This right here is my calling! For general proofreading, not too much. This includes bloggers, small business, and large brands. These student testimonials might be helpful in giving you a better idea of graduate experiences.
How Much Do Proofreaders Make?
Today, I have an amazing interview to share with you that will show you how to make money proofreading by becoming a freelance proofreader. I recently had the chance to interview Caitlin Pyle, the blogger behind Proofread Anywherewho explains how this may be a possibility for you. If you are looking proofrfading a new job or even just a side hustle, this may be something that you want to look. Caitlin also has a great FREE 7 day course just for people who want to stop wasting time and start making more money with their proofreading skills. I definitely recommend that you check it. I have been proofreading all kinds of text sincebut I got into transcript make money proofreading by becoming a freelance proofreader in My first job after graduating college was as a receptionist at a court reporting agency in town.
How Much Do Proofreaders Make?
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, when you make a purchase. Please, read my affiliate disclaimer for more details. Impeccable grammar and spelling skills are not only meant for freelance writing jobs. There is a high demand for freelance proofreaders and editors nowadays because bloggers want perfect content for their blogs, and students want their essays to look just right. Not to mention authors who want their books to become bestsellers. You can absolutely make money from home with online proofreading jobs.
Today, I have an amazing interview to share with you that will show you how to make money proofreading by becoming a freelance proofreader. I recently had the chance to interview Caitlin Pyle, the blogger behind Proofread Anywherewho explains how this may be a possibility for you. If you are looking for a new job or even just a side hustle, this may be something that you want to look. Caitlin also has a great FREE 7 day course just for people who want to stop wasting time and start making more money with their proofreading skills.
I definitely recommend that you check it. I have been proofreading all kinds of text sincebut I got into transcript proofreading in My first job after graduating college was as a receptionist at a court reporting agency in town. I quickly moved up the ranks into transcript production, which is where I learned the ins and outs of transcript format and the common mistakes that can be found in transcripts.
At the agency, we required the freelance reporters that contracted with us to not only have every job proofread, but they also had to upload their proofreader’s corrections as proof they had it.
We were very strict! Yet even when the reporter had the job proofread, we still found tons of errors at the office! Excellent proofreaders were very hard to find back. I worked for the office until the summer of We parted ways, and I went to personal training school.
I had a few proofreading clients on the side, but had no idea I could make an entire freelance business out of proofreading. One day the following summer, one of my clients suggested I email her manager who was looking for quality assurance proofreaders.
From that email, my career as a proofreader catapulted. Court reporters use digital stenography machines in combination with computer-aided transcription software to write verbatim records of various legal proceedings.
They report depositions, trials, hearings, arbitrations, case management conferences, compulsory medical examinations, examinations under oath, and pretty much any other type of legal proceeding. Because of the sensitive nature of legal proceedings, it’s imperative that as many errors as possible be eliminated from transcripts — an especially major error could ruin an entire trial!
See, they could use the proper spelling of the word, but it could be the wrong word altogether! For the accuracy required in transcripts, the human brain is irreplaceable both for court reporters and proofreaders. Court reporters who use freelance proofreaders — good propfreader, that is — know how proofrearer that extra set of eyes is to the quality of their product. Reporters don’t get paid for profreading time they spend proofreading their work, either, so outsourcing it to a proofreader saves them time — time prooofreading could make money proofreading by becoming a freelance proofreader to take more jobs.
An excellent proofreader is a huge asset to a court reporter — especially a court reporter who wants to make more money. Keep in mind, I had been proofreading for three years before I even had the slightest clue I could make real money doing. So I had plenty of practice by the time I signed on as a contractor with an agency and as a result, my numbers grew faster moneey they would’ve if I’d been starting from scratch. I had unintentionally stumbled across a great freelance career, and it eventually replaced my proofreding personal training gigs.
In that time, I trained several people one-on-one to do this type of work as well, and late I launched my blog, Proofread Anywhere, which offers lots of free blog content in addition to intensive training on exactly how to proofread transcripts and grow a side business — or full-time business — as a proofreader.
That’s not as common, but it’s possible. It really takes time to build a freelance business and market it, no matter what industry you want to break.
Now, that might sound like pocket change, but transcript pages are double-spaced and much mony dense than a book page, so the time it takes to proofread each page is dramatically reduced in comparison to a textbook. Your speed does increase as you get better at the work, and the software you use to do the work also helps a lot with becoming quick and efficient. It takes time to make money proofreading and to build speed without sacrificing accuracy, so I always caution students not to aim for what I earn right away — it took me quite a while to get there!
Actually, many of my students have been offered opportunities to proofread for blogs, law firms, and even for authors. The pay is not generally anywhere near as good for other types of proofreading, but when you’re side-hustling and trying to pay off debt, every little bit can help.
Blogs are actually proogreading great submarket for freelance proofreaders. I’ve even hired several of my own students to help me proofread my blog content! Well-written, error-free blog posts pack a heavier punch for readers on the hunt for useful content, whereas blogs riddled with errors may give readers the impression you don’t take your time putting it.
Having an eagle eye for detail is proforeader, and not everyone has it. If you frequently need to use spell check to find make money proofreading by becoming a freelance proofreader and find yourself eternally confused with punctuation, it’s likely not a natural skill for you and proofreading wouldn’t be a good fit.
However, those whose eyes are drawn immediately to errors in text, love punctuation and spelling, and overall enjoy reading would be a much better fit for this type of work. You have to be motivated and committed profreading learning.
If you go into learning this expecting other people to do it for you, you’ll be disappointed. The students who succeed are not only excellent at proofreading; they are positive, persistent people who are committed to what they’re trying to build and don’t give proofreadinng when it gets tough.
And as with any sort of business, pfoofreading WILL get tough… but it’s worth it. Proofreacing quickest way to get your name tarnished in the world of court reporting is by trying to jump in without having a clue what you’re doing. Court reporters can spot incompetence from a mile away.
Even if you do know proofreaing what you’re doing, if you haven’t learned how to communicate effectively with your target market, you’ll still risk coming off like a rookie, and you could blow your chances very quickly. Thing is, proofreading transcripts is so much different than proofreading a paper or a blog post.
Transcripts are all spoken word, so the grammar can’t just be fixed; the words can’t be rearranged if it sounds weird. As a transcript proofreader, you need to understand that, plus understand exactly what a court reporter goes through, how they do their job, exactly what kinds of errors you need to find, be knowledgeable in legal terminology, and know how to provide excellent service for your clients.
I’d recommend checking out the site, our extensive FAQ posts there are close to 40! You won’t learn how to do the work or how to get the work in the free intro, but you will learn more about my work as a transcript proofreader, meet current and former students, and have an opportunity to ask any questions to determine if it’s a good fit. On average, it takes about months to learn how to do the work properly.
It’s serious business working in the legal world, so shortcuts aren’t recommended when it comes to education. The training takes you step by step through learning the industry, the necessary punctuation rules, over 3, practice pages, setting up a business, and lastly, an enormous module on marketing.
A lot of people want to know how to market before they even know how to do the work, but we save marketing skills for last because it can actually be very overwhelming to learn how to get work before knowing how to do it. Once you learn how to do the work and do it well! Once you do learn marketing, being persistent and thorough in your marketing efforts is critical.
We give you all the tools proofrreading learn modern marketing techniques, but you have to understand them, implement them, and be consistent with them over time. Any business owner knows marketing is a consistent effort. Staying connected with other freelance proofreaders and transcript proofreaders is another great step to stay motivated and up to date on industry happenings. Students tend to earn their investment back within a month or two after the training — we’re really proud to be able to say that!
Other than that, we do recommend using an iPad for the most efficient method of proofreading. Check out this link for details on exactly why we recommend an iPad. Overhead costs are generally very low — there isn’t much by way of monthly expenses unless you pay for a specific accounting software or some kind of pay-as-you-go productivity app. There are free accounting options available, like ZohoBooks, and even free ways to create your own logo and website. There’s only a cost if you choose your own domain or use premium design tools.
Marketing doesn’t have to cost anything but time and only costs something if you choose to invest in business cards or something like a premium LinkedIn membership. Those can be a good investment if it helps you get more clients. It’s so flexible and much more autonomous than an office job. Because I don’t have proofreafing be in an office and I only use email and an iPad, I can live and work anywhere there’s internet access. Mpney husband and I have been able to travel for a solid five months this year, and we have plans to travel for eight months of.
I’ve even been able to meet several students in my travels: two in New York City, and four in Ecuador, of all places. Being an excellent transcript proofreader doesn’t require you to live in any particular place; it just requires you to turn around quality work prooofreading helps your clients shine. That’s another one of my favorite parts — you get to play an integral role in producing excellent work.
Definitely take the free intro course first to see if it’s a good fit for you. It’s not for. Don’t go into this thinking it’s going to be an overnight success or a quick-fix, get-rich-quick thing.
It’s NOT. It takes lots of hard work and persistence. If you choose to enroll in the training, make good use of the becominf support forum and our Facebook group instead of trying to do it all. There are so many helpful people there including me to answer any questions.
Because we have students around the world, there’s usually someone there to answer your questions at any time of the day. If this sounds like something you are interested in, you can check out Caitlin’s courses. Did you enjoy this interview with Caitlin from Proofread Anywhere? Are you interested in learning how to make money proofreading by becoming a transcript proofreader?
Join the free email course and f inally learn how to manage your money better, pay off debt, save more money, and reach financial freedom. Get our newsletter and get access to the freebie:. Michelle is the founder of Fredlance Sense of Centsa blog about personal finance and traveling.
She discusses how her business has evolved in her side income series. Click here to learn more about starting a blog! I love this! In what seems to be millions of years ago, I was an editor for my undergrad newspaper.
It was great to get more insight into this! Great post and very informative. This sounds really interesting. I can write a great post or a report but never without many typos or errors.
They also offer several resources including a guide to help you search for work-at-home proofreading jobs. You need to be a master multi-tasker who can complete proofreadibg quickly. Solid recommendation about the best proofreading sites. My course focuses on the specific niche of proofreading for court reporters; however, many students have been able to apply their skills for proofreading of all kinds of moneey, including eBooks, blog posts, and grad school dissertations. But keep in mind, to earn this kind of money, I only worked on average 20—25 hours a week! Hi Caitlin, Thanks for your feedback and other information. On the other hand, editors may go through the information and reorder and organize it. Also, how hard is it to get started in proof-reading without your course? Hey Caitlin, I would want to do this part time but where do you fine the clients? Hey Ellie, To the best of my knowledge, these are legitimate companies. After my massage I sat in my car and read the emails she sent me.
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