Freelance Proofreading - Do I Need It?
Dec 9th, 2009 by Reading and Writing
Even if is defined as less profitable like a dropship business or a forensics job, freelance proofreading remains a money making option for skilled, determined workers. Not all best-selling authors have amazing five-style spelling, and not all mistakes are spotted by editors. Moreover, word omissions and grammar mistakes make a material seem amateurish, without the proofreading stage prior to publication. Freelance proofreading saves lots of publications from maintaining a reputation. Although, proofreaders are sometimes mistaken for editors or copywriters, their job is different: which is scanning for text spelling mistakes, manuscript and formating errors.
Freelance proofreading applies not only to newspapers, books and other publications but to online materials as well. Web content and brochures also require error correction, and freelance jobs are often posted for such cases in particular. In case the freelance proofreading service will be contracted for a book, the publisher will choose a job applicant that is familiar with all the style conventions as they are depicted in the standard style manuals. All the corrections made by a proofreader will then be checked by another party as the final stage before the manuscript publication.
If a freelance proofreading job requires special style mentions, the contractor will inform you on the details previous to work start. If the material you are hired for is less formal, then the use of style manuals is not compulsory. You will actually find similarities between your tasks and those of a copywriter, and there may be cases when re-writes are necessary on occasion. We need to emphasize the importance of work experience here, because freelance proofreading jobs are more difficult to land when you cannot prove your abilities. In case you manage to work with other proofreaders and copywriters or collaborate with a team of well-established proofreaders, you have more chances of practicing this profession independently and in the freelance way.
Freelance proofreading services can be advertised on Internet websites. In order to build a solid reputation, you may have to start with small projects that are poorly paid and then increase in experience and pricing. Mention must be made that besides knowledge of formal styles, a proofreader needs to have great grammar, spelling and language abilities in order to be competitive in the domain. There should be plenty of work available if you know where to look for it and you have something valuable to offer. Good luck!
