Choosing an editor and creating a team

First up, you don’t need to choose an editor. When you create a job, it goes into a queue and a suitable editor will claim it when they are free. Most often you’ll get a good experience. Sometimes, though, you won’t because the editor wasn’t in tune with what you want, because they didn’t have the right background or for some other reason.

Wordy has over a hundred editors. They have a wide range of experience and degrees in various subjects (see below), so we almost certainly have an editor or two who is right for you. While saying that, editing, given the elusive nature of English grammar, is somewhat subjective. You may find that one editor works the way you like while another doesn’t.

If you are new to Wordy, I recommend that you go with the flow and let different editors work on your jobs. That may work well for you or it may not. You may not like how some editors work, whereas you may be really pleased with what others can do to your material.

There are various ways you can manage who can edit your documents.

First, you can block editors. Blocked editors can’t see your jobs and can’t work on them. This is the simplest solution, and it still gives you access to the large pool of Wordy editors.

Next, you can add a comment to your job, such as “Reserved for Jonathan”. Our editors will respect your wishes and leave the job for the named editor. But what if Jonathan isn’t immediately available? The job will sit there indefinitely. You may find that after some hours, other editors drop by and leave a note asking if they can claim it. If you’re happy to wait for the named editor to become available, then you can add a note saying so. Otherwise, you could open the job up by adding a second message. The downside is that once an editor has seen the original comment stating that the job is reserved, they won’t necessarily go back and see a later message making it open, so you could cancel the job (which refunds your Wordy account) and create a new job with no “reserved for” message. With such jobs, it can be useful sending your preferred editor a message through a previous job they have done for you to ask about their availability.

The other option is to create a team. Teams can be locked or unlocked. If the team is locked, only editors in the team can see your jobs and claim them. If it is unlocked, the team members will see your job first. If none of them claims it, the job will be opened up (I think it’s after 45 minutes), and all other editors will be able to see it (except blocked editors, of course).

The big disadvantage of a locked job is if none of your editors are available within your time frame, especially if you have a small team. You can check their availability individually by sending them messages through previous jobs they have done for you.

If you create a team, I recommend leaving it unlocked and blocking editors you prefer not to work with.

Below is a list of some of the subjects that our editors have degrees in. Note that most editors will work on more than one subject. Someone with experience of economics, for example, may be comfortable working on material related to finance, business, sociology and so on. I have degrees in physics and maths, but I also specialise in subjects such as IT, electronics, mechanical engineering, astronomy and the like. I’ve also worked extensively on fiction, resumes, emails and many other things. The same is true for all our editors, so don’t put too much emphasis on their qualifications.

• anthropology
• biochemistry
• biology
• business management
• chemistry
• classics
• communications
• computer science
• creative writing
• ecology
• economics
• economic history
• education
• engineering
• English
• film studies
• fine arts in graphic design
• gender studies
• graphic design
• history
• history of art
• history of science
• information systems engineering
• international studies and political science
• journalism
• jurisprudence
• law
• liberal arts
• library and information science
• linguistics
• literature
• literary translation
• marketing
• mass communications
• maths
• music
• neuropsychology
• neuroscience
• philosophy
• physics
• political science
• PPE
• psychology
• science and technology journalism
• social sciences
• social work
• sociology
• theatre arts
• writing and publishing

Help! My editor really messed up

There can be a number of reasons for this:

• The download failed.
• The upload failed.
• Your editor did not have the right experience for the job.
• You uploaded the wrong document.
• Your editor uploaded the wrong document.
• Your expectations were out of sync with what Wordy does.
• Your brief was unclear, so what your editor thought you wanted was not what you wanted.
• Your text was impenetrable and your editor did a got job of turning it into readable prose even if the intended meaning has totally changed.
• Your editor was experiencing life: their cat got eaten by a shark, they just got diagnosed with cancer, their became a born-again Christian, …
• Your editor is an idiot.
• Whatever

So what do you do now?

First, don’t panic because we have plenty of other editors and we also offer a moneyback guarantee. Jobs can also be cancelled, which refunds your Wordy account, so you have several options.

Start by sending your editor a message. The main thing is to be specific. Don’t just tell them that they messed up. Tell them how they messed up. (“It is UK English but the brief says to use -ize endings in words like ‘criminalize’. Can you change it all back?”)

Then give your editor a chance to respond, either with a message or a new version of the edited document. They may have a valid reason for what they did. They may have misread the brief. Often you will find that this approach works well, and everyone lives happily ever after.

If your editor is being awkward or taking too long (taking into account time zones), you can ask for a re-edit, which forces the editor to respond. In terms of workflow, this transfers the job back to them, which means that you can’t cancel it until the editor responds. The editor can then respond by delivering the job again or by cancelling it. Your editor will cancel the job if they feel that they are no longer the right person for it. Editors don’t get paid for cancelled jobs, so they are generally reluctant to cancel. There’s advice on what to do if your editor cancels the job here. If it is cancelled to the queue, another editor will have the chance to claim it. However, note that the message dialogue may taint the job so that another editor will be unwilling to take a risk on it. If the job is cancelled to you, your Wordy account will be refunded. In that case, cancel the job yourself and create another job with the same document and brief, possibly revised in light of the original editor’s comments, if any.

If your job is urgent and your editor is taking too long to respond, then try the following. First, quickly review the document and the brief. Are they ok? If not, make some changes. Then, block the editor, and create a new job with the document and the brief. This means that another editor can work on your job. See how that goes. You may have to cancel one job later, ask for a re-edit or have to claim a refund because the same job has been done twice.

To claim based on the moneyback guarantee, send an email to support@wordy.com, preferably with a link to the job. Explain what went wrong and how you tried to get things resolved.

If you need more advice, feel free to get in touch.

No one has claimed my job. It’s late. Why? What should I do?

Although Wordy has a sizable team of editors, a job will only be claimed when a suitable editor is available. At peak times, it can be competitive among editors and jobs are picked up almost immediately; at other times, jobs can sit for an hour or two before being claimed.

There are several factors that affect how quickly a job is claimed:

• Variant of English: Many of our editors work office hours in their time zone. So, jobs posted late in the day may take longer to get claimed than jobs posted during the working day.
• Subject matter: Technical jobs need the right editor. We have editors with a range of specialities, so you just need to wait until the right one becomes available.
• File type: Most editors will work with standard document formats such as DOCX and PDF. More specialist formats, such as TEX (LaTeX), require a more specialist editor.
• Size of the job: It’s easy for an editor to slot a small job into what they’re already doing. Longer jobs (5000+ words) will need to be scheduled.
• Style guide: These are great for ensuring consistency across your documents. However, if a job is small (<500 words), a lengthy style guide can be off-putting for an editor, especially one who hasn’t worked for you before.
• Time of day, day of week, time of year: Jobs posted on a holiday can take longer to get claimed.
• Special requirements
• What needs done, etc.

If a job isn’t claimed within an hour or so, don’t panic. It may just mean that no editors are currently available. Cancelling and reposting it will put it to the back of the queue. However, note that some jobs are not claimed because of a locked team or for some other reason. If live help is available, seek guidance there or email support@wordy.com.

For more on how long jobs take, read here.

Why was my job cancelled? What should I do now?

There are several reasons why editors cancel a job. Jobs can be cancelled to the queue, which makes them available to other editors again, or to the client, which means the job is no longer in the queue (and no longer visible to any editor). If a job is cancelled to the client, the client’s Wordy account is refunded. To claim a refund back to your card, please email support@wordy.com.

So, why do editors sometimes cancel a job?

At certain times of the day, we can have several editors, all hungry for work, monitoring the job queue. In theory, they are meant to review the document before claiming it. In practice, that can mean that the job is claimed by someone else and they lose out. So, some editors claim jobs and then review them. If they subsequently discover that they are not the right editor for the material, they will cancel the job and return it to the job queue. This seems to be the most common reason for jobs getting cancelled. When a job is cancelled back to the queue, the editor may leave a note to explain why or they may do so silently.

In most cases, this doesn’t taint the job and another editor will soon come along and claim it. However, if an editor leaves a negative comment about the job, that may deter other editors from working on it. When a job is tainted in this way, you have a couple of options. You can leave the job in the queue and hope for the best. Or you can cancel the job yourself, which refunds your Wordy account. At this point, you may want to address the editor’s comments by making changes to the document or to your brief. Whether you make changes or not, when you repost the job, it will have a clean edit history, making it more likely to be claimed.

There are several reasons why jobs are cancelled to the client. This can happen if the job is not doable, for example, if it’s not in English or if the text is embedded in graphics and not selectable. Making changes to the document or the brief may fix the issue, so that you can repost it. If you feel the editor has been unreasonable, you can post again without making changes or you can send it to support@wordy.com for them to review.

Here’s summary of why an editor might cancel a job that is doable:

• They are not familiar with the material. This usually applies to technical documents, such as theses. Some clients mention in the brief what the document is about, which can be helpful for editors reviewing the job.
• The document is  in a format that the editor doesn’t work with, such as LaTeX. Don’t worry, as another editor will be able to work with that format.
• The editor got confused. For some reason, they think the job is much harder than it actually is.
• The job needs more time than the editor expected. This may be because a rewrite is required. In any case, if the editor thinks that they cannot complete it within the estimated delivery time, they may cancel the job.
• Something unexpected has happened, and your editor is no longer available. This is a rare occurrence, but we are human, so please bear with us.

As noted above, a doable job cancelled to the queue with no negative comments will usually be quickly claimed by another editor keen to do the work.

Here are some reasons why an editor might cancel a job that is not doable:

• The job is not in English.
• The document has been corrupted.
• The text is embedded in graphics and not editable (especially with PDFs).
• The client’s instructions are confusing or don’t match what is in the document.
• The client is asking for something that is too difficult to achieve, especially in the timescale or for the price.
• The client has asked for a service that we don’t provide. We don’t translate. We don’t write content.

If a job is deemed not to be doable, then making changes to the document or the brief may fix the issue. If so, you can repost it.

What does Wordy do? Can you help me with my report? Can you teach me English?

What Wordy does not do

Please note that we do not offer a teaching or tutorial service. Wordy is a proofreading and copy-editing service. So, we can help you with your report or other document, but we won’t write a manuscript for you. Wordy editors do not create content from scratch or from a template. They will not expand your text significantly or provide a substantial amount of new material. Wordy editors do not check facts or do research. They do not complete incomplete references or cross-check references. Also, copywriting is not within the scope of rewriting. If you need something translated, try Transfluent.

The content, the facts and the logic are all the author’s responsibility.

Having said that, our editors do do a lot of other things. We offer two levels of service.

Standard service

The standard service includes correcting grammar, punctuation and formatting. Our editors will ensure that words are used correctly. They will check documents for internal consistency and that they have a coherent logical structure. This may include cross-checking between text, figures and tables. They will look out for repetition. They will make sure the text flows smoothly and that paragraphs and sentences have an appropriate size (neither too big nor too small). They may apply the standard styles in MS Word (heading 1, heading 2, etc.).

Wordy editors will always provide corrections for incorrect or nonstandard grammar or usage. They will sometimes reorder or consolidate sentences. Occasionally, they may suggest reordering paragraphs, although larger-scale reorganisation, particularly of long documents, will usually require a rewrite. This process is often called copy-editing or line editing.

Our editors can change references from one style to another or reformat a document according to your specifications, but if there are more than a few references or the document to be formatted is more than a page or two, the job should be entered as a content rewrite.

Most Wordy jobs are standard edits. If you’re unsure as to whether a standard edit or rewrite is required, you can check with sales@wordy.com, or just create the job as a standard edit. Once an editor has claimed the job and had a good look at it, they will then decide whether it needs a rewrite rather than a standard edit. They will discuss this with you, and you will have three options:

1. Continue with the standard edit but resulting in a document that is far from perfect.

2. Upgrade to a rewrite at the higher cost.

3. Cancel the job.

Rewriting

A content rewrite is a more substantive edit than a standard Wordy edit. For a content rewrite, your Wordy editor will substantially reword and reorganise your content to improve consistency, flow and readability. They may, if requested, condense a document to a given word count. This process is what many editors call a substantive edit. We do intrusive editing, which means editors will rewrite sentences but flag if major rewriting of entire passages is needed.

When you request a content rewrite, you need to provide a brief message telling the editor exactly what you’re looking for, including information regarding any length limits or other restrictions and requirements.

Common reasons for a rewrite include substantial rewording (e.g., because it was written by someone whose first language is not English), paraphrasing (e.g. to avoid plagiarism or because it was written by AI), reducing the word count (please indicate final word count), reformatting (e.g. to a template), restructuring (moving paragraphs and sentences into a more coherent order and adding headings, if necessary) and restyling references (please supply the format). A rewrite may be suitable for text that has been translated or written by someone who isn’t fluent in English. You should also request a content rewrite if you require any significant work beyond the scope of a standard edit, such as reformatting a long document or restyling references.

Reducing the word count by more than about 10% to 20% is fairly brutal. Unless the text is excessively verbose or contains a lot of repetition, such a large reduction in size will usually mean deleting content, such as whole sentences or paragraphs. So, you may wish to make such major changes yourself and then pass it to Wordy for a final brush-up or to delete verbiage.

Also note that your editor may decide that you document does not need a rewrite. They will discuss this with you, and if you agree, they will downgrade the job to a standard edit. The difference in price will be refunded to your Wordy account.

Anything else?

When creating a job, if you have some special requirements, please mention those in the brief to the editor. Alternatively, email sales@wordy.com for advice.

How long do jobs take? Can I speed up the process?

First, note that Wordy’s delivery times are estimates. They are not fixed deadlines. Our editors will strive to meet them but within reason.

As a very rough rule of thumb, editors can do about 1000 words an hour for a reasonably well-written document. The speed varies by editor and also depends on how much work is needed, how easy the text is to follow, the style guide and so on. If there are special requirements, like paraphrasing, the job may take much longer. If not much work is needed, it may take much less time.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that a 5000-word document will be done in 5 hours. First, the 5 hours doesn’t start until an editor has claimed the job. Wordy is, however, competitive, so jobs raised during working hours are usually claimed quickly. It may take longer for technical material to be claimed, as such material requires the right editor. Second, your editor will probably want at least one break in that time, so the 5 hours could easily become 6. Without breaks, the quality of their output will tail off as they become tired and hungry. Third, if the editor starts the job mid-afternoon, it is possible that they will stop at the end of their working day and complete it in the morning. Fourth, your editor may get stuck and raise a query with the author via Wordy’s messaging system. They may not be able to complete the job until the query is answered. Finally, shit happens. Our editors are human, and unfortunately, life sometimes get in the way of work.

Regarding author queries, be careful when using fire-and-forget. Say you have an urgent and important report that needs to be submitted 9am tomorrow morning. You stay up late, finishing it at midnight before submitting it to Wordy. Then you fall into bed, with the expectation that a well-edited document will have been uploaded to Wordy when you get up in the morning. In most cases, that will happen, especially if you’ve used Wordy before and know what to expect. At other times, there may be a problem. Say you’ve asked for US English but when the editor looks at the document, it’s in UK English. They might just change “centre” and “colour” to “center” and “color”, or they might leave it as UK English. (In such cases, if the editor gets it wrong, ask for a re-edit with an explanation of why a re-edit is needed.) A good editor, however, will ask first and then wait for a reply, which means your job will be left hanging until you respond.

If a job is urgent, choose the express option. This puts the job at the top of the queue so it will get claimed sooner. Also, the express option tells the editor that the job is urgent so that they will expedite it, taking fewer breaks and working beyond the end of their day. But note the trade-off between speed and quality.

One option for a long and urgent document is to split it into chapters or sections and post each individually. This allows different editors to claim each section, and if they work in parallel, the whole document will be done much more quickly. The downside is that each editor may make slightly different choices regarding things like style and hyphenation, which could affect consistency. There is no overarching organisation responsible for prescribing the rules for grammar and spelling in English. Different authorities suggest different things. Dictionaries suggest different things, especially with regard to hyphenation. So, one editor may allow split infinitives; another may edit them out. One editor may allow sentences to start with “but” or “and”; another will edit them out. That said, there is general agreement on what constitutes good English and what constitutes correct spelling. So, such differences between editors will, generally, be few and far between.

One way to achieve consistency is to have a style guide. This can take different forms. It could just be a few sentences in the brief to the editor regarding things that editors may make different decisions about. It could be a longer document that describes, for example, what lists should look like. Note, though, that a 100-page style guide for a job that will take only an hour may deter some editors.

Also note that one editor may claim all the jobs.

My document has 99 pages. What will it cost to edit?

Jobs are priced per word. So, the price for a job is the number of words times the rate for a word in the local currency. Choosing the rewrite option doubles the price as that provides a more substantive edit or is used for certain types of edit (another blog post). The express option also increases the price.

Well, then, how does Wordy count how many words there are in my document? What is a word anyway?

For Word documents (DOCX, and also ODT, RTF, etc.), the word count is, more or less, as you would expect. These are all single words:

• word
• £1234.56
• COVID-19
• Jump!
• B.B.C.
• 1+1
• ?

Although note that the word count includes the bullets in the list (which MS Word does not count as words). So, punctuation at the end of a word is ignored but standalone punctuation counts as a word. Numbers count as a word. The word count includes, for example, the number of words in each table cell. Also each figure counts as a single word (including the figures can make it easier for your editor to understand the text and also allows the editor to cross-reference between the text and and the figure). By contrast. the word counter in Word does not include figures. Of course, behind the scenes and out of sight, a DOCX has also sorts of tags for formatting. These are all ignored.

The word counter works in much the same way for XLSX files as it does for DOCX, effectively treating each sheet as a table. The word count also includes the name of the sheet. A formula counts as a single word, but it is unlikely that your editor will look at any formulas.

PowerPoint files are again, much the same. Slides do not count as words. Only, the words in the slides count. Figures also count as a single word. Lines and shapes are not counted.

For a PDF, the word count includes selectable words. These are words that you can highlight with the “Replace selected text” or “Underline” tools in Adobe Reader. Text embedded in images is not selectable, is not included in the word count and will be, generally, ignored by your editor. The word count also includes words in comments, although these will probably not be edited.

For a web page (HTML, HTM), the word count just includes the words displayed. It ignores all the tags used for formatting.

With LaTeX jobs, the word count does include LaTeX commands and comments.