How do I earn money as a proofreader?

What do proofreaders do?

Proofreaders spell-check and verify final versions of websites, books, articles, drafts of documents, academic works and translations whereas the roles of editors and copy-editors amount to more substantial amendments expected to be introduced.

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Who uses proofreaders?

The end users of proofreading services in their majority are publishing houses, newspapers, magazines.

How do I become a proofreader?

Anyone can potentially progress into a proofreading job, and this is made easier if a guide is used to get you started, such as for instance "Freelance Proofreading and Copy-editing - A Guide" by Trevor Horwood, skill-builder “Proof Reading, Revising and Editing Success: Success in 20 Minutes a Day” by LearningExpress or internet resources such as www.dailywritingtips.com, www.freelancewritinggigs.com and others.

What skills do proofreaders need?

Proofreading jobs normally require attention to detail, accuracy, a good standard of English and IT skills.

No specific formal qualification is needed with some basic training desirable, for instance, to get familiar with standard proofreader marks generally applicable (see www.journalismcareers.com/articles/proofreadingsymbols.shtml).

The Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) (www.sfep.org.uk) and the Publishing Training Centre (www.train4publishing.co.uk) offer short courses for proofreaders. However if you are looking for proofreading role / assignment in particular area relevant experience and ideally academic degree (even Masters or PhD) in it may be expected from the applicant.

Is there a great deal of proofreading work available?

The competition for assignments is tough and the closer you correspond to the requirements for the role / assignment the more likely you will be able to get it. Once you decide to proceed with your idea further you can work as a self-employed freelance proofreader (in-house proofreading jobs are very rare).

Will being self employed as a proofreader suit me?

Self-employment has certain advantages – such as being flexible with your day-planning, but on the other hand, it will impose certain obligations such as the submission of a more detailed tax return annually to the HM Revenue and Customs.

Also, self-employment deprives you of certain employment benefits such as sick pay, pension schemes, private medical insurance etc.

Opinions vary, with some saying that few people can survive working as freelance proofreaders and realistically you should consider this kind of occupation as additional to your main employment. Thus, it is not unusual for journalists to look for freelance proofreading opportunities.

Others argue that with a right approach this can be a pleasant and well-rewarded work from home giving you all the advantages and flexibilities of freelancer. Also, work from home as a proofreader can be a good solution for some disabled people.

Remuneration SfEP 2008 guidelines refer to the rates of minimum £19.25 per hour for proofreading whereas the average rate can vary from £10 to 16 per hour with copy-editing fees higher than that. If you are lucky enough to get in-house role however the remuneration can amount up to £35 K per annum gross.

Finding work / assignments as a proofreader

To find proofreading assignments you can either advertise your business or try and find a company which needs freelance proofreaders on a regular basis.

Some professional proofreaders and editors also setup and promote their own sites in Internet. Advertising and promotion may require some expenditures (thus if you advertise in Google you have to pay per each click on your ad), whereas placing the details about your services on the classifieds sites may well be free (such as the most popular free classifieds site in UK www.gumtree.com).

Also, site www.freelancersintheuk.co.uk may be worth considering as well as www.copyediting.co.uk having the list of freelance editors and proofreaders in British English.

There are dozens of sponsored links in Google referring to the sites of professional proofreaders. Also, direct contacting publishing houses / relevant websites owners / other potential clients by email with offer of your services may be helpful. With this strategy you should think about your particular strengths and what makes your services different from other proofreaders (it may be price, your qualification, experience, track record and references). Also, many proofreaders place feedbacks from their clients on their internet-pages. Many may find it convenient to work with such companies as www.editfast.com (which places the details of its proofreaders on its web-site), www.book-editing.com, www.wordfirm.com, http://www.proofreadnow.com which welcome speculative applications from skilled proofreaders. These companies require proven experience in proofreading and editing.

Apart from registering with resources specified above that may offer assignments for proofreading it may be useful to explore other resources offering freelance proofreading job opportunities, such as www.online-writing-jobs.com, www.freelancewriting.com, www.writingbids.com, www.worldwideworkathome.com, www.elance.com For in-house opportunities you can try www.guardian.co.uk and www.telegraph.co.uk, www.totaljobs.com. www.thebookseller.com also advertises vacancies for proofreaders occasionally. For translation proofreading roles you can check www.worldwideworkathome.com and www.proz.com

Academic Knowledge are also looking for proofreaders. To apply now, simply fill in our application form or find out more: