How much does proofreading cost?

I’ve avoided sharing my proofreading rate online for a good few years now. It felt sleazy and forward. As if I’d be rubbing my rate on your leg in a brazen attempt to work together. It felt like I was revealing myself too. As if my self-worth is somehow reflected in what I charge my clients.

These ideas are daft. But they stopped me moving forwards.

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

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

It felt right to list an approximate ‘this is what you can expect for £100’ on the pricing page to give a better idea of what a small project might cost.

But that was all very ish. And would that actually mean to you?

I know what it means to me because I do the do. It’s not much help to you though if you want to chat through working together but don’t have a specific project in mind. And where does that show how much value I add to your work, brand and reputation in those bullet points?

You want a simple figure. And I want to make things easy for you.

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). This year it’s £600 per day. But remember, I don’t quote per day – I quote per project. My current guide prices are based on the projects I regularly work on, so you can see how much a 5000-word white paper or 20,000-word industry report is estimated to cost.

If you know you need a hand but need to keep costs down too, my proofreading guides lead you through the basic DIY proofing process.

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 don’t want to put any faff or the onus on you. You’ve got clients and campaigns to manage. Copy to write. Budgets to stay on top of. Meetings and calls to take. You’re busy! And I’m here to help you, not to add to that.

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 marketing copy. Because it is an investment.

You want to be certain that the time and money you’ve already put into the copy and design aren’t being let down by little details that go unnoticed. And they do go noticed, because the copywriters and designers have been so involved in the creative process.

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 something to bounce around to I’m not going to pick acoustic guitar/Mumford & Sons-type tracks. I’m going to put on that scratched Belinda Carlisle CD. And maybe I will circle in the sand round and round. The beach is only round the corner.

If you’re looking for someone with expertise in proofreading marketing copy and all the experience that comes with having worked in marketing agencies, you might not want a generalist who lists a whole bunch of areas from academic, to non-fiction to CVs.

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 trust 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 my day rate fit with what you’re looking for? I work on marketing copy and content. I support marketing and copywriting agencies, brands and in-house marketing teams. It’s all creative and it’s all to sell.

The decision

So how do you decide who you trust to meticulously work through your copy? 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 your carefully crafted copy?

You’re after someone who’s not going to kill your creativity. Who doesn’t make changes 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 because they work on marketing copy all the darn day long. And if they’re unsure? They know how best to query things with you to tactfully clarify.

I want you to know what to expect from me and the level of service I deliver. And I deliver exceptional work. But it’s not just the work. There’s a hefty whack of experience and expertise in that rate too.

The copywriting and marketing agencies I work with trust me with their content for big-name brands and high-end companies. Cool companies that I never get to mention. NDAs, eh.

You 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: Proofreading artworked marketing materials.

Experience: 15+ years both in-house and freelance.

Training: Proofreading for Non-Publishers with The Publishing Training Centre and a ehole 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 we use our tongue to pronounce /dz/ vs /zd/ in speech across a word boundary. Yeah, I like detail.

Background: Managed the studio of two digital marketing agencies, so I know the demands of agency life. Organised and marketed conferences, events and exhibitions.

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

Hates: Clutter. Ambiguity. Whiney modern music where the blokes have beards and the sound’s all plinky plonky. I miss Bon Jovi.

There aren’t many of us proofreaders about that focus so heavily on fully laid out PDF files either. But that’s the end product that you send back to your clients! That they send to their clients!! That’s the money maker!!!

I bridge the gap between the copy and design so they seamlessly work together to create high-end marketing collateral. It’s about impactful campaigns. 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.