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Don’t we all agree that a well-crafted article or story should be free of grammatical and spelling errors? Adequate proofreading is the best way to attain perfection in a written piece. Given the amount of readable content available online these days, online proofreading jobs are quite in demand.
Impeccable grammar and standardized vocabulary with perfect spellings are the key ingredients to draw a reader’s attention. It ensures that a long-lasting impression is created in the reader’s mind. Getting your written content scrutinized and scanned through the eyes of a proofreader is the only way to make it perfect.
This has given rise to the demand for expert proofreaders in the market. If you are planning to start a side hustle, then we have this article for you. It will give you a wholesome picture of online proofreading jobs for beginners.
But, what would you be proofreading?
In today’s digital era, vast types of content are available for proofreading such as;
- Ebooks
- Manuscripts
- Blogs
- Social media posts
- Academic and research papers
- Newsletters
- White papers
- Reports
- Business documents
- Product manuals
- Website content
Even if you no longer are a beginner but still seek some guidance, then also you will find this article useful.
Page Contents
What is Proofreading?
Well, let me begin by telling you the primary meaning of proofreading if you are a novice in this field.
Using the simplest explanation, the term “proofreading” refers to a thorough reading of a written document. Thus, the purpose of proofreading is to find grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, typing mistakes, etc.
In short, proofreading helps to identify and eliminate errors which usually happen while writing a document. Hence proofreading is one essential step that can’t be skipped to give your write-up a professional appearance.
Over the last decade, there has been an exponential growth in the number of web-based written content, blogs, ebooks, and whatnot!
Thus, to meet the ever-increasing demand of proofreaders, a lot of freelance online proofreading opportunities have come up nowadays.
Difference Between Proofreading and Editing
Sometimes, you might be hearing another term that’s “editing.” In the world of literature and writing, the terms “proofreading” and “editing” are often used simultaneously. But it is to be noted that both these terms are not synonyms of each other. They rather have a distinctive meaning that imparts a unique identity to each of them.
As already described, “proofreading” means finding and rectifying grammar and spelling errors.
- Proofreaders don’t have to rephrase statements.
- They also don’t have to change the article structure.
- Proofreaders can point out the rectifications and leave them up to the author to make the final changes.
On the other hand, “editing” has a much broader role compared to proofreading. Editing involves reading written content thoroughly and making suitable changes at all levels to present the write-up in its best form.
- Editors can make changes at the level of language used, the presentation style of a write-up, and a lot more.
- Editors can also restructure content to make it more catchy and impactful.
- Editors can give polishing touches on behalf of an author.
Prerequisites of Being a Proofreader
Are you thinking how do I become a proofreader? To be a successful proofreader and excel in the field of proofreading, you should have the following qualities. The below-mentioned prerequisite is more essential than any formal qualification.
- You need to be a pro at spotting grammatical and spelling mistakes. I personally use online punctuation checker tools for this.
- Must be proficient in reading, writing, and speaking English.
- You should have sound knowledge of the current English grammatical norms.
- Being a Journalism or English major might add a feather to your cap at times.
- You will have to be patient but quick.
- Additionally, you should be adept at using some proofreading tools and apps.
How Much Can You Earn with Online Proofreading Jobs?
Money is obviously the biggest motivation behind all skills and jobs. So, are you curious about how much would you be making from online proofreading services?
Well, full-time proofreading professionals earn approximately $50000 annually. Yet, earning freelance proofreaders working online may vary with the type of platforms and clients they work for. It might also vary with your expertise level and several other factors.
Here are a few findings from some top sources:
- As per Glassdoor, online proofreaders earn around $44,679 annually.
- According to Salary.com, proofreaders might earn in a range of $44,516 to $57,927 per year.
- The hourly rates can be around $10/hr to $45/hr.
- Salary.com states that the hourly wage could be around $21 to $28.
- In the UK, proofreaders might earn around $21/hr according to The Writers Bureau.
Top 10 Platforms Offering Online Proofreading Jobs
Let us look at the below websites and platforms which offer the best-in-class freelance opportunities for starting proofreading services.
UpWork
UpWork is a great platform for getting freelance work. It certainly holds a lot of scope for finding proofreading jobs online for beginners. Thus, if you were wondering where to begin, then you can get started at UpWork.
UpWork is trusted and certified by big clients such as Microsoft, Airbnb, etc. Beginning is easy and all you have to first do is sign-in with your Google account.
A vast range of professional service categories can be found at UpWork ranging from web, mobile app, and software development to writing, marketing, etc.
FlexJobs
Working from home (especially during the Covid-19 pandemic) has become the hottest option for earning a livelihood. If you have been seriously contemplating on taking up proofreading jobs online, then here is another fantastic platform – FlexJobs.
You can find specially curated opportunities from a huge range of clients for remote work opportunities, part-time or full-time opportunities, freelance work, etc.
There are more than 50 career categories to choose from; however, you will need to pay up an affordable annual subscription amount.
If you are looking for proofreading online opportunities, then you must not miss signing up on this platform.
Amazon
As part of Amazon Kindle services, Amazon not only offers a self-publishing option for budding authors but also other services like editing, proofreading, etc.
You can take up Amazon Kindle proofreading jobs if you are keen on proofreading literature manuscripts. You can take up a genre of your choice. Thus, you can offer your proofreading services to various self-publishing authors who need a proofreader for their creative collection.
Other than this, you can also take up the Amazon Product Listing Proofreading work. If you are confident of having an eye-to-detail, then you can sign up for this service. You can help Amazon sellers by proofreading their sales copy for various products that they sell on Amazon.
Additionally, you could also take up the Amazon Affiliate Blogs Proofreading work. So, you see Amazon proofreading jobs are available in abundance to probably keep you busy even full-time. Check-out here
Fiverr
If you want to offer online proofreading services as a freelancer, then the platform of Fiverr brings a promising opportunity for people like you. You can begin freelance services at a price of $5. You can then keep on providing more services while side-by-side increasing the charge for your services.
At Fiverr, this kind of service offering is called gigs. The higher number of gigs you do, the greater your chance of popularizing yourself as an established proofreader.
If you are looking for online proofreading jobs for beginners, then LinkedIn is a nice and easy platform to try. You can find lots of valuable and authentic freelance opportunities on LinkedIn.
Thus, you need to create your LinkedIn profile, establish connections and begin your proofreading career instantly.
Cactus Communications
Cactus Communications offers plenty of full-time work from home opportunities or even part-time freelance opportunities in a variety of fields including proofreading online jobs and editing services.
You can apply to a certain advertised position and pass their basic knowledge-check test to get started as a proofreader or editor with them. One great thing about Cactus is that they have a broad client base from scientific as well as non-scientific backgrounds.
Scribe Writing
This company was previously known as “Book in a Box” which offers manuscript editing services to authors.
At Scribe Writing, you can stand a chance to proofread manuscripts for various authors and hence begin your online proofreading experience.
You can show your expertise and experience in the field to get approval from them to work as a proofreader.
Proof Reading Services
Another excellent platform to begin imparting online proofreading services is Proof Reading Services.
You can complete an eligibility test of 20-minute as part of the sign-up process and get a chance to earn at an hourly basis for proofreading documents.
Gramlee
Gramlee is another good choice for those who wish to kick-start their freelance online proofreading career swiftly. All you are expected to do is apply on their site and then wait to get clients.
With Gramlee you can work remotely and even flexibly as per your convenience. But you need to be quick with your error-catching skill as the turnaround time provided to submit the proofread document is quite short compared to many other platforms.
Lionbridge
Take up an online proofreading job from home with Lionbridge. You can sign up on their platform, clear their skill test and then receive proofreading jobs based on the language in which you are proficient.
You might have to proofread social media ads and posts or several other kinds of documents based upon client’s requirements.
To conclude, I hope that as we arrive at the end of this article, you have a clear picture of what is proofreading and which are the best platforms to try your hand at if you want to begin your online proofreading journey.
