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If you’re great at spotting spelling and grammar mistakes when you read, then proofreading is an awesome side hustle opportunity for you.
Many people don’t even realize that they can make a lot of money by turning their reading and writing skills into a proofreading business.
Plenty of people and businesses need to hire proofreaders right now because there’s so much written content being posted on the Internet every single day.
Proofreaders are needed before that content goes live to make sure that the work is error-free. You’re not nearly as far from having a successful proofreading business as you may think.
In fact, by taking this amazing 76-minute proofreading course you’ll have all the info you need to feel confident in your proofreading skills and start getting paid for them! It’s totally free to register, so what are you waiting for?
With your own freelance proofreading business, you can make a considerable amount of extra money right from your own home.
How great is that? Keep reading to learn more about how to find success as a freelance proofreader.
What Exactly Do Proofreaders Do?
Many people aren’t totally sure of what proofreaders do, and often confused the job with the editing. While they’re similar, proofreaders and editors have completely separate jobs.
Editors go over a written draft after it’s completed to correct issues in sequence, word choice, and flow.
They may choose to take out sections of text that are unnecessary or suggest adding a sentence or two for clarity. Editors are looking to improve the general quality of the writing.
Proofreaders come in at the final stage of the writing process to look over all the small details. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are the focus of proofreading.
Proofreaders prepare a written work to be presented as a final product to readers. If you’re like me and have always been the one to spot typos, you’ll probably make an awesome proofreader!
Businesses and individuals hire proofreaders to make sure their content is clear and professional. Your job as a proofreader is to pay close attention to detail and spot the mistakes that others overlooked.
Types of Proofreading Jobs
There are all sorts of proofreading jobs that are available for freelancers today. Since you’ll be the one in control of your proofreading business, you get to choose which jobs to apply for and what type of work you want to do. Pretty cool, right?
As a new proofreader, you’ll likely be reading content on a variety of topics. The Internet is full of so much written work about just about everything under the sun, so there’s a wide assortment of projects.
Since you don’t need vast expertise in a topic to spot technical errors, like missing commas or capitalization mistakes, you’ll be proofreading material on many subjects.
That being said, as you start to gain momentum and experience as a proofreader, it’s a good idea to find a niche.
Your niche will be the type of jobs you are the most knowledgeable in and the type of client you can serve the best.
Think broadly: academic work, blog content, legal papers, etc.
You’ll be reading writing in all different forms as a proofreader, such as:
- Magazine articles
- Blog posts
- eBooks
- Newsletters
- Essays and dissertations
- Manuscripts
- Transcripts
- Emails
- Promotional materials
- Press releases
- Contracts
When you’re just getting started as a proofreader, you may choose to start with a broad niche until you figure out your strengths and preferences.
Working with different types of clients gives you more experience and insight into the type of work you like to do.
Finding Freelance Proofreading Jobs
Seeking out work to start off a freelance proofreading business takes some persistence and self-promotion, but once you land those first few jobs, you’ll be on the road to major earnings!
One way to find proofreading jobs is to join an online agency. If you’re able to join, the agency will notify you about job opportunities and refer your services to clients looking for a proofreader.
An agency isn’t the only way to make it as a proofreader, however.
You can scour online job boards for potential clients, join freelancing websites like Upwork.com and Freelancer.com, and even reach out to blogs and businesses yourself.
There is a ton of content online today that needs to be proofread. The proofreading jobs are out there, you just need to make your services known so that clients can find (and hire!) you.
Maintain current, professional social media accounts and create a LinkedIn profile.
You can even consider making a website for your proofreading services so that all your information is easy to find and in one place.
Finding that first job as a freelancer isn’t easy.
If you want to have a smooth start to your proofreading business, I seriously recommend that you enrol in the “Proofread Anywhere” workshop.
It only takes 76 minutes and is totally free, so click here to reserve your spot!
Reasons to Become a Proofreader
You can work from home.
When you’re a freelance proofreader, you can say goodbye to that office cubicle. Since you’ll be doing business all online, you can work from anywhere, so long as you have a computer and an Internet connection.
Working from home saves you the time and money required to commute, and it means you can work in sweatpants. Does it get any better than that?
You get to set your own rates.
As a freelance proofreader, you get to set the price for your services. You will need to start off with lower rates and grow from there once you gain experience, but you won’t have to work for less than you think you’re worth.
You choose the hours you work—however much or little you want.
Only have a few extra hours a week to proofread? No problem! As the boss of your freelancing business, you only need to accept as many projects as you can handle.
Plus, you can work at any time of day or night that you want. Freelancers have the power to structure their own workday!
There are hardly any start-up costs.
Proofreading really only requires a computer, an Internet connection, and your skills! You don’t even need a college degree to become a successful online proofreader. That’s what makes proofreading such an awesome and accessible side hustle for so many people.
Proofreading is a low-stress and satisfying job.
Proofreading mainly involves reading and giving feedback, making it a low-stress side hustle. Plus, you’ll know that the work you do is helping to elevate the quality of written work for all sorts of purposes.
I don’t know about you, but I love knowing that the work really does help my clients!
How Much Money Do Proofreaders Earn?
Proofreaders are paid per page, so being a fast reader (while still spotting errors) is a major plus!
Caitlin Pyle, the creator of the amazing proofreading course I mentioned earlier (click here to sign up for free!) says that the average per-page rate for a freelance proofreader is $0.35 per page.
Considering that the average proofreader gets through 50 pages per hour, that means you can make over $17 per hour! That’s incredible for a simple side hustle that costs virtually nothing to start.
Of course, you get to set your own rates as a freelancer and start to charge more as you gain experience.
You can also charge per hour if you prefer—established proofreaders can make as much as $25-$35 per hour! That’s way more money than many other part-time jobs pay, including retail and food services.
The Secret to Quickly Becoming a Successful Proofreader
The best way to hit the ground running with your proofreading business is to have the skills you need to feel confident before landing that first job.
While you likely already have the basic knowledge to proofread well, having a deeper understanding of the makings of an outstanding proofreader will give you a huge advantage.
I really recommend signing up for the “Proofread Anywhere” 76-minute workshop for anyone wanting to make proofreading a profitable side gig.
From super-successful freelance proofreader Caitlin Pyle, this crash course will cover:
- How to take your skills to the next level to become an excellent proofreader
- Dos and don’ts of successful proofreaders
- Where to find clients
- How to use popular proofreading tools
You’ll learn all this critical information in just one short 70-minute session. It’s completely virtual, so you can attend from the comfort of your own home.
Plus, it’s completely free! No kidding–the key to your proofreading success won’t cost you anything.
There’s no reason to wait!
Click here to reserve your spot in the FREE proofreading course and start making money today.
I’m interested in becoming a proofreader.