Posts Tagged ‘freelance’

Freelance Proofreading – Do We Need It?

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009

Even if is defined as less profitable like a dropship business or a forensics job, freelance proofreading is a money making solution for lots of people who have the patience, the skill and the nerves to take up such jobs. Not all best-selling authors have amazing five-style spelling, and not all mistakes are spotted by editors. Moreover, word omissions and grammar mistakes make a material look amateurish, unless there is a proofreader to checked the material before publication. Freelance proofreading saves lots of publications from maintaining a reputation. Although, proofreaders are sometimes mistaken for editors or copywriters, they have a different job: they are the ones to scan the text for spelling, formating and manuscript errors and pay attention to minute details.

Books, newspapers, magazines as well as online materials equally use freelance proofreading services. Brochures and web content depend on error checking, and freelance jobs are often posted for such cases in particular. Publishers will only choose freelance proofreading offers of candidates who are familiar with the conventions of formal styles. All the corrections made by a proofreader will then be checked by another party as the final stage before the manuscript publication.

If a freelance proofreading job requires special style mentions, the contractor will inform you on the details previous to work start. If the formality level is lower, then you won’t have to use style manuals too much. You will actually find similarities between your tasks and those of a copywriter, and there may be cases when re-writes are necessary on occasion. We need to emphasize the work experience relevance, because freelance proofreading jobs are more difficult to land when you cannot prove your abilities. In case you manage to associate with other proofreaders and copywriters, for more complex tasks, chances of going independent may not be so many; yet, it is for you to decide what step to take and in what direction.

Freelance proofreading services can be advertised on Internet websites. In order to build a solid reputation, you may have to start with small projects that are poorly paid and then increase in experience and pricing. Do not expect proofreading to be piece of cake, and do not commit to such a work activity unless you have a good mastery of language, style, spelling and grammar. If you provide a good service with advantageous pricing, work continuity should not be an issue. Good luck!

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Freelance Editing

Saturday, November 21st, 2009

Although not paid as much as dropship opportunities, freelance editing has its challenges even when sometimes you have to work on resumes.. There are lots of homeworkers who are ready to help with various kinds of writing projects that require reformatting of tables and charts, proofreading, sentence restructuring or style management. Freelance editing is about earning money by improving the condition of a text that needs spelling, grammar and punctuation checks. The editor’s job is absolutely necessary because no publisher will receive a manuscript unless it has been checked and double-checked. Freelance editing is performed by both amateur and professional editors who work on their own, chasing individual projects or starting long term collaborations.

The mechanics of writing, the accuracy of the text both in language and in facts as well as the improvement of style represent the best achievements of editing whether in the freelance variant or not. A published material requires a certain uniformity or homogeneity of style, and the quality standards are imposed by the publishers. Freelance editing becomes a necessity because many writers have a sloppy spelling or an inaccurate usage of terms, not to mention that most of the problems appear with consistent terminology. For instance, depending on the language, the names of foreign state leaders differ in spelling, and there should not be more spelling variants in the same publication.

Those who take up freelance editing know that style guides such as the Associated Press and the Modern Language Associations are a must when they have to apply for any editing job. No good employer will hire someone who doesn’t have solid knowledge of style guides, which is why, you need to train if necessary. Personal style could even be polished with the help of online tools, and checking the offer of such programs is something to consider.

Freelance editing could bring a decent salary if performed well and without stress. If you’ve got any editing experience you’ll know how to handle your activities, but if you are new to the profession, special care is necessary. Do not think that editing means re-writing, because this is far from being true. You may polish up the style but the author’s sentences and ideas need to be exact. Don’t try a too free-hand when editing because it will get harder to recognize the author in the text, and this may cause inconveniences and lots of troubles for the editor. Editors and writers need each other in their profession, and respect is the ground for good work collaboration.

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