Hiring an excellent proofreader is challenging and time-consuming, but it’s worth the effort. A professional proofreader can enhance your writing and immediately prepare it for publication.
This article will guide you through the process of hiring proofreaders for books, essays, business documents, and other writing types. Find out what to consider and where to hire the best proofreaders for any project.
Types of Editors to Hire
There are five basic types of editors you can hire for your writing. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Book Editor
Proofreaders for books fix and prepare the written material for publication. Nonfiction, romance, science fiction, and mystery authors all hire book editors to evaluate their manuscripts.
Book editors are also the reason behind the competitive publishing industry because their role is to accept or reject the materials. They can suggest rewrites, fact-checking, and more research for the book to be fit for printing and distribution.
Developmental Editors
The developmental editor helps writers with the piece of text’s tone, organization, character development, and structure. They assist you with these in-depth aspects rather than the technical features like spelling and grammar.
Substantive Editors
Substantive editors or line editors address the style and clarity of your writing line by line. They may rewrite your sentences to be more precise and more engaging. Some substantive editors make your story’s elements more sequential and logical.
Copy Editors
Whereas developmental and substantive editors focus on the bigger picture, copy editors study the paper line by line. They look for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors to correct in every sentence. Copy editors may also rephrase and rewrite some parts of your text.
Once the copy editor is done with your work, they submit these projects to proofreaders.
Proofreader
The act of proofreading is almost the same as copy editing. But this stage focuses on the final edits before publication. Besides checking your spelling and grammar, the proofreader also looks for formatting issues, such as the font style, spacing, and page number.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Proofreader for Books?
Proofreading rates depend on the company’s way of charging its customers. Some proofreaders charge clients by the hour, while others charge per word.
Most professional proofreaders offer services for $0.01 to $0.10 per word. So, if your book has 70,000 words, you’ll be paying $700 to $7000 for the service. Always ask about rates and costs before committing to the project.
What to Consider When Hiring a Proofreader or Editor
You must consider several factors before hiring a proofreader or editor as a client. Here’s a guide to help you.
Their Expertise
There’s no need to worry about a proofreader’s experience level on some websites because they only hire competent professionals. Fiverr, ProofreadingPal, and EditFast are good examples of these companies.
Beware of newbie proofreaders offering very cheap services to get publishing creds. They will only use your unsuspecting manuscript to gain work experience without offering anything to the table.
Spending more money on an expert with numerous publishing credits is much better than someone who will worsen your manuscript.
Part-Time or Full-Time
Decide whether your proofreader will be working part-time or full-time. Perhaps you might even consider an office job if you want to maintain close contact with them while writing.
Most proofreaders prefer working part-time for different authors. They can take creative breaks from each paper and produce high-quality work. Remote jobs are also their ideal setup to be more comfortable with each task.
Company or Freelance
Some websites have professional proofreaders working under their company. Their employees have undergone several proofreading tests and interviews to ensure they are qualified. However, these expert proofreading sites are usually more expensive.
To save a little money, try looking for a proofreader on Freelancer and Upwork. These sites offer entry-level to advanced proofreading services, depending on the freelancer you hire.
The Task
What kind of editing do you need? You need a copy editor if you need help with spelling, grammar, and style. You can also hire a proofreader for final edits before publication. They will help you with typos the copy editor missed and formatting issues on your text.
If the content structure is your concern, you should hire a developmental or substantive editor. They will check the sequence, tone, arguments, and clarity of your writing.
Where to Hire the Best Proofreaders
Many websites offer proofreading services for different writing projects. Here are the best companies and freelance platforms to find the best professional proofreader.
Freelancer
Many authors publishing their own works turn to Freelancer for their proofreading needs. This platform is home to professional proofreaders who work on different manuscript types.
Freelancer’s cheap editors are the reason for many successful authors on the internet. They are familiar with common spelling and grammar errors. They will also help you fix any formatting issues you have.
Fiverr
Fiverr has all kinds of proofreaders and editors you need, whether a dev editor or a line editor. Most of them are beginners, but it’s easy to find a skilled freelancer with enough work experience.
Their proofreading services are also very competitive. Just select your choice of proofreader and communicate with them. They will help you spot spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors for a spotless manuscript.
Proofed.com
Proofed Inc. is ideal for students, researchers, and business owners who need help with their papers. The website offers online proofreading services with a promise to return the document within 24 hours.
The website guarantees a high-quality, professionally vetted proofreading service because every freelance editor comes from Knowadays. Most of them took online courses from this course provider and got a score of 80% and above/
Reedsy
The publishing landscape can be intimidating for first-time authors, but Reedsy can help with their infamous proofreading and editing services. The site will connect you with the best proofreaders who will remove the major errors in your manuscript.
You can also hire a developmental editor on Reedsy to clarify the goals and intentions of your book. Some acquisitions editors can help you with press-related matters.
ProofreadingPal
Do you think one proofreader is not enough to repair your writing errors? ProofreadingPal features a two-proofreader model where two experts will check your paper. Each document undergoes rigorous proofreading examination to assure you that your essay is perfect.
Every proofreading step is done with the carefulness of proofreaders with over five years of experience in the industry. This website is perfect for first-time authors and indie authors who want their books to be spotless. Academic writers will also enjoy ProofreadingPal’s services.
ProofreadingServices.com
ProofreadingServices.com offers competitive professional proofreading rates ranging from $19 to $46 per hour. They don’t use proofreading marks to correct your work. Instead, they have several software programs to check your paper.
You won’t find a lot of professional book editors on this website. But there’s a freelance proofreader for every person who needs help with academic papers, CVs and resumes, and documents. Beware of subpar editors, though!
Gramlee
You can count on Gramlee for your copy editing and proofreading needs. The website offers proofreading, line editing, and copy editing services for students and researchers on a budget.
EditFast
If you want an experienced proofreader or editor to handle your work, EditFast is an appropriate website. Finish your publishing checklist with their help now. Just choose your preferred editor or let EditFast choose for you.
Every single error on your paper will be gone, thanks to the self-proclaimed proofreaders on this site.
Tips On How to Hire a Proofreader
The marketplace is full of proofreaders selling their services. But not all of them are professionals. These tips you should follow before hiring one.
Read Reviews
Many websites display what clients have to say about freelance proofreaders. Read their reviews to know if they offer quality services. Make sure they have at least a 4.5-star rating on the website. Do not hire anyone without reviews or those with anonymous raves.
Request a Sample
If the proofreader’s reviews are not enough for you, try asking for their sample works. Request a snippet that is the same as or similar to the type of writing you produce so you can compare.
Do not ask for a lot of sample works because the freelancer might suspect that you’ll be reusing their compositions for other purposes. You might also lose track of the god proofreaders if you have many samples to check.
Set Deadlines for Long Content Pieces Like Books
Be clear and realistic with the deadlines you set, especially if you’re hiring a proofreader for your books. Ideally, it takes 15 minutes to an hour to proofread 1,000 words. If your book consists of 70,000 words, set the deadline for the next four days.
Choose the Best Proofreading Services
I hope I have helped you decide how and where to hire the best proofreader for your project. A proficient proofreader has good reviews on their profile, can show their sample works, and can work on a deadline.
Understand the type of editor you need for your writing. Then, start searching for potential proofreaders for books and other documents on reputable websites like Freelancer, Reedsy, and ProofreadingPal.
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