Hiring a Proofreading Service? Here’s What You Need to Know

It’s time to get serious about your online content.

You’ve done the marketing research, learned about and incorporated SEO best practices, and defined your voice and target audience.

You’ve crafted the message you want to tell the world, and now it’s time for the last puzzle piece: hiring a proofreader to review your work.

But you still have questions:

• What should I expect from a proofreading service?
• What information will they need from me, and me from them?
• How will hiring a proofreader affect my project’s budget and schedule?
• How can I identify the right person for the job?

In this post, we’ll provide answers to all of these questions and cover topics including:

• What to expect from a proofreading service
• What you need to know going in
• The cost and time you should expect to budget
• How to identify a quality proofreader.

What You Need to Know About Proofreading

The very first thing to understand when it comes to hiring a proofreading service is the terminology.

Proofreaders look for and fix basic errors in the text. This includes things like spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes.

Sometimes—especially when it comes to books or other publications—proofreaders also check for formatting issues such as consistent font usage, image alignment, and page numbers.

Proofreaders are also often the last set of eyes to review a piece of content before publication.

Proofreading and copy editing make up the bulk of professional editing services in most business settings. In reality, most clients need a blend of both.

Copy editing goes hand in hand with proofreading. In essence, you could consider copy editing “proofreading on steroids.”

Copy editors look for and address basic spelling and grammar errors, but they also suggest basic rephrasing or rewriting within the text itself. Usually, this entails enhancing short phrases or single sentences.

The goal of copy editors is not to change the essence of the writer’s message but rather to help the writer communicate it more clearly and correctly.

In practice, the two terms are interchangeable: a proofreader edits and an editor proofreads.

It’s important to note that the first two types of editing—proofreading and copy editing—make up the bulk of professional editing services in most business settings.

In reality, whether they are looking to hire a proofreader or an editor, most clients need a blend of the two services, to the point where in practice, the two terms are interchangeable: a proofreader edits and an editor proofreads.

What You Need to Know About Your Project

Once you have an understanding of proofreading vs editing, you need to consider your own project’s needs.

The more information you have about your needs in advance, the easier it will be to find the right fit in a proofreader.

Some questions to consider are:

• What content do you need to be reviewed and how long is it?
• What is the voice or tone of the content that needs to be maintained (is it friendly, professional, trustworthy, casual, etc.)?
• Do you need simple grammatical fixes or more advanced rephrasing or rewriting?
• Is this a one-time project, or is there ongoing work to be done?
• How much money do I have to spend on this project?
• What are the project deadlines?

The more information you have about your needs in advance, the easier it will be to find the right fit in a proofreader.

What You Can Expect to Pay

The median rate for proofreading and editing work is between $20 and $40 per hour. (Although these are averages; a freelancer may charge more or less than this range.)

But how does this work itself out in practice? It depends on the type of contract, and there are three main options.

Hourly contracts pay a set rate for the number of hours worked.

If you hire a proofreader who works five hours on your project, they will charge you for five hours of labor. A professional editor can review up to 2,000 words per hour, but that number goes down if the quality of the copy is poor.

Obviously, this type of contract can be hard to manage as it relies on the freelancer to accurately capture and honestly report their time. Without specialized tracking software or being physically present in an office environment, this can be a headache for all parties involved.

A professional editor can review up to 2,000 words per hour, but that number goes down if the quality of the copy is poor.

For these reasons, most clients and proofreaders prefer instead to focus on the other two options listed below.

Project-based contracts are paid in a lump sum for all work performed.

This is a similar payment method to many other types of projects, from IT work to general construction. You lay out a project scope, and the freelance proofreader provides a quote.

So, for example, if you need a 10,000-word white paper reviewed, you might get a quote from a reliable proofreader for $250.

Per-word contracts are paid based on the amount of work that needs to be done, but importantly, not by the amount of time it takes.

You as a client agree to pay based on how many words need to be reviewed. This makes it easy to agree on the scope of work since both Word and Google Docs have readily available built-in word counters.

Per-word contracts make it easy to agree on the scope of work since both Word and Google Docs have readily available built-in word counters.

A good estimate you can use for budgeting purposes is $0.02–$0.03 per word (again, know there is a large range in pricing).

How Long Will It Take?

Simply put, the more errors there are, the longer it will take to fix.

As mentioned above, a good proofreader can review good copy at a rate of 2,000 words per hour, although that number will go down considerably given the quality of the document.

Another factor to consider is the proofreader’s capacity.

The more errors there are in your document, the longer it will take to fix.

If you hire a very good proofreader, you will likely not be their only client. They will have to fit your document in around their existing clients’ work unless you are willing to pay a premium rate for your project to be expedited. 

Before you hire a proofreader, they should be able to give you an idea of how long the project will take or whether they will realistically be able to make any deadlines you may have—assuming you have provided them with all of the necessary information.

Qualities and Characteristics of a Good Proofreader

The best editors sell their services at a premium, but they also provide excellent value in return.

But how can you tell a good proofreader from a poor one?

There are a number of traits to look for when seeking out a quality editor. Besides the obvious baseline of spelling and grammar expertise, look for characteristics like the following:

• Technical ability, including the ability to track changes, edit formats, and share documents
• People skills, including professional communication and generally being positive and upbeat
• A history of completing quality work
• A history of delivering projects on time

The best editors sell their services at a premium, but they also provide excellent value in return.