How to Become a Freelance Proofreader Making a Full-Time Income

Irrespective of whether or not the content material is in print or on-line, there’ll at all times be a necessity for proofreaders.  Turning into a freelance proofreader will be the excellent answer so that you can do business from home. All the pieces we do as we speak appears to occur within the digital house.  It’s all typed for us to learn. And, when you’ve got learn something currently, you might have seen grammatical and typographical errors.  Hey, it occurs. However, it actually shouldn’t (even for me, and I admit that it nonetheless does infrequently). Due to the rise in on-line advertising and marketing, articles, and web sites, the necessity for proofreaders continues to develop.  It may be a profitable profession for anybody trying to exchange or complement their earnings.  However, you need to know the place to begin. That’s why I reached out to Caitlin Pyle, the proprietor and blogger behind Proofread Anyplace. If you wish to improve and even exchange your present earnings, freelance proofreading is perhaps the reply for you. Caitlin was capable of make greater than $43,000 in 2014 simply from proofreading.  She has developed a plan to assist anybody trying to both complement or exchange their earnings by turning into a contract proofreader. Learn Extra:

HOW TO BECOME A PROOFREADER ONLINE

WHO IS THE WOMAN BEHIND PROOFREAD ANYWHERE?

I began out working a 9-to-5 job as a receptionist at a busy court docket reporting workplace again in 2009. I used to be so good at recognizing errors that court docket reporters began calling me “Eagle Eyes.” As I moved up on the workplace, I began proofreading for court docket reporters as a aspect hustle. In 2011, I parted methods with that agency however stored my proofreading purchasers. I’ve been by myself ever since. As I gained expertise and obtained an increasing number of purchasers, I streamlined my proofreading methodology so I might work extra effectively. Finally, proofreading turned my major supply of earnings. My family and friends took discover and began asking me how I constructed my enterprise. I launched Proofread Anyplace, after which later, Transcript Proofreading: Principle and Follow™, launched.

WHAT DO FREELANCE PROOFREADERS DO?

Individuals (particularly bloggers and different enterprise homeowners) are in search of passionate, detail-oriented proofreaders. At any time when phrases get put into print, they must be proofread for accuracy. Somebody can write a weblog submit or a resume (or something, actually) and skim over it themselves, however they already know what they placed on the web page. That makes it tremendous simple to learn what you count on to be there relatively than what’s truly on the web page. That’s when writers can overlook a misspelled phrase (assume their as an alternative of there) or a lacking phrase. So it’s at all times good to have another person learn over your writing. I even have somebody learn my weblog posts earlier than they go reside. Nobody’s immune! It comes as no shock, however my favourite sort of proofreading is proofreading transcripts for court docket reporters (also known as authorized proofreading). Anybody who’s watched crime drama TV exhibits has most likely seen an individual sitting within the entrance of the courtroom typing away on just a little machine. That’s a court docket reporter, and so they’re writing on a steno machine. They take down phrase for phrase what everybody within the courtroom says. Their steno notes are become a transcript, which then must be proofread earlier than it’s handed over to the individual requesting it. Transcript proofreading is a really particular area of interest and requires very detailed coaching earlier than proofreaders begin serving to out court docket reporters.

WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR FREELANCE PROOFREADING?

Surprisingly, it isn’t nearly being a whiz at grammar and spelling. It’s truly about having  work ethic. You might be accountable for your individual success. Your status will decide when you’re somebody within the proofreading group who will likely be identified in your excellent work ethic or relatively as somebody who can’t be trusted to answer emails, return a top quality job, meet a deadline, and/or be trustworthy. An excellent proofreader likes to learn. You can be doing tons (and LOTS) of studying. In the event you don’t get pleasure from studying, you undoubtedly gained’t get pleasure from sitting down and selecting up a 300-something-page transcript. You want a need to be taught and continue learning. In the event you’ve by no means proofread a transcript earlier than however assume you recognize all of it already — and simply have to know how one can get purchasers — you’ll be in for a impolite awakening. Courtroom reporters can odor inexperience from a mile away. Lastly, you do must be accustomed to fundamental grammar and spelling guidelines. You don’t need to be excellent at them, however when you’ve got a tough time catching errors as you learn via commercials or magazines and such, you’ll have a really troublesome time with transcript proofreading, and I wouldn’t advocate it for you. Oh – and yet another factor!!  Proofreading is just not a option to get wealthy rapidly by placing in minimal effort. Transcript proofreading is a lot of labor. In the event you’re in search of a willy-nilly little “course” to provide you some basic concepts on how one can catch errors and make loopy money, this isn’t for you. Transcript Proofreading: Principle and Follow™ isn’t designed to chuck a gazillion individuals haphazardly out into the world to scrounge for purchasers. It’s there to equip critical individuals with the critical abilities wanted to carry out critical work.

IS ANY SPECIAL TRAINING REQUIRED?

Whereas theoretically, anybody might name themselves a proofreader and begin attempting to proofread basic textual content like time period papers, weblog posts, and the like, now you recognize that transcript proofreading for court docket reporters takes a special form of talent set than basic proofreading. Transcript Proofreading: Principle and Follow™ goes in-depth on every little thing, from the very fundamentals of what makes up a transcript to how one can proofread transcripts (you follow on over 3,000 actual transcript pages) to advertising and marketing specifics. Even when you’ve proofread different varieties of textual content earlier than, when you haven’t proofread a transcript earlier than, you’ll want particular coaching earlier than providing that as a service.

HOW MUCH MONEY CAN FREELANCE PROOFREADERS MAKE?

That depends upon fairly just a few elements. Transcript proofreaders cost by the web page, so your charge will rely on how rapidly you may work via a transcript — and with what accuracy you are able to do that. Blasting via a transcript ultra-fast and leaving a great deal of errors in your wake gained’t make you more cash in the long term as a result of it would wreck your status. It’s greatest to begin slowly and construct up pace. It additionally depends upon your targets. Do you need to give up your job and keep at residence? Some graduates of Transcript Proofreading: Principle and Follow™ persistently earn greater than $2,000 a month and may keep at residence with their children. Others don’t need to give up their jobs however recognize the additional money to repay debt sooner or have extra wiggle room of their budgets. There are college students making $4,000 and extra a month – working part-time.  Others are making 6-figures yearly.  It’s your enterprise. You determine how a lot you need to proofread. That form of flexibility is precisely what makes me so passionate concerning the work.

WHAT IF I TRY IT AND HATE IT?

Then be trustworthy however variety to your self. You gained’t know till you attempt, so if it appears attention-grabbing to you, give it a good shot. Don’t give up too early, however when you get into it and actually don’t get pleasure from it, that’s signal it’s time to maneuver on. Some people get began and LOVE each minute of it. Others begin and discover out it’s actually not one thing they get pleasure from. That’s why I break the coaching into ranges. College students spend money on every degree as they go — not all upfront. So if somebody decides it’s not one thing she or he needs to proceed, then they’d merely not spend money on the following degree of coaching. Straightforward! Now whereas there have been college students — and even graduates — who’ve determined proofreading simply isn’t for them, the data and confidence they acquire via the group and the coaching (particularly the advertising and marketing coaching) gave them the boldness to department out into different freelance abilities. Some stick to proofreading however as an alternative of proofreading transcripts, they do different varieties of proofreading. Others discover a utterly totally different space of the freelance world they actually love, like transcribing or writing. We even encourage branching out as a result of extra abilities at all times translate to more cash.

WHAT DOES IT COST TO GET STARTED PROOFREADING?

You may join my free intro course for, nicely, free! It gained’t value you a dime to see if proofreading transcripts for court docket reporters is one thing you’ll be considering pursuing additional. Full disclosure: It takes a LOT of labor to be taught the ins and outs of this work, so that you gained’t be taught every little thing you must know in a free week-long course. BUT it would assist you to determine if you wish to pursue transcript proofreading additional within the intensive course, and also you’ll get some glorious advertising and marketing suggestions for basic proofreading. In the event you do select to maneuver on with structured coaching, you’ll discover that in comparison with investing in a school diploma to begin a brand new profession, our on-line coaching is kind of reasonably priced. Apart out of your coaching, we advocate an iPad (round $200 for a mini) and a particular annotation app we use (about $10).

HOW DO YOU FIND ONLINE PROOFREADING JOBS?

Slightly than spin your wheels attempting to determine how one can get began by yourself, I like to recommend you’re taking a free course to get began.  You’ll be taught extra about proofreading so you may determine if it’s a match for you or not.

ANYTHING ELSE OUR READER SHOULD KNOW?

Don’t second-guess your self. If in case you have eagle eyes which are at all times catching errors in all places, transcript proofreading could be your area of interest. Self-doubt is without doubt one of the largest causes goals by no means make it to actuality. Time to do one thing about that!