By time involved. Not by word count. That’s because a job requiring a range of headline or strapline routes may take longer than editing a first draft blog post – to take just one example.

Once I’ve digested your brief, I’ll put forward an estimate that may include up to two rounds of authors’ corrections. So unless the brief changes, neither will the estimate. If it does, I’ll let you know of any cost implications asap.

Yes, it’s certainly an option – depending on your volume of work.

30 days from date of invoice. I may ask some new clients for a pre-payment upfront. Once a business relationship is successfully up and running, that of course won’t be necessary.

As clearly as possible…. 🙂 A simple written summary of ‘what, when and why’ is generally a good starting point. You don’t need to write War and Peace. If you haven’t yet put a summary together, it can help focus your mind as to exactly what you want and are expecting. And it then acts as a useful reference point for me as I manage the job. Doing this only orally can, in my experience, end up with details getting ‘lost in translation’. Having said that, once I’ve got to know a client and their business, all that background knowledge makes taking a brief quicker and easier.