Proofreaders/copyeditors: Should free revisions cover content that's been changed by the client after delivery?

[amcallisaya]

Within the last year and a bit, I've started having clients ask me to revise work they've made changes to after delivery. The first time it was a really small order, so I didn't think anything of it. The second time it was a large order, with a number of changes, and it occurred to me that I was basically doing new work for free. I had to recheck the entire file, which took almost as much time as the original order had, and the client could essentially have me check multiple drafts for the price of one.

Since then, I've been telling clients that my free revisions only apply to the work I did, not to things they've changed after my delivery--i.e., if they want to make their own changes and then have me proofread them, it has to be as a new paid order--but the issue has come up more and more recently, and several clients have been really unhappy about it. And honestly, sometimes they've only changed one line and it seems unfair to charge again for that.

Fiverr's documentation says that "Revisions give buyers the option to reject a seller's delivery, and provide sellers with more time to include buyer feedback and any changes required—based on the delivered work." I read this as supporting my viewpoint (that requested revisions should be based on my work, not changes clients have made since the delivery), but I'm sure it could be understood differently, so it's not much help.

TLDR: How do other proofreaders/copyeditors provide revisions? Is it abnormal for me to refuse revising content that's been changed by the client? If I do accept those revisions, is it unreasonable for me to ask clients to highlight or mark the changes they've made, so I don't have to recheck the entire file? I realize that I need to state my policy clearly on my gig page, but I need to figure out how to address the issue first. I've done a basic look at other proofreaders' gigs but haven't seen mention of it so far.

Feel free to ask questions, and thanks for any help in advance!

[mina_essays]

First, it depends on the overall situation and how the client communicates with you. However, free revisions should only apply to the work you did, not to things changed by the buyer after the delivery. Thank You!

[amcallisaya]

Thanks for the reply! That makes me feel a bit better. I want to do good work for my clients, but I don't want to get taken advantage of or set a poor precedent, and sometimes it's hard to know where the line is.

[vickieito]

On 1/6/2024 at 7:06 AM, mina_essays said:

free revisions should only apply to the work you did, not to things changed by the buyer after the delivery.

Hi @amcallisaya! This is correct. ⬆️

I would also add that you should follow the time limit provided by Fiverr's online platform. Buyers shouldn't be able to come back a month later asking for another revision (because they didn't use any of their revisions on the order). Once an order is closed, those revisions expire and a new order should be placed for any additional work.

On 1/6/2024 at 6:50 AM, amcallisaya said:

Is it abnormal for me to refuse revising content that's been changed by the client?

No, you are free to refuse any work, for any reason. I do try to take care of my clients but will direct them to make changes themselves if they are getting nitpicky on points that are more related to personal style preferences than the style guide that we agreed to follow.

On 1/6/2024 at 6:50 AM, amcallisaya said:

is it unreasonable for me to ask clients to highlight or mark the changes they've made, so I don't have to recheck the entire file?

No, but if you use Word, you can just use the "Compare" feature from the "Review" tab to pull up the file you delivered and compare it against the file changed by the buyer. This feature will redline all the changes for you so that you can quickly review the changes, even if the document is 100+ pages. If you want the buyers to highlight their changes, they can do it in this same manner.

On 1/6/2024 at 6:50 AM, amcallisaya said:

I realize that I need to state my policy clearly on my gig page, but I need to figure out how to address the issue first. I've done a basic look at other proofreaders' gigs but haven't seen mention of it so far.

If you want to see how a successful proofreader mentions their revision policy in their FAQs, you should check out @vickiespencer's gigs. She does a great job communicating this to potential buyers.

[vickiespencer]

12 hours ago, vickieito said:

If you want to see how a successful proofreader mentions their revision policy in their FAQs, you should check out @vickiespencer's gigs. She does a great job communicating this to potential buyers.

I developed my revision policy when I was a new seller after I had a buyer who would add content to what I had already proofread. Since I was a newbie, I let her get away with it for two orders. When she asked for a custom offer for the third order, I told her I would charge for any parts added after I delivered the order. She never placed the order, and I blocked her.

Now, I include my revision policy as part of every delivery so buyers are not caught unaware. I ask the buyer to highlight the added content to keep things simple. 

  

[amcallisaya]

On 1/7/2024 at 10:12 PM, vickieito said:

No, but if you use Word, you can just use the "Compare" feature from the "Review" tab to pull up the file you delivered and compare it against the file changed by the buyer. This feature will redline all the changes for you so that you can quickly review the changes, even if the document is 100+ pages. If you want the buyers to highlight their changes, they can do it in this same manner.

Thanks for all the good advice! I don't know why I didn't think of using Compare for this. I think I'll stick to refusing revisions to buyer-made changes in most cases, but if I ever make exceptions, that will be a big help.

[amcallisaya]

On 1/8/2024 at 11:01 AM, vickiespencer said:

I include my revision policy as part of every delivery so buyers are not caught unaware.

That's a great idea too. I'll definitely take a look at your gig setup and learn from it. Thanks for the help!