FOR EDITORS, PROOFREADERS AND WRITERS

In this article, I consider how resistance to change can stop us from learning new skills or testing new methods to make our editorial businesses more successful.

This article was updated in March 2026.

Editors, like any other professionals, can fall into the trap of resisting change – for example, not trying out a new marketing strategy; claiming they have no need for business tools such as macros; or refusing to take on work that requires using a new platform, software package, or format.

All of us have either said, or heard one of our colleagues say, ‘I don’t work in that way,’ ‘That’s a bad idea,’ ‘I don’t like the idea of that,’ ‘That’s not the way I do things,’ or ‘I just couldn’t bring myself to do that’ at some point in our careers.

We work in a highly competitive, crowded, and international marketplace. We’re business owners, not hobbyists. That means our businesses have to earn us a living. Our market isn’t static – it’s always shifting:
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• New software and digital tools are developed
• New platforms on which we can make ourselves visible emerge and expand in terms of their importance
• Our clients ask us to work in ways that colleagues in the editorial field 40 years ago likely never anticipated
• The types of clients for whom we are discoverable, and the ways in which they find us, are more varied than I expected when I set up my business in 2006.

All of that means that resisting change and failing to learn the new skills or to try new methods (whether technical, promotional, or practical) simply doesn’t make sense for today’s editorial business owner.

​If we refuse to change, we refuse to compete – and that’s a path to business failure.

According to psychologist Edgar H. Schein, Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, it can be a result of ‘learning anxiety’ (Diane Coutu, ‘The Anxiety of Learning,’ Harvard Business Review, March 2002). Says Schein:

​Back in 2002, Schein discussed the issue in relation to the challenges of organizational change and transformation, corporate culture, and leadership. But that quotation can apply just as well to the editorial solopreneur in 2018.

We may be anxious about making a change for fear of not doing it well; equally, we might have heard or read negative opinions from our colleagues about using a particular technical tool, testing a new marketing effort, or changing to a new way of working – and that makes us wary of being seen publicly to be trying such things, lest they draw negative attention.

So how might we go about tackling learning anxiety so that we can embrace change rather than resisting it? There are several options:

• Plan the change so that it’s considered and systematic
• Redefine ‘failure’ as ‘lessons learned’
• Do a cost–benefit analysis

If you think there are changes that should be made, or new skills learned, approach them as you would a business plan. By breaking the changes down into components, they will seem more manageable and less anxiety-inducing.

• Write down the proposed changes (e.g., learning how to use macros; working with a new editorial tool; working in a new format, such as PDF using digital markup; studying a new editorial skill such as proofreading or localization; testing a new marketing technique or pricing model; making yourself visible to a new type of client group such as self-publishers, students, or publishers).
• Make a list of the objectives (e.g., increased productivity, new work stream, more diverse skill base to offer potential clients, enhanced client engagement).
• Make a note of how difficult you think the task(s) will be to learn and implement.
• Make a note of how making the process of bringing in these changes makes you feel (e.g., reluctant, anxious).
• Record the financial outlay required to make the changes to your business.
• Consider the time frame in which you think you could make the changes. If there are several, you can stagger them so as not to overload yourself in terms of action and pressure.
• Ask yourself whether you will need assistance to make the changes (e.g., a trainer or mentor) or whether you can implement them on your own.

We must accept that change always brings risk. However well we plan change, however well it appears to meet our business objectives, the outcomes aren’t always what we hoped for or expected.

The key here is to redefine those results in a positive light whereby ‘failure’ becomes ‘lessons learned.’
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• What if that cold-calling session to local businesses doesn’t bring in any immediate new clients?
• What if that training course in a particular software program won’t pay for itself because no clients will ask you for that skill?
• What if some people in your social media network think that the directory you’ve chosen to advertise in is disreputable and encourages a race to the bottom, rates-wise?

All those outcomes could occur; but it’s also possible – particularly if you’ve made thoughtful, informed decisions about what changes to test – that the following will happen:

• You might acquire a new lead
• You might take on a piece of work using your software skills
• You might generate interest from your online colleagues about your marketing efforts.

And even if you do end up in the worst-case scenario, who’s to say that the changes you’ve made won’t reap rewards further down the line? Who’s to say that those colleagues who were disparaging about your efforts are correct in their assumptions?

Being prepared to try new things is how we learn. When the outcomes are not as expected, that’s not failure; that’s information on which we can make future decisions about what not to do, what needs tweaking, and what needs retrying.

Not being prepared to learn and change in a competitive market is more likely to lead to failure that trying something new. If you don’t try, you don’t know.

There’s nothing wrong with trying something new, only to find that it didn’t work. Any normal human being trying to be creative when running their business is not going to get it right every time.

And if things don’t go to plan, you’ll be in great company. Here’s Woody Allen: ‘If you’re not failing every now and again, it’s a sign you’re not doing anything very innovative.’ And here’s Thomas Edison: ‘I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.’

If you’re nervous about making a particular change, do a cost–benefit analysis by considering the following questions:

• What will I gain from the change?
• What will I lose if I change the way I do things?
• What will stay the same, even though I’ve changed things?
• How will the changes make me feel once I’ve completed them?

​Working through these questions can highlight benefits and challenges, and help you to think through ways to maximize the former and minimize the stress of the latter.

In 2025, I decided I wanted to provide more transparency for potential clients about my pricing and availability. I was a little nervous about publishing this information, so I tackled the questions above, and the answers helped me to map out a solution that I could test.

What are the potential gains from the change?

• Clients who'd previously passed me over because they wanted an immediate sense of what the cost might be could feel more inclined to contact me.
• In particular, I might be a more attractive prospect for indie crime, mystery and thriller authors (my target client group) scouting for editorial assistance but who have a fixed budget in mind.
• I’ve always provided detailed value-on quotations in the past but these take time to produce, and if the price isn’t even in the client’s ballpark, or our schedules aren't a good fit, I’ve invested a lot of time for no return. Publishing my prices and availability will filter out enquiries that are never going to convert into work.

 
What will I potentially lose if I publish my prices and availability?

• I won't have an opportunity to take a more personal touch to quoting that might change someone's mind if they think I'm too expensive.
• Published prices are all about the money, not about the value.

What will stay the same, even though I’ve made this change?

• My website is still focused on providing comprehensive advice about the value I bring to the table. The client comes through that medium and so will see this information.
• My current client list is not affected.
• I’m still offering the same services.
• I can still refuse the work after I’ve seen a sample if I don’t think I’m a good fit for the client – the prices are preliminary with no obligation on either side.

How will the changes make me feel once I’ve completed them?

• I hope I’ll be glad that I’ve tried something new.
• I’ll be excited to see what the results are.
• It will give me even more confidence to embrace future ideas for change that I might have rejected in the past.
• I’m in control of my website, so I’ll still feel secure in the knowledge that I can withdraw the transparent pricing instantly if I change my mind.​

Working through this cost–benefit approach gave me confidence because I felt like I'd thought it through in a way that helped me plan. I created a new web page that takes potential clients on a 5-step journey, I ask them to:

Step 1: Check that I edit their genre
Step 2: Consider what kind of editing support they need
​Step 3: Review my rates
Step 4: Check my availability
Step 5: Use the form to tell me about their project and get in touch

I've added links to resources that show my value, and to my service descriptions so that there are no misunderstandings about what's on offer.

Access the page requires the potential client to provide me with their email address and select from a list of options about how they've found me.

I’m really pleased that I explored this approach and found the courage to try something that I'd previously resisted. My fears turned out to be unfounded. Instead:

• While I've seen a drop-off in enquiries, the conversion rate has remained the same. The good-fit clients are finding me and hiring me.
• I'm now being contacted only by people who can afford to pay my prices and who are prepared to wait for a place in my schedule.
• I'm protecting my time, which has a cost to it. Going down this route means I have more hours for editing, business promotion and personal stuff.
• I'm getting some useful data about how people are finding me, particularly the degree to which they're using channels that weren't available a few years ago (eg ChatGPT and other AI answer engines). 
• ​Even more importantly, perhaps, carrying out this exercise forced me to think more broadly about how client trust relates to pricing transparency.
• ​I've reminded myself that it's the quality of leads, not the quantity, that's relevant to my business's sustainability. I don't need to have an offer that's compelling to everyone, just to those who can afford me, are writing about the things I love editing, and who want the work done when I'm available to do it.

Resistance to change is a normal human emotion. However, we are business owners. We work for ourselves. There’s no one in the HR department to walk us through the changes we might need to make even though we feel nervous about them.

Change is inevitable. The fact that it can be anxiety-inducing needs to be acknowledged. The key is to ensure that anxiety doesn’t get in the way of action.

​The decisions I made about pricing transparency will not be something that all my colleagues will agree with or want to implement. That’s fine – they have their businesses to run and I have mine. They make the decisions that are best for them while I make the decisions that are best for me.

Still feel reluctant to make a change, or learn something new?

• Break it down into smaller components so that it seems more manageable.
• View it as an opportunity for discovery rather than failure.
• And analyse it in terms of what you stand to gain and what you stand to lose.

Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

• Get in touch: Louise Harnby | Crime Fiction & Thriller Editor
• Connect: X @LouiseHarnby, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Learn: Books and courses
• Discover: Resources for authors and editors

If you're starting out on your journey as a professional proofreader and you're marking up PDF proofs, this one's for you.

​There was a time when if a publisher commissioned me for a proofreading project I could expect a large, heavy parcel of paper to turn up in the mailbox. The parcel would contain at least the final page proofs (see Not all proofreading is the same: Part I – Working with page proofs).

If I was required to proofread against copy, the parcel would also include the galley proofs (a printed copy of the pages of raw text supplied by the author on which the copy-editor had marked initial corrections).

Paper proofreading is an expensive business before the publisher has even paid the editorial freelancer’s invoice. And it’s a double whammy – the client has to pay for the proofs (and possibly the galleys) to be delivered to the proofreader, and it has to bear the costs of the return postage.

I’ve worked on large academic books in the past that incurred postage and packaging costs of over £70 per proofreading project. And let’s not talk about the cost of paper and ink.

It’s not surprising, then, that most publishers and project-management agencies have embraced cost-effective solutions. PDF markup has proved to be an effective alternative. Digital delivery costs nothing as long as the client and proofreader already have internet access.

It’s not just good news for the client – the proofreader benefits, too. Those who live in rural areas might have to drive to their nearest post office. That’s time that they can’t bill for, not to mention the wear and tear on their car (though HM Revenue & Customs does have a mileage allowance). Even so, we all have better things to do.

Visits to the post office aside, many proofreaders have found PDF proofreading to be a more efficient task than paper-based work. For those of us working for publishers on a fixed-fee basis per project, this means a better hourly rate.

Given that some publishers haven’t increased their freelance rates for many years (or have done so but only minimally), such efficiencies can mean the difference for the proofreader between continuing the working relationship and waving goodbye to the client.

Most PDF editing software includes onboard commenting and markup tools for annotation purposes so that the proofreader can:

• mark for insertion, deletion and underlining
• draw basic shapes and lines
• highlight and comment
• attach sticky notes
• pin files
• type text and specific instructions to the designer (this typed text can itself be formatted in terms of font, size, alignment and colour, and it can be italicized, emboldened, underlined or struck out)

Stamps (digital proofreading marks) are another option. See 'The Proofreader’s Corner: Using the Stamping Tool for PDF Proofreading Mark-up', An American Editor, September 2015, for an overview of the subject.

The Working Onscreen archive on The Editing Blog has other related content that may be of interest to new entrants to the field.

Platforms include (but are not limited to):

• PDF-XChange (considerably cheaper and trusted alternative to Acrobat Pro with excellent functionality but isn't compatible with all clients)
  
• Acrobat Professional (well-known and trusted but expensive)
  
• Adobe Reader (free and increasingly user-friendly. Latest version is DC).

Onscreen proofreading can save the proofreader and the client time and money, but there are a number of pre-project steps that should be taken to ensure that the final outcome is a happy experience for all parties.

Making assumptions based on your own preferences, or your colleagues’ experiences, could lead to readability and compatibility problems.

Ask your client what they want
Ask your client what their preferences are rather than making assumptions. Be prepared to be flexible.

Some publishers have streamlined their production processes and have a strict set of guidelines concerning which annotation tools should be used for digital proofreading.

Some clients will be happy for you to use digital stamps based on publishing-industry-recognized markup symbols. Others might insist on sticking to a particular PDF editor’s onboard comment-and-markup tools. Yet others may expect a mixture of both.

Some may even want you to actually edit, rather than just annotate, the PDF (though this is very risky as it could interfere drastically with the layout of professionally typeset page proofs).

I merrily used the onboard commenting tool for a Spanish business client for two years, assuming wrongly that she wouldn't have a clue what the British Standards Institution proof-correction symbols were. She then surprised me by asking whether I knew how to use the “more efficient standard proofreading markup language”. I was happy to oblige, using stamps, because it was quicker for me, but I’d wasted precious time for two years because I’d made a flawed assumption.

Test the platform
Once you've agreed with your client on how you will mark up the PDF, do a small test to check that both of you are seeing the same annotations and that the markup “sticks” during the delivery process.

For example, I wanted to use the stamping tool in PDF-XChange on a project with a new client. We agreed in principle that this was acceptable.
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• I extracted one page from the PDF page proofs and annotated it using several different stamps, the onboard commenting tool and the onboard strike-through, polygon and highlighting tools.
• I then saved the page and opened it up in my recently downloaded version of Adobe Reader DC. All looked well.
• I then compiled a list of all the test changes I’d made (briefly describing the actions and the line/paragraph where they occurred: for example, highlight [word] on line 2, paragraph 2; comment at line 4, paragraph 2; delete stamp in margin and strike-through [word] in text at line, 9, paragraph 3).
• I emailed the list and the marked-up PDF page to my client. He confirmed that all the markup appeared as it should on the software he was using.
  
  

I then felt confident to continue the proofread as planned.

File size
Some marked-up PDFs can be huge.

A client once sent me a PDF of 2,329 KB. By the time I'd stamped it, it was 25,395 KB (I zipped it down to 23,646 KB). 

If your email provider won’t handle large files, you will need to agree an alternative delivery system with your client.

Examples could include setting up a shared file in Dropbox, uploading directly to the client’s ftp site or using the likes of FileZilla, or transferring via an internet-based service such as WeTransfer.

Again, don’t assume that what suits you will suit your client. One of my project managers was happy in principle to use Dropbox (which I have) but then found out via her IT department that she wasn’t allowed to download the software to her PC. We had to work out an alternative.

Up-to-date software
Keep your software up to date. Perhaps Acrobat Standard or PDF-XChange Viewer worked for you and your clients three years ago. However, the clients you’ve inherited recently are working with different software or more updated versions of existing tools.

​Installing regular updates and upgrading to the latest versions can help to reduce the risk of compatibility and readability issues at either your end or your client’s.

• Article: Onscreen proofreading tips: Reorganizing your stamps palette in PDF-XChange
• Article: PDF Editing — Making the Most of the Stamps Tool
• Article: Six Tips for Ergonomic PDF Proofreading
• Course: In the UK, the CIEP and The Publishing Training Centre, to give just two examples, include onscreen markup as part of their broader distance-learning proofreading training
• Resource hub: The Working Onscreen archive  provides links to, and articles about, digital work flows more broadly
• Stamps: If you want to use the BS 5261C:2005 proof-correction marks to annotate a PDF, visit Roundup: PDF Proofreading Stamps (quick-access links). This provides the access links to a full set of downloadable PDF proofreading stamps in black, blue, and red, as well as the installation instructions
• Stamps: US stamps files are available via the Copyediting-L site, under the Resources tab. Scroll down to “Diana Stirling’s (2008) editing marks for PDF documents (Zip documents)”
• Checklist: How to check page proofs like a pro (a free copy is available when you sign up to The Editorial Letter)

Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

• Get in touch: Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader
• Connect: X @LouiseHarnby, Facebook and LinkedIn
• Learn: Books and courses
• Discover: Resources for authors and editors