

Anything faster than that (if it’s doable given your current workload) should come with extra compensation in addition to your baseline rate, since you’ll be working in your personal time. If you’re asked to do your job extra quickly, you can raise your rates.Īs a rule of thumb: projects of 10,000 words should be done within five days. Consider the deadlineĭeadlines become important only when your client has left things to the last minute. In other words, the more mistakes there are, the more correcting you will have to do - and the higher the rate you should charge. This average is then my key number for setting my rate for that particular client.” I divide this by three to get the average number of edits per page. If possible, I do three pages, and then look at how many amendments I have done (this is easy using Track Changes). “I set each sample file to the same font and font size (Times New Roman, 12pt), double spaced. Proofreader Leonora Bulbeck bases her rates on the samples clients include in their briefs on Reedsy: This helps you to estimate how much work needs to be done, and the client to get an idea of your abilities.

Before you send out a freelance quote for the project, ask for an extract from the manuscript, and do a sample proofread. Not all manuscripts are created equal, which is why it's important to get an accurate overview of any project that you plan to take on. Determine the amount of work with a sample proofread However, even if you charge for proofreading services by the word, you can still account for these nuances - and here's how. In such a case, an hourly rate could account for that. So when is an hourly rate a good idea? When you’re working on a manuscript that’s in terrible shape, or one that requires more specialized proofreading (think scientific papers or historical pieces) - in other words, a manuscript that would require more of your time and care. Clients understand this - they are less likely to sign a contract with a proofreader offering an hourly quote to avoid the risk of paying for services that aren’t as efficient as they’d like.

While people like to use hourly rates to make it easy to compare between different professions, it’s not the most efficient approach for proofreaders, especially those working with long-form content.Īs a newcomer to the trade, it’s difficult to gauge how long a project will take and pick a rate that appropriately reflects your work’s quality. Decide to set per word or per hour (hint: go with per word!) Using the averages in the tables above as baseline rates, here are five steps to determining what you want to charge your proofreading projects: 1. So far we’ve covered both per word rates and hourly rates - but what should you go by as a freelancer? Let’s see what the smartest way to go about setting your proofreading rates is. In combining these services and maintaining constant business, you can earn as much as you’d do with full-time employment. Those who proofread in the legal and public relations fields tend to earn higher than those working in publishing, and the annual proofreader salary typically falls within the $30,000-$50,000 range.įreelance proofreaders who offer copy editing and copywriting services alongside proofreading set higher rates. Statistics from the US Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics show that in 2021, the mean hourly wage of employed proofreaders was around $22.12. What is the hourly rate for proofreader? Here are some data points worth checking out:Ĭhartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP)

In terms of wages, you might want to look at hourly wages.
