Setting Up a Proofreading Business: 10 Things You Need to Know and 10 More You Need to Do

Setting up a proofreading business: 10 things you need to know and 10 more you need to do

13/6/2013

Considering setting up a proofreading business? Or perhaps you're already on the journey. Here are 10 things you need to know and 10 more you need to do.

10 things you need to know ...

There’s a lot of competition.
The work won’t land in your lap overnight. It takes time to build a healthy small business.
Owning an editorial business requires hard work, commitment and patience.
Proofreading is not the same as copy-editing or substantive editing. And proofreading isn’t necessarily easier than other types of editorial intervention; it’s a different (though related) discipline.
There’s no magic formula when it comes to earning potential – rates vary according to customer type and each freelancer's business model.
Having a good eye for detail and a strong grasp of language is only the start. For example, depending on which customers you work for, you might be required to use a particular mark-up language, utilize specific software or understand particular industry-standard conventions.
Quality training is not a waste of money – it’s an investment in your future business success.
Marketing is an active, not a passive, activity and requires creative, strategic thinking and planning.
There is more than one customer type, and different customers have different expectations (e.g. publishers vs self-publishers vs corporate clients vs students).
“I’ll proofread anything” isn’t an effective or professional pitch that inspires confidence in a potential client.

10 things you need to do ...

Make a business plan – you’re about to become a business owner; it's important to behave like one. In particular, be realistic about the length of time it will take to get your business up and running.
Become an effective marketer – if your customers don't know you exist, you won't get work, even if you're the most able proofreader on the planet.
Network – other editorial freelancers are a virtual goldmine of information. Nearly every day one of my colleagues teaches me about a new resource, tool or idea. Join the editorial groups on social media and connect via your national professional editorial society.
Research the field so that you understand the profession and what your customers’ expectations are. For example, publishers might have different needs and expectations to self-publishers.
Put yourself in your customers’ shoes – once you understand who your customers are and what they want, make sure that both the language you use and the information you highlight when pitching to them reflect that understanding.
Think in a joined-up way – all the things you do when you build your proofreading business are connected – for example, the way you communicate on social media will have an impact on your colleagues’ and customers’ perceptions of you.
Make sure you’re fit for purpose – do the appropriate training to prepare yourself for market. Contact your national editorial society for guidance.
Get the tools you need for your home office that will enable you to do your job. A pencil and a red pen are not enough, though you will need those!
Act like a professional business owner – from every email you reply to, to the way you brand your letterhead, to the way you communicate your pitch in your promotional media, to the invoices you post, to the way you organize your accounts.
Consider specializing when you start up your business and target the appropriate customers – your prior educational and career background will help you to develop a strong pitch that sells your skills. You can always diversify later.

If you'd like more comprehensive guidance about starting a proofreading business, my books might be just the ticket. Written for those with no prior publishing or editorial experience, these practical guides take the new starter, step by step, through the basics of planning an editorial career and marketing their services.

Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with independent authors of commercial fiction, particularly crime, thriller and mystery writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), a member of ACES, a Partner Member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor & Proofreader, say hello on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, connect via Facebook and LinkedIn, and check out her books and courses.

21 Comments

Adrienne "scieditor" link

13/6/2013 08:31:18 am

Every time I read some of your business advice, I find myself punching the air in enthusiastic support.

Folks: read the book, which provides even more support and direction on these very points. This will put you on a fruitful path.

Were I to pick a favourite point, it would be #6. I might even go out on a limb and say that the #1 reason freelance editors fail is that they think “Having a good eye for detail and a strong grasp of language” is the end point. As you say here, this is only the start. Successful freelancing is _at least_ as much about running the business as it is about doing the work.
Cheers! (And thanks for mentoring us via your posts and your book.)

Louise Harnby link

13/6/2013 08:41:03 am

Hi Adrienne. Thanks for your super comment! One of the biggest struggles for the new entrant is dealing with the disconnect between having the skills to do a job and having the knowledge to run a business, which are two different things. Bridging that gap is what it's all about!

Wendy Toole link

13/6/2013 09:34:04 am

I hope it's ok for me to mention here a complementary booklet by a colleague of mine which has just been released in its third edition: "Starting Out: Setting up a small business" by Val Rice, available from the SfEP website http://www.sfep.org.uk/pub/gen/br/business/sfep_guides.asp

Val's booklet contains lots of excellent business advice for people going freelance, including how to deal efficiently with scary things like HMRC, so I am sure it will be of interest to many of Louise's readers.

13/6/2013 12:45:40 pm

Of course it's okay, Wendy! I list 'Starting Out' in the Resources appendix of my own book, 'Business Planning for Editorial Freelancers', because I, too, consider the two to be complementary. As you say, Val's book includes some excellent freelancing advice and I believe every newbie editor and proofreader would do well to incorporate this into their business plan.

Shailja link

14/6/2013 11:16:03 am

Hi Louise,

Having launched my proofreading and editing business not too long ago, I am still trying to find my feet. Of all the things you say one needs to do, there is nothing I find more challenging than marketing. To think that it has to be an ongoing effort makes me feel worse! But for this one thing, freelancing is hugely enjoyable. Better than a job any day.

Thanks for an excellent post!

Adrienne (scieditor) link

3/12/2013 08:01:30 am

Marketing is intimidating for most people. Louise gives some solid advice in her book for new starters (mentioned above). Much of what she wrote is the same as what I tell freelancers on this side of the pond when I teach my seminar on marketing.

Recently I came across this post that contains a very helpful matrix for determining where to spend your marketing time and money. It supports what both Louise and I say: at the scale of a freelance business, you are better off hand-selling, approaching potential clients one-on-one. http://blog.catchthesun.net/2013/11/marketing-effectively-freelancers/

Contrary advice you may notice in that post is that they equate listing in a professional directory pretty much as useless as throwing business cards out from a parade float.

Putting up a website isn't far behind that in terms of ROI. I would argue that the website won't DO the work for most freelancers. I know 3 who get MOST of their work from unsolicited inquiries via their website. But that is out of the thousands of freelancers I know. MY website is meant to help clients decide _after_ they are already considering me. It has been resulting in more solid offers and fewer "inquiries."

Liz

14/11/2014 07:52:17 am

Thanks so much for this information Louise! I've just ordered your book, which I'm looking forward to getting.

I'm halfway through my PTC proofreading training, and although I need to concentrate mostly on that at this point, I've been carefully gathering information and trying to prepare where I can, because I don't want to be certified yet have nothing else in place.

Your point about specialising our skills early on is helpful, although of course I don't want to narrow my options down too much before I know what sort of clients or work I'm particularly good with.

When qualified and searching for any experience (e.g unpaid work)- is it sensible to have everything set up and fully organised, despite the expenses? Also, how would you suggest I advertise (and go about) my services before I have any experience?

Again, thanks so much for the brilliant information you give to us.

Louise Harnby

19/11/2014 07:45:49 am

I would recommend having certain essentials ready: a computer, pens, pencils, eraser, correction fluid, desk, printer, paper, access to a good dictionary, etc. Most of these things are low in cost, or you’ll already have them.

As for how to go about advertising your business, there’s a lot to consider and I provide a comprehensive discussion of the issues to both think about, and actually do, in my book Marketing Your Editing & Proofreading Business: http://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/book-marketing-your-editing--proofreading-business.html. Ultimately, whether we’re new entrants to the field or old hands, we need to work out who our customers are, what problems they have, and how we will communicate the message that we have the skills to solve those problems. There are myriad ways to communicate that message, and multiple channels through which to do so. Your decisions will be based on your business requirements, your skills, your target customer base, rather than mine. I think my marketing book will help you to think about how you can tackle this rather large subject far better than a few lines here!

Razya link

16/3/2015 04:13:13 am

Hi Louise

Thank-you for the wealth of information, advice and support you have provided here. I bought your book (kindle version) last night and pretty much read it through the night.

There's so much I could have done right had I read it two years ago.

Yes, two years ago. I'm still trying to find my feet and it seems marketing is my Achille's Heel. The very thought of putting myself out there is enough to set off a fit of the vapours :)

I have completed PTC's proofreading course but as you say that's not enough.

Armed with your book and a few shots of espresso, I hope to make significant progress over the next few months.

Thanks & regards

Razya

16/3/2015 04:45:32 am

Hi Razya!

Good luck with your journey! Did you buy the business planning book or the marketing one? If you don't have the latter, and the vapours are overwhelming you (!), it will provide a deeper level of detail to help you on your marketing journey.

Thanks for taking the time to comment - it's always lovely to know that the information I'm sharing here on the blog, and in the books, is proving to be of value.

Louise

Tina Hanis

15/11/2016 12:34:48 pm

Thank you so much for the tips.I have been thinking of starting a proofreading business.What platform is most suited to advertise the business?Facebook,a website or a blog.

22/2/2017 02:41:20 pm

All of those things, Tina. Social media, website, directory advertising. To run a business effectively you need a marketing strategy that targets multiple clients over multiple platforms. See the marketing archive for more information, or my books: http://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/books-and-guides.html

Connie Hay

25/11/2017 06:35:11 am

I am a retired English teacher who has been line editing regency romance novels for over twenty years I have never charged for my line editing but would love to start doing so. Do you have any tips for me?

28/2/2018 01:22:13 am

So sorry, Connie! I've been having problems with comment notifications and only just received this! Eek! Check out the Q&A archive here on my blog. There's a post about a teacher transitioning to editing that should give you lots of ideas. I definitely think you should be charging for this service. You have invaluable skills that shouldn't be given away for free!

Mohd Imran

16/3/2018 08:42:01 am

Need some suggestions for starting a freelance business in proofreading. I am an engineer in Automotive domain In Magneti Marelli India. I am very fond of writing poems & have written many.
Please suggest me any link that could help me rejuvenating my ambition in life.

16/3/2018 10:21:50 am

Hi, Mohd,

Start by getting in touch with the Indian Copyeditors Forum: indiancopyeditorsforum.wordpress.com

Then look in the Starting Out archive in this blog (see the right-hand sidebar).

Best of luck!

Max Harrison

20/8/2018 11:47:12 pm

I've recently started working as an academic proofreader, but the money is poor. So very poor. I've got bags of proofreading and editing experience and decided that going off on my own is the way, but of course, approaching students directly is a no-no these days. Is everything about personal websites? I can't keep working for such terrible rates of pay. Obviously it's better than nothing...

21/8/2018 12:20:33 am

Hi, Max.

I think the key to making this work is to be visible and compelling to the kind of clients that will pay the rates we want to earn. And that means targeted marketing. I don't think it's just about a website, but having a website is like having a shop front, and in today's global market, any business owner who doesn't have one and isn't making it a valuable resource for their ideal clients is going to find it difficult. I spend 5 hours a week minimum marketing, so that the other 20 are spent editing at a fee that makes my business profitable.

Take a look in the marketing archives on this blog. I also have paid-for books and courses on social media, blogging, and (at the end of summer) branding for editorial business growth. Start with the freebies on the blog and go from there.

If you have bags of academic proofreading and editing experience, you should be investigating markets beyond students. Try this webinar for some introductory ideas. It's about getting work quickly, but it should also give you some ideas about marketing in general. It's by no means an in-depth marketing strategy ... just something to get you going. Go here: https://www.louiseharnbyproofreader.com/help-for-editors.html. Select Resources, and then click through to the webinar.

21/8/2018 12:50:16 am

Thank you for that. You talk a lot of sense about stuff I've barely thought about. I've just purchased the PDF of the book for editors and proofreaders, so thank you for that. I look forward to having a look at the other resources too.

21/8/2018 01:28:05 am

Thanks, Max. You should have now have received the login link for the Content Marketing Primer, which I sent via the email address you provided. For me, content marketing has been the most powerful tool for becoming visible. I hope you find this primer a useful guide to the start of your journey.
Louise

Rohan Yadav link

3/6/2020 05:59:47 am

Your Blog is blessing for a person who just going to start his career as a freelance, Proofreading is finest job to do from a home. When you are going to start a business it becomes very important that someone guides your exactly and your blog performs well in that way. Thanks for sharing your ideas and tips.