In case you’re a professional at recognizing spelling or grammar errors, proofreading may very well be a good way so that you can make some extra cash. Right here’s Edee’s story for inspiration on how you will discover proofreading jobs.
“Are you any good at proofreading?”
I used to be a second grade trainer on the time and the person asking me was the grandfather of one among my college students. He was additionally, because it turned out, a science fiction creator with an enormous fan following.
“Sure, really, I’m,” I replied. I used to be born for it.
The following week, Grampa confirmed up in school with a cardboard field containing a 300-something web page manuscript, a pad of tiny sticky notes and a blue ballpoint pen.
I left the educating career in 2010 and began writing in 2011. I had been proofreading for Grampa since 2006. In 2018 I made a decision I wished to make an actual go at freelance proofreading. I had the spelling, grammar and punctuation abilities, however after Grampa’s sticky-note system, I knew I wanted follow doing it electronically.
I did some analysis and located Caitlin Pyle’s Proofread Wherever. By means of the course, I gained some new abilities, picked up sources I wanted and have become a thousand instances extra assured that I might really do that.
Two years later I’m working steadily at a tempo good for me. I’ve discovered my area of interest market, commonly carry on new shoppers and I’m watching my revenue improve steadily. (And sure, I nonetheless proofread for Grampa, however now he’s a paying consumer.)
discover proofreading jobs
On the lookout for on-line proofreading jobs?
Earlier than we inform you the place to seek out proofreading jobs, there are some steps you’ll be able to take to make sure you’re arrange for achievement.
Get coaching
Look. I get it. For years, I used to be a faculty spelling bee champ. I cringe after I see apostrophes used for a plural. I’m that individual individuals hate in on-line remark sections as a result of I refuse to take a publish critically when there are a ton of spelling errors.
However I additionally knew I wanted some advantageous tuning (When to make use of a semicolon, anybody?). You’ll have been a champion at sentence diagramming, however there are manner too many grammar guidelines. Nobody can know all of them.
A course like Proofread Wherever can provide the follow, abilities and sources you might want to be a top-quality proofreader.
Construct a portfolio
You’ll be able to’t get a job with out expertise, however you’ll be able to’t get expertise and not using a job. Gah!
In case you’re prepared to perform a little free work to construct your proofreading portfolio, head over to Mission Gutenberg. Mission Gutenberg takes print books with expired copyrights and places them into e book kind, they usually want a number of volunteers to assist proofread all of them.
If somebody who owns an internet site, ask if you happen to can proofread it for them. All of it provides up!
Know your price
I can’t stress this sufficient! Twenty years in the past Stacy Brice of AssistU mentioned to me, “Folks pays you no matter you suppose you’re price.” More true phrases had been by no means spoken.
Does this imply you need to begin out on the highest finish of the size? No. However don’t promote your self brief, both.
The EFA has a complete charge chart for editors and proofreaders. It’s an awesome place to begin.
Determine what you need to be paid, and keep it up. It might imply taking a move on initiatives occasionally, however you’ll have a fatter checking account in the long term.
6 locations to search for proofreading jobs
You’ve gone via coaching. You’ve set your charges. You’ve constructed your web site. You’re prepared.
The place are the shoppers? Once you begin searching for proofreading jobs on-line, you’ll encounter a number of corporations which are companies for writers. All of them require making use of and organising an account.
Some are free, some take flat charges and a few take a share of your gross sales.
Beneath are seven on-line corporations that make it easier to assist writers put their finest work into the world. I’ve listed them so as of value to you, which tends to be proportional to the expertise required and the charges you’ll gather out of your shoppers.
1. Fiverr
In case you’re new to proofreading and trying to construct your portfolio, Fiverr is a superb place to get began.
Fiverr is an internet freelance platform that connects proficient professionals with writers in want of enhancing and/or proofreading.
You create a free account, the place you develop into a “vendor” and create “gigs” for your self. It’s a hip manner of claiming you create a profile for your self and get added to their listing, the place shoppers can search you out. You’ll compete in opposition to different proofreaders for work. The extra initiatives you full with excessive satisfaction scores, the extra initiatives you’ll snag.
You could not receives a commission the massive bucks right here, and you might have to navigate genuine jobs vs. shady job, however most locations for locating proofreading work both have an enormous charge or have numerous hoops to leap via and require a number of expertise.
Fiverr is free to affix and could be a actually good method to get your ft moist and begin constructing a portfolio. They will even act as a go-between and make sure you receives a commission. You’ll set your personal charge, however Fiverr retains 20 % of what you invoice.
Expertise stage: Ideally suited for these simply beginning out
Value to affix: Free
The corporate’s take: 20%
2. Upwork
Another choice for learners is Upwork.
As with Fiverr, it’s an internet freelance platform the place you’ll compete in opposition to different proofreaders for work. You set your personal charge, and Upwork acts as a buffer between you and your consumer to be sure to are paid.
On Upwork, you’re invited to bid on jobs, they usually have a barely extra advanced billing system than Fiverr.
Upwork retains 20 % for the primary $500 you invoice a particular consumer, 10 % if you happen to earn between $500.01 and $10,000 with that consumer, and 5 % if the quantity exceeds $10,000.
Observe that this doesn’t embrace your entire billings, moderately it’s for quantities paid to a person consumer. The higher your scores, the extra initiatives you’ll have the ability to bid on.
Once more right here, it’s possible you’ll not make the massive bucks, however lots of people who undergo the Proofread Wherever course use Upwork and Fiverr to begin constructing a portfolio and earn cash. Ultimately it’s possible you’ll discover you’ve received a properly padded checking account. A fellow graduate lately introduced she’d hit the $10k mark!
One other benefit to Upwork is the how-to movies that make it easier to discover ways to seek for the best work, learn how to bid, learn how to write contracts, and extra. What you study there interprets to the remainder of the freelancer world, so why not take benefit?
Expertise stage: Ideally suited for these simply beginning out
Value to affix: Free
The corporate’s take: Upwork retains 20 % for the primary $500 you invoice a particular consumer, 10 % if you happen to earn between $500.01 and $10,000 with that consumer, and 5 % if the quantity exceeds $10,000
3. Scribendi
Scribendi considers all freelance editors to be unbiased contractors. In case you meet their necessities, you’ll have to fill out a rigorous utility, which incorporates employment historical past, references and a abilities take a look at.
You’ll decide and select which initiatives you need to tackle. Scribendi covers a broad vary of writing initiatives, together with manuscripts, ESL, educational, enterprise, pupil,and private (suppose resumés and private paperwork). Reviewers say they common $15 to $20 per hour.
Expertise stage: Ideally suited for proofreaders with a minimal of three years expertise
Value to affix: Free
Firm’s take: None
4. ProofreadingPal
Are you in graduate faculty? Do you could have a graduate diploma and not less than 5 years of proofreading expertise?
ProofreadingPal gives proofreading for all kinds of writing, together with enterprise, educational, and books and manuscripts.
Apply to work for ProofreadingPal through the web utility the way in which you’d for every other job. It’s considerably rigorous, however doesn’t require you to have a minimal of revealed titles underneath your belt.
Ought to ProofreadingPal invite you to proceed the appliance course of, you’ll take a timed take a look at. Do effectively, and also you’re in. You’ll be an unbiased contractor, which suggests they take no charges from you. Based on their web site, you could have the potential to earn between $500 and $3,000 monthly.
Expertise stage: Minimal of 5 years of expertise with graduate diploma
Value to affix: None
Firm’s take: None
5. The Editorial Freelancers Affiliation
The Editorial Freelancers Affiliation (EFA) is a membership-driven website requiring annual dues. The dues are a bit steep, however could be definitely worth the funding.
The place different freelance corporations both add you to a listing or allow you to bid on job postings, EFA does each.
Once you arrange your profile it is possible for you to to decide on various key phrases that may make it easier to present up in a possible consumer’s search. Purchasers are additionally in a position to browse the listing. There’s a members-only space the place you’ll be able to look via job postings, and you’ll choose to obtain day by day job postings through e mail.
You’ll be able to set your personal charges, because the EFA acknowledges you as an unbiased enterprise. Apart from serving to freelancers and writers join, the EFA additionally gives on-line lessons, lots of that are free to EFA members.
(P.S. That is my favourite place for locating proofreading jobs.)
Expertise stage: Ranges from simply beginning out to extremely skilled
Value to affix: $145 for one 12 months or $260 for 2 years
Firm’s take: None
6. The Web + networking
I do know. It appears broad and oversimplified on the identical time. However networking can get you up to now!
Be a part of a gaggle for proofreaders on LinkedIn or comply with some proofreading associated hashtags on Twitter. Take part discussions. Quote the Chicago Handbook of Fashion. Hyperlink to Merriam-Webster. Typically a proofreader can have a consumer or potential consumer who wants work outdoors the scope of what the proofreader does or has time to do.
In case you’ve contributed high quality info in discussions about proofreading, you’ll discover one other proofreader will belief her consumer with you. My title was talked about in an article about writing levels and I obtained a flood of inquiries, most of which led to proofreading jobs, and several other of these jobs led to referrals to new shoppers.
Is there a weblog you like, nevertheless it’s full of errors? Attain out and ask in the event that they’d be fascinated by having your proofread earlier than they publish. A fast, top quality job might result in extra work with them. They might refer you to different bloggers to proofread for his or her websites, as effectively.
Severely. Do a great job for the best consumer and they’re going to inform all people they know.
No utility, no charges, simply you, your professionalism, and your data.
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