doesn't need to look at the language but simply at the content.
There are different ways to find good writers and editors who might have the background needed for your project. These days, a popular method is to look on job sites for freelancers. However, you'll find many people applying for the job and not all of them will be qualified. Therefore, carefully go through their profiles to see what kind of professional experience they have. Ask for short samples of their previous work and check their references.
Finally, it helps to remember that, as with all things in life, you get what you pay for. If you're not offering market-related rates, the good writers and editors won't be interested in working for you. However, pay well and set realistic deadlines and you might have your pick of people who will be a real asset to your project.
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