Crushing Your Editorial Business with Email Templates
I want you to crush your editorial business. Nope, I am not mean-spirited, as I don't mean I want you to destroy it. I mean I want you to succeed, so I am using the slang version of "crush." Isn't it odd that the slang version is nearly the opposite of the actual definition? Anyway, I digress.
One way to crush your editorial business is through using email templates.
If you aren't using email templates to cut down on the time spent emailing, you should be.
Why Use Email Templates
A template email is an already-constructed email with text placeholders for content that may need to change.
I love template emails. In fact, I have sixty-six of them. No, that is not a typo.
I have 66 email templates.
Emailing can be the most time-consuming administrative task, so using templates reduces the time you need to spend emailing.
Just select your template, add in the unique content, and press send.
Another benefit is that you can perfect your wording. When you write emails off the cuff, you don't always take the time to analyze your word choices and how they may come across.
With a template, you can take the time to ensure you are conveying the right tone and message.
Creating Email Templates
Some email clients (this is the email system you use, Gmail, Zoho, Yahoo, etc.) have you type the email as if you're going to send it, then save it as a template.
So to create it, you just go to "compose email."
In others, you select "create template," then enter in the content.
Flagging content
The important part in creating them is deciding how you will flag the content that needs to change, be deleted, or be added.
For me, I put content in pink that may not be needed. So if it is unnecessary for this client, I delete it. Then I put content that needs to change or be added in red.
Example email template with the color codes
Name,
Thank you for reaching out. Something unique to them if this is first email to them. Reason why I would like to work on this project/what impressed me about the sample. This email contains your sample edit, quote, and an additional offer. Let me know if you have any questions.
If you'd like to move forward, I will send you a contract to sign and schedule your project in my calendar for the agreed-upon start date.
If you decide not to use my services, I would appreciate a quick email letting me know your decision—whether you've chosen another editor, can't afford editing at this time, need the project completed sooner than my availability allows, need to postpone, or have another reason.
My services are booked on a first-come, first-served basis. This means my availability may change if my schedule fills up before I hear back from you. If that happens, I will provide my next available start date.
Quote
Based on the sample edit, your rate for this project is $0.000 (0.0 cents) per word. This rate includes copyediting and substantive/developmental editing with two-and-a-half editing passes, completed in two rounds. (fiction: three passes, completed in two rounds)
Since you indicated you were not sure if you wanted to include substantive editing, I've marked my substantive comments and the accompanying edits to help you decide.
This sample reflects my editing style; however, it's not necessarily indicative of the depth of editing I will make on the whole manuscript. Your book may require more or less substantive/developmental editing than what you see here. And the choices I made on this sample may change when I have the whole context. So please do not accept or reject changes on the sample.
Citation Information
The cost of your citations depends on the level of work needed:
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- You already created or will create your CMOS citations and just need me to check them for accuracy: cost is included in the above quote
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- You have created or will create your citations, but they aren't in CMOS style (the preferred style for non-academic books) and need to be converted: cost is an additional $0.000 per word (bringing the total of the whole job to $0.000 per word)
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- You have URLs or other identifying information and need me to create your citations: cost is $50 an hour.
Let me know which option best fits your needs.
Proposed Timeline
I can begin editing on this date and will return the first round by this date. If you're happy with the sample and quote but need a different timeline, let me know, and I'll see if I can accommodate it.
Subcontracted Project
With my current schedule, I am only able to take on your project in the timeline I quoted you in a subcontracted format. What this means is one of my vetted subcontractors will do the first editing pass, then I will do the second editing pass in round one. Because I do a pass, you get all the edits I would have made if I were working on this alone, and you get the added benefit of having two professional eyes on your manuscript for the first round. I then will do the second half-pass round by myself. The sample you received was also done in a subcontracted format: subcontractor did a pass on the sample, then I did a pass on the sample. So it reflects the quality of the work.
All communication and payments will go through me.
If you want to work with just me and not in a subcontracted format, then you would need to wait until date. At that time, I have enough room in my schedule to do both passes for your first round.
Optional Offer: Book Your Proofreader Now
I highly recommend you work with a proofreader after me. I will be sending out a "your next steps" email a few days after I start editing your book. In that email, I explain why you need a proofreader, recommended proofreaders you can contact and hire, and what to do if you can't afford this important next step.
But to streamline this process, you can opt to book your proofreader now at $0.016 per word. If you choose this option, I will handle the booking for you with one of my trusted proofreaders. Once you finalize the edits, I'll send your manuscript to the proofreader.
Let me know if you'd like me to arrange this for you.
Anything else to add.
The red text indicates content that needs to change. I need to add/change the
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- something unique to them
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- their exact price
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- the type of editing they are getting
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- their dates
So this content is in red.
Pink indicates content that may need to be deleted.
If they did indicate they wanted substantive/developmental editing, then I can delete the paragraph discussing that I marked those edits to help them make a decision.
If they don't have citations, I can delete the paragraphs discussing citations. If I do keep it, I have some content in red to fill in.
If I am doing this as a sole project instead of a subcontracted one, I can delete the section on subcontracting. (I just put the header title in pink rather than all the content, as that was enough of a reminder to delete that whole section.)
Using email templates
Once you know how you will indicate content that needs to change, be deleted, or be added, create the template.
Then when you need to send a client a template email, open up the template, modify the content as needed, and send.
In my email client, Zoho Mail, I can create categories and put certain template emails in a given category (e.g., intake process emails).
Since I have so many templates, this helps me find what I need quickly. Instead of scrolling through the list of all my templates, I go to the category name and just see the email templates for that category.
From what I researched, you can't create categories in Gmail unless you use an add-on service called Gmelius.
And I don't believe you can organize templates by category type at all in Apple mail, Yahoo, or Outlook.
Watch this tutorial for how to create and use templates in Zoho.
For other email clients, you can use these instructions (click on bullet item for one you want to learn about):
- Create and use email templates in Apple Mail
- Create and use email templates in Gmail and Google Workspace
- Use My Templates and Quick Parts to create templates in Outlook
- Workaround for creating templates in Yahoo mail
Email Template Ideas for Your Business
Now you don't have to get super crazy and have 83 email templates like I do. But I do suggest you have at least 3 templates for
- Giving clients their quote
- Explaining your editing process
- Answering common questions you get asked a lot
To give you an idea of what you may want templates for, I have listed most of my email templates here.
*Note 1: I have created multiple forms of the same type of email because I offer a single service (either copyediting, substantive editing for nonfiction, or developmental for fiction), a combined package (both services done in one round with a half-pass cleanup round after), and both services done in separate rounds (round one is substantive or developmental, round two is copyediting, and round three is the half-pass cleanup round), and I edit both fiction and nonfiction, so I have created corresponding template emails for each of those service types.
*Note 2: The bolded email templates are included in my free email template download found at the end of this blog.
Inquiry
- Response to initial questions (For people who contact me directly instead of filling out "request quote" form. Includes answers to the most common initial content questions—I delete any section they don't need—then directs them to fill out the form on my site)
- Quote request received (This is where I let them know I've received their form and when they can expect the proposal)
- Editing proposal (This is where I give them their quote and time frame)
- Editing proposal 2: proposal if getting both services in separate rounds
- Editing proposal 3: proposal for picture book requests
- Follow-up to no sample request (For people who contact me directly, and I direct them to fill out form and they don't. I follow up with them once)
- Study craft before editor (For authors who request a quote but their manuscript isn't ready. I give them advice and recommended resources to help them get it ready)
- 3-day, 7-day, and 14-day follow-up (Follow up after I send proposal if don't hear back from them)
- Follow-up postponed project (For authors who said they wanted to hire me but needed to postpone for whatever reason)
Intake process
- Process email 1: Process and final deadlines (For nonfiction, if they choose to hire me, I then explain the process, have them select dates for the second round, and offer to book their proofreader)
- Process email 2: Process and final deadlines (separate rounds)
- Process email 3: Fiction process and contract (With fiction, they don't select a date for their next round, as they first need to see their feedback to see how long it will take them, so I just explain my process, attach the contract, ask them some editing preferences, and offer to book their proofreader)
- Process email 4: Fiction process and contract (separate rounds)
- Editing contract, nonfiction (This is only for nonfiction since with fiction, I attached the contract in the process email. I attach the contract and have them select some editing preferences for the style sheet)
- Your next steps (I list the steps that come after editing and offer to write their book description or author bio. This comes with a full packet guide that gives tips for each step and recommended service providers)
- Checking in (The day before I'm set to start their manuscript, I check in to see if they will have the manuscript to me by tomorrow)
Returning edits
In these emails, I return their edited manuscript and explain how to handle the revising process.
- Edited nonfiction manuscript (sent for either combined package or round one of separate package)
- Copyediting nonfiction round finished (sent for round two if they got separate rounds)
- Fiction edited manuscript (sent for combined package or round one of separate package)
- Fiction copyedited manuscript (sent for round two if they got separate rounds)
- Picture Book edited (sent for picture book projects)
Finish and follow-up
- Final is ready: notifying them that I have finished the final pass and will release after they have paid in full
- Final: sending the final pass of the manuscript
- How we can help each other: listing ways we can help each other (this is where I ask for a review and if I can include their book in my portfolio); sent a week or so after I finished their project
- Did you publish your book: sent if it has been awhile and I haven't heard or seen the published work
Marketing emails
- Referred for editing services (sent to the person whom I was referred to)
- Editing services for (cold emailing a fiction publishing company)
- Editing services for (cold emailing a nonfiction publishing company)
- Response to EFA Job Ad (responding to job posted on the EFA job board)
- Marketing to current clients
- post-holiday, unexpected opening
- this email template is different than the others; it contains various ideas for sending out these emails
- Referral bonus (sent to people who referred me work that ended up hiring me)
- Happy New Year (sent to all clients whose books I edited in the previous year)
- Cross promoting services (Sent to potential strategic partners. I include my editing one sheet that links to samples of my work and rates so they can feel confident, or not, recommending me. Then I also explain how I will promote their services)
Emergency emails
These emails are for my husband to send out (I have instructions for him) in case I am incapacitated and unable to interact with clients.
- My projects emergency: sent out to current clients
- Subcontracted projects emergency: sent out to current clients working with me and my team
- Subcontracting team emergency: sent out to my editors
- Proofreading team emergency: sent out to my proofreaders
I also have the following template email categories
- Content writing—emails for the content writing portion of my business
- Subcontracting—emails to communicate with my subcontractors
- Proofreading—emails to communicate with my proofreaders
- My course—emails to communicate with students taking my courses
- VA—emails for communicating with my virtual assistant
- EWC—emails for managing the editors who create group
I didn't list the emails in these categories since these don't apply to all editors.
Free Email Templates
You can use the content of these emails to help springboard ideas for your own email templates.
