You know you’ve done it—looked at the price difference between editing and proofreading and made a decision based on spending less money.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received a project for proofreading, only to find out the hard way that what it needs, in fact, is a really good edit.

What do I do? Well, it depends on the situation.

If I’m working with a familiar client, I’ll probably open a conversation, being honest but tactful.

If I’m working with a new client, however, then I do what I’ve been paid to do and wish I could have done so much more.

So how do you know which service you need? You can always simply ask your editor.

You can also check out this helpful step-by-step article on choosing between editing or proofreading.