Freelance Proofreading, Any Advice?

[Chaplin]

Yesterday, while watching a Caber Toss event at the local Highland Games, a thought randomly popped into my head. I've been looking for a few fun ways to make a little side income, especially during the darker winter months. Proofreading other people's writing is something that I enjoy and I think I'm good at. At every job I've had I ended up proofreading my boss's work. Even at my last job as a senior manager, I proofread the president's memos. I've done it regularly for friends and for my wife.

Could anyone offer any insight into how to do this a little more formally? Some searching revealed a few freelancing matchmaker sites like upwork.com and freelancer.ca. There are also job postings for one-off jobs. I realize it's not a highly paid sort of work, but I'd like to try it out. I'm FIREd and would be doing this for a bit of fun, to be exposed to some writing that I might never seek out on my own, and a few $ for more bike parts can't hurt.

[cool7hand]

Try Fiverr? I've used Fiverr to find a typist.

[yakamashii]

Translations need to be proofread, and demand for translations is exploding. Send your CV/qualifications in to some of the major translation companies (e.g. Lionbridge, Transperfect) to get a steady stream of work you can turn on or off as you please!

[Chaplin]

Try Fiverr? I've used Fiverr to find a typist.

Thanks! I had heard of that one but it hadn't come to mind when thinking of this. It seems to be one of the bigger sites for freelancing though.

Translations need to be proofread, and demand for translations is exploding. Send your CV/qualifications in to some of the major translation companies (e.g. Lionbridge, Transperfect) to get a steady stream of work you can turn on or off as you please!

That hadn't occurred to me, but it makes total sense, thanks!

[englishteacheralex]

PTF

[Moonwaves]

Also PTF and would just like to add a plea be aware of pricing. As in, please don't underprice just because you're FI and mostly doing this for fun. Underpricing is a bit of a problem in the field and makes things difficult for people doing it full-time to earn a living.

If there are topics you're particularly interested in, try contacting the companies involved in that. If you're good with academic stuff, find places researching things you think might be interesting. FWIW, most of Wikipedia needs lots of proofreading and that's something you can do as much or as little as you want. Especially articles in English that are not written by native English speakers.

[Vashy]

Fiverr and Upwork (there's further similar platforms, but I don't even have second-hand experience with those). Also depends on what you want to proofread - fiction or non-fiction or specialist subjects. It's definitely useful to specialise.

[BlueHouse]

No advice, just wanted to share something from someone I knew once who was a proofreader.  She and I used to travel by Greyhound regularly between Phila and NY, so we talked a lot.  She read all the time, so started proof-reading as something to do on the bus.  She worked for a publisher and mostly proofread romance novels.  They literally cut the books in half -- as in the top half of a bound book, or the bottom half.  Or all the even pages only.  So she couldn't get so engrossed in the novel to miss a word.  She concentrated on one word at a time to ensure no typos.  She also sometimes read the words backwards. 
To me, that sounded so awful that I couldn't see the point. 

[Moonwaves]

No advice, just wanted to share something from someone I knew once who was a proofreader.  She and I used to travel by Greyhound regularly between Phila and NY, so we talked a lot.  She read all the time, so started proof-reading as something to do on the bus.  She worked for a publisher and mostly proofread romance novels.  They literally cut the books in half -- as in the top half of a bound book, or the bottom half.  Or all the even pages only.  So she couldn't get so engrossed in the novel to miss a word.  She concentrated on one word at a time to ensure no typos.  She also sometimes read the words backwards. 
To me, that sounded so awful that I couldn't see the point.

To me, that sounds like a genius idea and I'm wondering why I never thought of it. I do try to hop around from page to page a bit but that's next level.

[DragonSlayer]

No advice, just wanted to share something from someone I knew once who was a proofreader.  She and I used to travel by Greyhound regularly between Phila and NY, so we talked a lot.  She read all the time, so started proof-reading as something to do on the bus.  She worked for a publisher and mostly proofread romance novels.  They literally cut the books in half -- as in the top half of a bound book, or the bottom half.  Or all the even pages only.  So she couldn't get so engrossed in the novel to miss a word.  She concentrated on one word at a time to ensure no typos.  She also sometimes read the words backwards. 
To me, that sounded so awful that I couldn't see the point.

To me, that sounds like a genius idea and I'm wondering why I never thought of it. I do try to hop around from page to page a bit but that's next level.

That's sort of how I proofread my novels. On the first pass, I read all the odd numbered pages and then read the evens. On my final pass before giving it to my publisher, I read it back to front. It cuts down on my brain seeing what it thinks should be there as opposed to what is actually there.

[Chaplin]

Also PTF and would just like to add a plea be aware of pricing. As in, please don't underprice just because you're FI and mostly doing this for fun. Underpricing is a bit of a problem in the field and makes things difficult for people doing it full-time to earn a living.

If there are topics you're particularly interested in, try contacting the companies involved in that. If you're good with academic stuff, find places researching things you think might be interesting. FWIW, most of Wikipedia needs lots of proofreading and that's something you can do as much or as little as you want. Especially articles in English that are not written by native English speakers.

Agreed - I'd like to do this to earn money for bike parts and this seems like one of a number of things I might enjoy as opposed to something I think I would enjoy so much as to undervalue it.

Dragonslayer, Moonwaves and BlueHouseGood, that's good advice on tricks to proofread effectively. As with most people I'm better at proofreading other people's work but fall into the trap of skimming my own stuff as my brain fills in gaps unconsciously - those techniques seem designed to reduce the chances of that happening.

Vashy, yes specializing makes sense. I do read a fair bit of fiction and I wouldn't pass up the right opportunity to proofread some, but my background probably makes me most effective for technical reports, policy documents, and corporate communications (internal memos, etc.).

[getsorted]

Underpricing is a bit of a problem in the field and makes things difficult for people doing it full-time to earn a living.

Word. I've moved more into developmental editing than proofreading now, but there are so many would-be proofreaders on Fivr charging leisure wages. I never got any decent work that way, only through referrals. It's really about developing relationships with publishing houses, academic departments. Here and there I've had a relationship with a nonprofit or just an author in a prolific phase who throws me a lot of work.

I do business writing by day and academic editing by night, and I've found leaving cards in places where academics drink coffee to be surprisingly effective, even in this day and age.

[DragonSlayer]

Underpricing is a bit of a problem in the field and makes things difficult for people doing it full-time to earn a living.

Word. I've moved more into developmental editing than proofreading now, but there are so many would-be proofreaders on Fivr charging leisure wages. I never got any decent work that way, only through referrals. It's really about developing relationships with publishing houses, academic departments. Here and there I've had a relationship with a nonprofit or just an author in a prolific phase who throws me a lot of work.

I do business writing by day and academic editing by night, and I've found leaving cards in places where academics drink coffee to be surprisingly effective, even in this day and age.

Agree that undercharging is terrible. In addition to novels, I'm a technical writer (novels don't pay the bills) and the competition is awful. I'm a professional with 20+ years of experience but I lose work to the kid on fiverr charging pennies. I try to tell potential clients (nicely) that you get what you pay for when they question my rates, but it usually falls on deaf ears. At that point my response is to leave my information and wait for the call to step in and fix the mess made by the cheap labor. I tend to get a fair amount of callbacks who then turn into regular clients.

Beyond that, many of my clients come from word of mouth or people I used to work with in various tech firms who've gone out on their own or to new companies. It's almost impossible, though, to get new clients when they think the work should be "free." I had one tell me once that, "Well, it's not as though this is difficult work. You're just putting words together so why should it cost so much? Anyone can do it." I was to the point I didn't really want the job because this was just the final straw in a big pile of things that made me think this person was a jerk, so I said, "Then why am I even here? If it's so easy and quick why aren't you doing it? You clearly don't need me." Silence. I smiled and said thanks and left.

I get that undercharging is sometimes necessary to get a foot in the door, but the chronic undercharging and "will work for exposure" have really ruined it for professionals. And it's in all forms of writing, publishing and graphic design.

[Metta]

Yesterday, while watching a Caber Toss event at the local Highland Games, a thought randomly popped into my head. I've been looking for a few fun ways to make a little side income, especially during the darker winter months. Proofreading other people's writing is something that I enjoy and I think I'm good at. At every job I've had I ended up proofreading my boss's work. Even at my last job as a senior manager, I proofread the president's memos. I've done it regularly for friends and for my wife.

Could anyone offer any insight into how to do this a little more formally? Some searching revealed a few freelancing matchmaker sites like upwork.com and freelancer.ca. There are also job postings for one-off jobs. I realize it's not a highly paid sort of work, but I'd like to try it out. I'm FIREd and would be doing this for a bit of fun, to be exposed to some writing that I might never seek out on my own, and a few $ for more bike parts can't hurt.

Do you know about the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA)?
https://www.the-efa.org

They have a lot of information as well as job listings, professional rates, and a place to list yourself as a professional.

[getsorted]

I'm a technical writer (novels don't pay the bills) and the competition is awful.

It's intense. I have worked as a technical writer most of my career, but under other titles (marketing, communications, administration, etc). I had no idea what a huge mistake that would be for portability. I'm lucky now to be in a day job that was basically created around me and my skillset, but I worry about what's next, especially since nearly all of my portfolio is either confidential or freelance.

I lose a lot of first-time prospective clients to a wife's sister's friend who will do it for a six-pack of beer. I mean, more power to them, but I've coached multiple rejected dissertations through  to a successful defense; I'm not going to work for IPAs and a Facebook shoutout!

[Vashy]

Vashy, yes specializing makes sense. I do read a fair bit of fiction and I wouldn't pass up the right opportunity to proofread some, but my background probably makes me most effective for technical reports, policy documents, and corporate communications (internal memos, etc.).

On the positive side, those types of documents should easily get you much higher rates than fiction. :)

[mozar]

@sadiesortsitout what is developmental editing? I’m interested in getting into editing as one of my income streams.

[Fish Sweet]

- Is there any chance that the people or businesses you once proofread for might have need of your services on a freelance basis? It's hard to get new clients who value your time and proper compensation in really ANY writing-related field. Best to work with the people and connections you've got.

- Can you very clearly define your niche and any specialties you have that set you apart from ye standard fresh college grad also trying to make a few bucks on fiverr? A background in physics so you know all the long scientific words? Education, so you're familiar with terms and school-specific phrasing? That sort of thing.

It's not quite the same as proofreading, but I do some freelance copyediting in a popular but niche genre of fiction. The way I got the gig was through sheer nepotism - through a friend of a friend, but also we went to school together and copy-edited journal articles together, so it's not as if I was unqualified or given the job sight unseen. And it's for a niche genre that I'm very familiar with, so I know what the audience is looking for and what doesn't fly.

That said, while I enjoy the work as a break from my 'dayjob', it still doesn't pay all that well. I barely make minimum wage for my city, especially after freelance taxes are deducted.

[Chaplin]

- Is there any chance that the people or businesses you once proofread for might have need of your services on a freelance basis? It's hard to get new clients who value your time and proper compensation in really ANY writing-related field. Best to work with the people and connections you've got.

I may try that. Two challenges will be that the president at my last place of employment has also left and that the total amount of work they might have available will not likely add up to much at all.

- Can you very clearly define your niche and any specialties you have that set you apart from ye standard fresh college grad also trying to make a few bucks on fiverr? A background in physics so you know all the long scientific words? Education, so you're familiar with terms and school-specific phrasing? That sort of thing.

I do have a few niches that I can try to capitalize upon.

It's not quite the same as proofreading, but I do some freelance copyediting in a popular but niche genre of fiction. The way I got the gig was through sheer nepotism - through a friend of a friend, but also we went to school together and copy-edited journal articles together, so it's not as if I was unqualified or given the job sight unseen. And it's for a niche genre that I'm very familiar with, so I know what the audience is looking for and what doesn't fly.

That said, while I enjoy the work as a break from my 'dayjob', it still doesn't pay all that well. I barely make minimum wage for my city, especially after freelance taxes are deducted.

Sounds like a good score despite the rate. It's not a huge surprise that many of the comments here point to the challenge of getting paid what it seems the work is worth. A worldwide pool of workers without really clear ways to determine quality is a recipe for pushing the rate down. Even if any one person's poor quality cuts them off from repeat business there are so many other people to take a chance on. That definitely makes establishing a few good customers the ideal.