The Hidden Gem of Freelancing: Proofreading

Photography/Blog Article Written by Karla M.Cortes

With Freelancing boom, comes new avenues

The US has experienced a freelancing boom within the past five years with over 57million Americans doing freelance work. Freelancing encompasses a variety of industries that range from construction to writing. Yet there is one freelancing field that constantly gets looked over in the writing industry. That field is proofreading.

With every great book comes an even greater proofreader. The person behind the scenes, making sure every comma, word, and phrase is properly conveyed and emphasized for the reader’s experience is much more needed than you’d think. In short, there is and will always be a market for proofreaders.

Getting paid to read?

Just like me, you must be thinking “Getting paid to read? Sounds too good to be true.” And trust me, it is oh too good. Imagine getting to read your author’s favorite written work before it even reaches its final production stage before being released to the public. To have the first-ever raw copy of the written work, from author to proofreader, and to get paid for it. That is just ONE of the many luxuries of being a paid proofreader. Here are a few more in case you’re not fully convinced that proofreading may very well be your next freelancing gig: 1.

Flexibility in schedule

Anywhere at any time. Freelancing means working at your own pace as long as you meet any deadlines given to you. There’s no such thing as a strict work schedule implemented by your boss or the mandatory nine to five at an office you dread walking in to. Lucky for you, proofreading can be done anywhere in the world as long as you have a pencil and the written work right in front of you. Working on your laptop? Same thing as long as you have an outlet nearby. The Internet isn’t even needed when proofreading. 2.

Get paid $17 per hour freelancing as a proofreader

The best part about being an established proofreader is that 90% of the time you get to decide what your salary is for each of your clients. According to PayScale, the average hourly rate for a proofreader is $17.82. The lowest hourly pay rate to be recorded is $11.68 while the highest stands at $29.74. The lowest hourly rate is still higher than what I personally make working in the service industry which also includes transportation and overtime. Glassdoor took 129 proofreader salaries from all over the US and concluded that the average base pay rounds up to $44,630 a year where the majority of proofreaders range closer to the $33k region. 3.

You will get paid to read

Proofreading is essentially free education. You get to read on all sorts of topics, genres, plots, and facts from all over the world. You get paid to educate yourself on things that wouldn’t have been brought to your attention if you hadn’t been proofreading specific works. As quoted by Descartes, “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest (people) of the past centuries.” 4.

Get recommendations from previous clients

Any job you get opens doors to other opportunities. But a good proofreader is a special character that tends to be recommended or discovered in the writing industry. Writers know other writers. From workshops to readings, they will always know someone who is working on something. As long as you are easy to work with and do a good job in the end, you will most likely get recommended to another writer. If not, simply ask to be recommended. 5.

Stay Entertainment while working and earning

Education goes hand in hand with obtaining free entertainment that ends up paying you. If you are a person who enjoys reading all day or prefers a good book than a good TV show, then becoming a proofreader might be a well-suited trade in order for you to say “I love my job” with gusto and confidence.

Suzanne Gilad’s Paid to Proofread

If you feel fully convinced that proofreading is a gig right up your ally, then I highly suggest reading up on Suzanne Gilad’s Paid to Proofread guide book. This incredibly helpful resource is chock full of tips and resources on how to start off your proofreading career. With this guide, you will learn how to format your resume when applying to proofreading jobs, how to find these jobs, with who to establish connections, and many more necessary tips for starting off right. “I wish you all the best in your journey to discovering the gifted proofreader within yourself starting with these three steps.” - Sue Gilad For any questions, comments, or inquiries, please contact media.paidtoproofread@gmail.com or visit our Frequently Asked Questions.