How to Start a Proofreading Business

So, you’re interested in becoming a proofreader? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a freelancer looking to upskill or an established proofreader wanting to start a business, we’ve got all the info you need.

Working in the professional proofreading industry can be a lucrative and empowering business. Being your own boss comes with a lot of perks. You can manage your own time and work from wherever you want, and the startup costs are pretty low.

Starting your career in the proofreading business is fun! If you’re new to the industry and want to gain some skills, check out Proofread Anywhere for helpful guides, testimonials, and useful resources.

What Does a Proofreading Business Involve?

So, what does a proofreader actually do? Well, the service that you supply can differ based on your skill set. But of course, let’s first explain what skills these are.

Proofreading vs Editing

One of the first mistakes that people make when thinking about proofreading is mistaking it for editing. We know, you’re probably thinking “I didn’t come here for editing advice!”

So, we’ll explain. Once the writer has completed their work, either they or someone else will edit the document. To briefly summarize, the editing process involves re-writing, structuring the document in a clear and cohesive manner to improve clarity, and ensuring all information is relevant.

Only once this is done, does a proofreader (you) come in.

You might be wondering “What’s left for the proofreader?” Well, a lot. As a proofreader, you will be looking for typos, grammatical errors, spelling errors, and typing errors. Unlike the editor who can move words around, your role is to fix the small stuff.

A good proofreader should be able to work with a variety of material: books, articles, newspapers, court transcripts, and academic work, to name a few.

What’s great about having a solid background in proofreading is that with time, you could expand your business into a proofreading and editing business. Once you can spot those grammar errors with ease, you can increase your skill set to include content editing.

What Industries Need Proofreaders?

Earlier we mentioned some of the work that you could proofread, so let’s delve a little bit deeper and explain what industries need proofreaders. There are tons of industries that are always in need of proofreaders. Companies in publishing, online media creation, corporate content, and even certain academic fields are always looking for proofreaders.

We know we’ve already kind of overloaded you with a lot of information! But it’s all positive – now you should have a much better grasp of what a proofreader does. If you want an even deeper understanding, check out these student testimonials of how they used their proofreading skills.

Essential Skills and Tools for Starting a Proofreading Business

So, you like grammar. Obviously, otherwise, you wouldn’t be here. Being a proofreader requires an ability to spot grammatical errors and to pay close attention to detail. You should be confident in your skills that no matter the document type, you can provide a good job in a quick turnaround time.

Now, of course, you think you can become a proofreader with just your raw skills. We know, we’ve thought that as well. But the truth of the matter is that no one out there has eagle eyes. We’re humans, we’re prone to make mistakes. So let your ego go for a little bit, and allow yourself to use some tools to help you out.

For starters, we swear by Grammarly. While the writers should be running their work through it already, words can fall through the gaps. As you read through more and more web content, academic papers, and even editorial business work, having a tool like Grammarly will help you sharpen your skills. (And just between us, even professional editors and experienced editors use tools like these).

Before you even begin your proofreading business, we suggest you take some proofreading courses to brush up on your skills and learn the ins and outs of the industry. Learning how to effectively proofread professional documents will help bring in more clients and make your business come to life.

Setting Up Your Proofreading Business: Key Steps

The first step to starting a business is to write up a business plan. We know, yada yada admin details. But honestly, this will help your business in the long run. You’ll want to think of a name for your business, and in order to do this, we suggest finding your proofreading niche. As someone who wants to get paid to proofread, focus on what you want to work with.

Do you want to generalize and offer your services to anyone who needs them? Or do you want to specialize, and go into, say proofreading academic papers? Once you’ve decided on this aspect, then you can go ahead and start brainstorming names.

Figuring out your target audience in the beginning will also help you with marketing. Finding local clients when you know who to target should be less of a hassle than just trying to advertise yourself.

Now, even though you’re starting an online proofreading business, you still need to register the business. Don’t forget that! A business is still a legal entity, so you will need to jump through all those irritating hoops. Keep your eye on the prize though: with time, hard work, and clients (ha! Easier said than done, am I right?), you could successfully build up a team.

Once all the admin work is done, it’s time to move on to the physical space. Because you’re working with your own schedule, you’re also more than likely working in your own space. Ensuring you have a private and undisturbed space to work in is critical here.

Distractions are everywhere.

You don’t want your first job to have negative feedback because you were distracted and didn’t spot the difference between their/there/they’re. That would be awkward.

Finding Clients for Your Proofreading Business

Finding clients can be tricky, we won’t even lie to you. The proofreading business is booming, making it a very competitive industry to penetrate. Now that you have a name and niche, you want to start building your online identity.

First things first, establish your online presence. Create profiles on LinkedIn, Meetup, and Upwork. Here you can describe your services, network with other people and potential clients, and find work.

We also suggest making social media profiles. Social media? For work? Heck yeah! While business sites are always good to start, you’d be surprised at the amount of businesses that make their profit off social media. You could have your cover letter or even some examples of your work on these profiles. Honestly, just having any sort of online platform will get your name and brand out there.

Once you have your platforms created, you’ll want to show your skills. This, more often than not, means having a website and/or portfolio. Obviously, as a new proofreader, you might not have these things. Fear not, we have some suggestions.

Because being a proofreader includes writing skills, we suggest using Medium or Substack to write some work. On your social media sites, you can link these writing pieces. While they’re not examples of your proofreading work, they do show potential clients your skills anyway.

Pricing Your Proofreading Services: A Guide to Getting Started

As a newbie, you can’t go in guns blazing. We know: now that you’ve completed your Proofread Anywhere courses you feel like an industry pro. But, in reality, you are new to this.

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When you start your business, you want to set your prices at a competitive rate. The best way to go about doing this is to check out other proofreaders. View it as investigative research – you need to scout the internet for local proofreaders, and then set your prices accordingly.

There are also different ways to cost your work. Woohoo! More financial freedom! For example, you can choose to cost it by time, project, or word. This could take some time and you might need to work on a few projects to figure out the best way for you.

Similarly, you should be aware of your clientele. Are you offering your services to a big company that can pay competitively? Or are you working for a small business? These are the kinds of questions you can ask yourself as you set up your business, as well as in your pricing research.

When it comes to payment, you should also always be clear with your clients. Communication is key, and by being honest up front with payment you can avoid miscommunication in the future.

Conclusion

Well, now that you’ve read this article, the next step is to take a proofreading course with Proofread Anywhere. If you’re looking for more resources, don’t forget that we have a blog which you can check out here for some extra tips and tricks.

By combining the information we’ve listed here, along with perfecting your proofreading skills, you can create a successful and profitable business. Now that you know the details, it’s time to start that business, baby!