Proof Pros: coping with personal emergencies as a freelancer

In the grip of an emergency or personal crisis, we may need to act quickly at a time when clear thinking is beyond us. Six long-time editorial freelancers offer their strategies for dealing with personal emergencies, focusing on protecting our wellbeing and supporting our clients.

When freelancers face a personal emergency, usually there is no perfect 'solution' - deadlines have to slide and commitments have to be paused as we rightly focus on the situation and our loved ones. Nevertheless, there are ways we can prepare, so as to minimize the impact on our clients and better enable us to disengage.

Sally Asnicar and Melanie Thompson - who have both presented on this topic at national editorial conferences - walk us through two very different ways to make a written plan for dealing with emergencies. Debbie Emmitt gives us a step-by-step guide to follow in the heat of the moment, and Carla DeSantis focuses on connecting with other freelancers so as to have support we can call on. Andrew Hodges puts communication and pragmatic prioritization to the fore. And finally, Amanda George reminds us to take solace in the bigger picture.

Sally Asnicar: 'An emergency plan is like an insurance policy'

I believe every self-employed editor should have an emergency plan. Here's why.

In 2019, my mother had a life-changing fall. While we dealt with the shock of her sudden incapacitation, two other problems arose:

The first was that Mum was intensely private and had no power of attorney. Consequently, it took months to sort out her affairs, while unpaid bills piled up. This caused additional, unnecessary stress.

Second, as I was now flying so frequently between Australia and Jersey, I developed DVT and ended up in Emergency.

While I managed to continue running my business during this tumultuous period, I realised that should I be more seriously incapacitated, my family would have to sort out my affairs.

Meanwhile, clients waiting for me to return projects would wonder why I'd missed their deadline. And what about money they owed me, or money I owed others?

This prompted me to develop an emergency plan. Here's why you should have one too.

You are your business; much of it's stored in your head, right? But you keep records of

• projects completed, in progress, upcoming
• clients that owe money (already invoiced, or not?)
• subcontractor invoices, direct debits, unpaid bills, tax debts, subscriptions, etc.

Now, where do you keep these records? And who else knows how to access them?

So, if you

• care about your reputation as an editor and a business owner
• don't want to leave stakeholders in the lurch
• want to avoid money owed (to or by you) going unpaid and debts piling up and
• are keen to prevent unnecessary stress for loved ones,

a thoughtfully prepared and well-maintained emergency plan is the solution.

Importantly,

• choose a suitable 'emergency person' or people to action your plan and discuss/okay it with them
• construct your emergency plan logically, in order of importance, for example: urgent (within a week), semi-urgent (within a month), non-urgent (within a year)
• review your plan annually.

An emergency plan is like an insurance policy for all stakeholders in your business, and it will spare loved ones unnecessary extra stress caused by your 'personal emergency'. Unlike insurance it costs nothing, but it's definitely invaluable!

Melanie Thompson: 'By thinking ahead and preparing for the worst, we can avoid many problems, and survive most of the rest'

Back in pre-Covid times I ran a workshop titled 'Don't Panic! How to stay calm in a crisis' at an editing conference. My opening words to the workshop still ring true:

Life happens and plates may crash, but by thinking ahead and preparing for the worst, we can avoid many problems, and survive most of the rest.

So my top tip is to give yourself an afternoon off work, find a quiet corner in a comfy chair and indulge in a little guided meditation. Here's how:

Imagine you are lying on the beach on a desert island. The sun is shining. The air is warm and there's a gentle breeze.

We're in a safe place. There's nothing but blue sky above us.

Now come with me, in your mind's eye, to the street outside your home or office. The sun is still shining, but grey clouds are beginning to form in the distance. Walk up to the building and look through the window. It looks very tidy inside - perhaps there's no one at home. Shall we go in? …

Open the door and step inside. Go to your workspace and look around. What can you see? Is there an open window? Where is your computer? Where do you keep your business banking details, your tax returns and your invoices? Are they safely locked away? Would a friend or family member be able to find a crucial document if you were away?

Now turn around and move away from the workspace - walk mindfully around the rest of the accommodation. Notice the cobweb up above the front door, the flashing light of the smoke alarm in the hallway, the tick, tick, tick of the dripping shower in the bathroom…

Wake up!

Now make a list of all the potential issues you've noticed: fix any you can, then make a plan for how to tackle the rest. Keep the plan somewhere safe, and tell someone you trust where to find it, should the worst actually happen. Then, fingers crossed, it won't; but at least you'll be ready!

Debbie Emmitt: 'Be honest, respectful and diligent'

Touch wood, I haven't had any emergencies large enough to warrant huge delays or postponed projects during my seven years as a freelance editor.

However, small issues (e.g. kids' sick days) have cropped up once or twice, needing a client's understanding and grace to add a couple of days to a deadline.

If you're hit by a life event that means you won't be able to meet a deadline, I would advise the following approach:

1. Contact your client as soon as possible to inform them you may need an extension. Be honest about the revised time frame, rather than shortening it to please the client then having to extend it again. Ask if the extension will cause issues for them. In the vast majority of cases, clients will be understanding, especially if you have proven yourself reliable and punctual in the past.
2. Once you have agreed a revised delivery date with the client, amend your calendar and prioritise the heck out of that deadline! If possible, deliver early.
3. If the client was unable to agree to a revised date, and there is no way you can meet the original one, offer to find an alternative editor to finish the work (you can use your network for this). This is the last resort and is a rare occurrence.

In case you need to postpone or cancel an entire project in the future, I'd advise including something in your terms and conditions, and/or in your contract with the client. You could use wording along the following lines:

If I am affected by extraordinary circumstances that cause cancellation of a project, I will contact the client in writing at the earliest opportunity to renegotiate the time frame of the project or find an alternative editor.

You may also wish to add something about refunding any advance payment.

In short, be honest, respectful and diligent. The client will appreciate this approach and may choose to hire you again purely thanks to the way you handled the situation. Life happens to all of us! It's how you deal with it that counts.

Carla DeSantis: 'Cultivate a referral list of other qualified editors'

I feel extremely fortunate that I haven't had any personal emergencies that have conflicted with my work as a freelance copyeditor for more than a few days, because I am a one-woman show! There is no one else to pick up the slack if I am unavailable. If I have been sick for a few days or have had to attend a funeral, either I have been able to shift my schedule (because I leave a few 'wiggle room' days), or my clients have been flexible.

So, up until now, I have relied on maintaining good relationships and open communication with my current clients. However, my top tip for dealing with emergencies that might take me away from my desk for a longer period would be to cultivate a referral list of other qualified editors.

As I meet other editors whose skills, subject matter specialties, and qualifications align with mine, I add them to my referral list. I happily refer clients to these colleagues when I am too busy to take on a project. However, this list also provides me with a potential pool of editors to call on in case of a personal emergency.

Here are some ways to meet other editors and cultivate a referral list:

• Join a professional editorial association (e.g. Editors Canada, CIEP, EFA, ACES). These provide opportunities for virtual (sometimes in-person) networking events or coffee chats, sometimes organized according to editing niches or location. These associations also have private forums for member discussion.
• Attend editorial conferences. These are held both in-person and online, and usually include networking components.
• Engage with other editors on social media. You can connect with editors on LinkedIn, Bluesky, or in Facebook groups, such as Editors' Association of Earth, Academic Editors, or groups associated with the editorial associations.
• Attend webinars for professional development offered by editorial associations. This will expose you to editors who are specialists in a certain area of editing.
• Read other editors' blogs and websites to see if they have subject area specialties and skills similar to yours, and what their qualifications are.

Andrew Hodges: 'Know that... you are unlikely to have the attention and focus to do your very best work'

Personal emergencies are a question of when, not if, so it's important to be prepared. In my experience, and from observing my editorial network, clients are incredibly understanding in such situations if work has to be pushed back, so clear communication is key. That's my top tip, but I have a few more!

In emergencies, overwhelm is a real concern, so I find it helps to figure out what, if anything, is essential, and to drop everything else. Marketing? Drop it. Business admin? It can almost certainly be done later. Current client job? It depends.

How you respond depends on how you've organised your business too. I have a strong preference for large (book-length) projects without punishing deadlines, so if there's a short-term emergency like a trip to A&E or a car breakdown, it doesn't affect my business at all, and I can make up the time later if necessary. Things would be different if I was up against daily or maybe weekly deadlines.

Finally, it's important to know that when dealing with a personal emergency, you are unlikely to have the attention and focus to do your very best work, so if you are continuing to work - and some people (not me!) throw themselves into work as an initial coping mechanism - then make sure you are capable of doing the work to standard (not perfect, but good enough).

Amanda George: 'Trust that everything will be okay'

We are editors but also human beings, with networks of family and non-work commitments. This means, from time to time, we face situations that interrupt our workflow. As freelancers, many of us don't have colleagues we can pass work to when personal emergencies arise. That's not always desirable anyway, if you know a project inside and out. I am confident I won't be the only one who has had to navigate these situations.

I run an animal charity in my spare time. And I have parents with complex health issues. Etched in my memory (in a nice way) was a time when I had a deadline for one of my favourite academic clients. Suddenly, my mum required life-saving surgery, which meant the whole family needed to come together to support her and my dad (who has Alzheimer's - she is his primary carer). I had no choice but to email my client and explain. His reply was short but beautiful: 'No problem, Amanda. Mum comes first.'

In short, my answer to this question is: Build great relationships with your clients, with mutual respect and two-way flexibility when needed. Communicate brilliantly. And trust that everything will be okay. It usually is.

The Proof Pros are all independent contributors. Each person's words are their own and are not necessarily endorsed by the other contributors.