After Editing Two AI-Assisted Manuscripts, I Rewrote My Client Agreement

Having worked on thousands of manuscripts as a freelance editor, I’ve developed a pretty reliable instinct for what makes a project difficult to edit. That said, I have never priced my services according to a manuscript’s overall perceived “quality” or the level of “effort” required to offer feedback (as these judgments are extremely subjective).

Recently, AI-generated writing has entered my inbox, and this has made me rethink what editors are being asked to do, how, and how to charge for operating in this new world.

Earlier this year, I unknowingly accepted two AI-assisted novels back-to-back. Why? Well, I didn’t ask … and the clients didn’t disclose their chatbot use. Now, this article isn’t an ethical argument about AI. Writers will make their own decisions about where and whether these tools belong in their creative process, as will the industry at large. This is, however, an article about how editors should protect themselves accordingly from AI “scope creep” with new contracts and even fee schedules.

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