How much does proofreading cost?

I avoided sharing my proofreading rate online for the first few years of running the business. It felt sleazy and forward. It felt like I was revealing myself too. As if my self-worth was somehow reflected in what I charge my clients.

Those feelings were unfounded. But they stopped me moving forwards.

So I laced up my sand-filled shoes (I’m always shaking sand out of my footwear) and took a heavy footed leap.

My main work tends to be large documents from complex projects and I quote based on their specific content, what’s involved and what both you and your document needs.

My day rate

I review my rates before the end of each tax year as part of my annual business review (such a good-time gal).

My current day rate is listed on the How I Work page.

There are guide prices on there too because I don’t quote per day – I quote per project. You can see how much a 5,000-word white paper, 50,000-word report or even a collection of scientific dossiers that total 120,000 words is estimated to cost.

The running shoe’s on the other foot

I’ve been looking for a physio to help with my runner’s knee. I say runner’s knee. I was jogging (none of that running stuff) and now my knee hurts. But it’s hurt for four months now. I’ve not hoisted up the Lycra and lugged my body to the beach and back in that time.

Not jogging isn’t helping. Stretching isn’t helping. Googling ‘how to fix runner’s knee’ isn’t helping. Googling ‘have I actually got runner’s knee’ isn’t helping.

I’m in pain. I’m struggling. And I can’t fix it myself. Physical, emotional and mental OUCH!

I’ve been to physios for my pop-in/pop-out shoulders (bleurgh) but they’re based on the other coast. I need someone in town who knows bodies, how they work, why mine isn’t working as it should and what to do to get rid of the pain.

I’m looking for specific things from their website. Cost is an important factor, but I want to know more about the service I’ll be investing in too…

► What’s the feel I get from them?

► What’s their experience?

► What do they specialise in?

► How easy are they to contact?

And how much do they charge…? They all listed their prices! So why wasn’t I listing mine?!

Price price, baby

If their websites hadn’t shown their costs, I’d have had to spend time getting in touch with them. Maybe email them and wait to hear back. Or give them a call, but probably leave a message because they’re in the middle of jabbing their elbows into someone’s tight hamstring.

And what if their rate is low? Curiously low. I’d question just how valid the info on their website was. I’d be cautious about what they actually know about my body, and what they’d be prodding and poking. I’m not on for that uncertainty, so I wouldn’t trust them.

And if they charge more than I was expecting, willing or could justify paying? I might feel embarrassed or awkward to say no. In either situation, I’ve wasted their time. But they’ve wasted mine too by not being up front.

I’m not here to add extra faff or put the onus on you. You’ve got deadlines, stakeholders, projects and competing priorities to keep balanced. And I’m here to help ease some of that workload for you.

How do proofreaders charge?

Proofreaders quote in different ways. Some by word. Some by hour. Some by day. Some by project. (That’s me, the project one.) I have a day rate so you know what to expect, but I mainly quote per project.

My day rate doesn’t necessarily equate to the number of days allocated in your project fee. There are a fair few factors to consider when I quote: document format, service, time, expertise, reputation, value.

What if potential clients jog on?

I need to pick one physio who can alleviate my pain. They all offer something similar, but they may also offer differing advice and expertise based on their individual experience treating so many different bodies over so many years.

I want to know I can trust that person with my health and fitness. That the money I spend is worth the investment too.

And you need to be sure you can trust your proofreader with your document. Whether it’s a report, white paper, discussion piece, manual or something else entirely, it’s already required significant investment.

You want to be certain that the time, effort and budget you’ve already poured into the content aren’t being negated by little details that go unnoticed. And they do go noticed. Familiarity is a real rotter.

So now you know what I charge, are you going to use that as a benchmark to compare me with other freelance proofreaders? Probably. I would. I did with the physios.

But I also considered the physios that were more aligned with what I wanted, needed and that I felt comfortable approaching. Not just the price. We go with what’s right for us and our needs at that time.

Their area of expertise is another deciding factor.

Hopes and expectations

I’m not into Muse. I’m all about Kylie (pre-2004), Girls Aloud and Vengaboy’s Boom Boom Boom Boom. I like my pop camp and catchy.

If I’m looking for music, I’m not pressing play on Placebo. It doesn’t do what I need.

If you’re looking for someone with experience reviewing complex reports, guides, training materials, scientific reviews and other long-form documents (think business critical behemoths), you’ll likely make a different choice to someone looking for a proofreader for a novel, CV or academic paper.

You need to feel confident that your proofreader suits your copy and that they’ll deliver the exceptional service you and your clients need. You need to feel confident that they’ll remove those risks that are playing on your mind and impact on your business. And those risks you don’t even know about yet.

My expertise is reflected in what I charge. So does the experience that comes from reviewing complex, high-investment documents.

The decision

So how do you decide who you trust with your complex documents? How do you know it’s not just someone who says they’re ‘good with words’ (words are only half of it), prodding and poking and ‘perfecting’ (ack!) your carefully crafted content?

You’re after someone who doesn’t make ‘improvements’ for the sake of it. Who doesn’t change your punchy strapline because of ‘the rules’. Who can tell a stylistic decision from an accidental mistake. And if they’re unsure? They know how best to query things with you to tactfully clarify.

You also need to know what the proofreader brings to your work alongside the proofreading and the rate they charge for it. That’s how you establish if you’re the right fit for each other.

Maybe it’s their…

Specialism: Long-form business documents.

Experience: 18+ years both in-house and freelance. Managed the studio of two marketing agencies, tested software for a tech consultancy, organised conferences and exhibitions, and spent years creating order from complex information, documents and processes.

Training: Proofreading for Non-Publishers with The Publishing Training Centre and a whole bunch of CPD through the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading.

Degree: BSc (Hons) Speech and Language Science. I studied phonetics and how we produce speech sounds. I even researched how individuals place their tongue in different positions to pronounce the same /dz/ and /zd/ sounds. Yeah, I like detail.

Hearts: Order, bullet points, symmetry, neatness, clarity, the never-released-in-the-UK Kylie hit Your Disco Needs You.

Hates: Clutter. Ambiguity. Looking over someone’s shoudlder as they’re searching for a file and witnessing a folder explosion/file chaos/naming convention/version control horror of a screen. Prawns. (You CANNOT convince me to put one in my mouth.)

I help you to create impactful, high-end content. Impactful for the right reasons.

Plus it’s fun. There’s a specific process to it. And that process is equally as fun. Refining that process is fun too. Because the quality I deliver and the risks I mitigate for you are more than simply a core value of mine: it’s satisfying. And that hits a spot too.

The cost is just one piece of information to help make your decision: a decision that’s right for you and your clients. And now my day rate’s there to help you with that.

Sharing prices isn’t sleazy. It’s helpful.

I understand that now.