Crucial Steps to Take After Landing Your First Freelance Proofreading Job

Landing clients might just be the hardest part of a freelance proofreading job. But what are you supposed to do after you get your first client? This guide will show you what to do after landing your first client.

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Congratulations on landing your first freelance proofreading job! This significant milestone marks the beginning of a promising journey in the world of professional proofreading. In my opinion, gaining clients is the hardest part of proofreading.

Now that you’ve secured your initial client, it’s important to leverage this opportunity and set yourself on a path to long-term success!

In this blog post, I will guide you through the crucial next steps after landing your first freelance proofreading job – from establishing strong client relationships to sharpening your skills and expanding your portfolio. Let’s dive in and turn this first achievement into a foundation for a thriving proofreading career!

Crucial Steps to Take After Landing Your First Freelance Proofreading Job

1. Confirm details with the client.

Suppose a client reaches out to you for a proofreading job. They want you to proofread their 10,000-word article. However, there are no further details on what “proofreading” means to the client.

It’s important to clarify that your understanding of “proofreading” matches the client’s. This is especially important if the client has never paid for proofreading services or isn’t a publisher. If your expectations don’t match the client’s, the result will be incorrect, costing you time and money.

Here are some questions you may want to ask:

• What is the deadline?
• Is there a style guide to work from?
• Are there any illustrations, tables, and figures or is it just text?
• Are there any references to deal with?
• How often do you prefer to communicate about the project?
• What communication methods do you prefer?
• Has the project been copyedited?

2. Ask for a representative sample of the work.

Now that you know what the client wants from you, you need to know what state the text is in before you start the proofreading job. This will give you an indication of how much effort is required to complete the project so you can get the quote right. Also, you may realize that this project isn’t the right proofreading job for you. In that case, you need to tell the client right away. They’ll appreciate the honesty.

So what should you do in this case? Ask the client for a representative sample of the work.

In the case of the 10,000-word article, for example, you would want to see at least a few thousand words, or 5-10% of the total, taken from somewhere in the middle of the content. Authors typically polish the start and end of their writing, so seeing the middle of the text will give you a better understanding of how much work will be involved.

Make sure the client understands what software you use for proofreading jobs (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, PDF) so they’ll know which type of document to send you.

3. Get the quote right.

Once you know the client’s expectations and you’ve assessed a sample of the text, it’s time to consider how much to charge the client for the project.

Some proofreaders charge per word and some per hour. If you choose to charge per hour, here are some questions to consider when figuring out how much to charge:

• How long is the text?
• How complex is the subject matter?
• What is the deadline?

Suppose the 10,000-word article you have been given a representative sample of is very well written and the text isn’t very complex. Imagine that you can read at a pace of 4,000 words per hour. At that rate, you would need to work for 2.5 hours.

Salary.com states that the hourly wage for a proofreader in the United States is $27 as of August 27, 2023. The range typically falls between $24 and $31 per hour depending on certain factors (education, certifications, additional skills, and number of years working proofreading jobs).

Since you are a newbie and this is your first freelance proofreading job, you choose to charge the client $24 per hour. In this case, you would charge your client a total of $60.

However, if the text is a real mess and hard to understand because it is full of mistakes and inconsistencies, it will take you longer to proofread, meaning you can charge more.

You may be tempted to charge a low rate so you can get the experience from your first few proofreading jobs. However, you should be careful doing this if the client is possibly going to give you more work or recommend you to others. And sometimes a low rate may set off a red flag with the client. They may question why your quote is so much lower than others.

4. Agree on a deadline.

When you are first starting, you must have enough time to get through the proofreading job. Your time estimate may not actually be long enough, so push out the deadline as much as possible. That’s why getting a representative sample of longer projects is helpful – you will know how long the work will take you to finish.

Once you and the client have agreed on a deadline, you must stick to it. If you start to realize that you aren’t going to make the deadline, let the client know as soon as possible.

5. Sign a contract or agreement:

Having a written contract in place, even for small projects, will minimize any uncertainties the client may have and can help prevent disputes later on. A contract should outline the scope of work, deadlines, payment terms, and any other relevant details.

If you are willing to provide any extra services, be sure to outline these services and how much they will cost in addition to the original project price. This may include your rate for additional words, documents, and/or services on top of proofreading such as formatting, fact-checking, or copyediting.

Having this “Extra Services” clause in place will protect you against exploitation if the client wishes to ask you for more work after they’ve signed the original contract.

The payment section of your contract should ensure sufficient detail so that the possibility of payment disputes will be minimized later on. The payment details should cover:

• Rates: This is what you are charging the client per hour, word, or page. Also include the estimated total cost of the project.
• Payment schedule: Include the frequency of payment in your contract. Discuss how often you will be paid – for example, per project, weekly, monthly, etc. Also include details about deposits and/or payment installments – for example, “20% upfront, the rest paid upon project completion”.
• Preferred payment method: Let the client know the payment methods you will accept, such as Wave, Stripe, direct deposit, or check.

6. Request and check all the materials.

Make sure that you have everything you need to start the proofreading job. After all, you can’t start a job until you have all the materials!

Be sure to check every file as soon as you receive them to make sure none are corrupted, that the attached file didn’t fail, and that you have access to files. Don’t wait until the last minute because this will mess up your schedule and you might not make the deadline.

7. Set up your workspace.

This may sound a little obvious and it may be something you’ve already done. However, creating an organized workspace is crucial to getting the job done correctly and on time. Make sure your reference materials (CMOS, dictionary, etc.) and style guides are easily accessible and that your software is set up and ready to go.

8. Review the material and create a checklist.

Now that you are done prepping, you’re ready to start the proofreading job. Take the time to review the material thoroughly. Look for any specific instructions the client provided (such as a style guide) and familiarize yourself with the content and the author’s voice.

Make a checklist highlighting common errors and mistakes and add to it as you go.

A checklist can include things such as:

• Check spelling
• Check punctuation
• Check capitalization
• Check grammar
• Use find/replace
• Create a track changes copy

9. Create a style guide.

Even if the client has given you a style guide to go by, chances are that it will not cover everything you come across as you work on the proofreading job. Keep notes about decisions made during the job and refer back to them, such as:

• Spelling
• Capitalization
• Italics
• Numbers
• Punctuation
• Reference styles

Creating a style guide will show the client that you are a professional and serious about your job. Not only will you be helping the client, but you’ll also be helping yourself get the job done quickly and efficiently.

*If the client has worked with a copyeditor, they should have created a style guide for the client.

10. Start proofreading.

It may be helpful to break up the job into separate passes to help you focus on one thing at a time. Trying to focus on every aspect of the text at once will almost certainly cause you to miss something.

Before you start reading, do a few passes to check page numbers, running heads, chapter headings or content lists, numbered or alphabetized lists, and the sequence of any numbered headings.

Once you have done some global passes, then it’s time to start reading. Pay close attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling, and consistency.

Here are some proofreading techniques and tips to help:

• Read the text out loud.
• Make a list of errors you commonly make and keep an eye out for them.
• Read the text backward.
• Proofread for only one type of error at a time.
• Double-check everything – proper names, citations, punctuation, page numbers, header/footer material, fonts, etc.
• Read slowly and carefully.
• Don’t rely on spelling and grammar checkers.
• Print out the text and circle punctuation marks. (This forces you to look at each one and question if it has been used correctly.)
• Take a break for several hours (or a day if possible). This will allow you to view the project with fresh eyes.
• Stay consistent. If you made changes to a word, phrase, punctuation mark, etc., make sure the change is reflected throughout the entire text.

After completing the initial proofreading, read the text again to double-check your work. Look for any errors you missed and make necessary revisions.

11. Maintain communication.

 Keep the lines of communication open with the client. Provide updates on your progress and ask for clarification if needed. It’s better to ask questions than to make assumptions.

However, don’t overwhelm the client with too many emails. Try to list out your questions and send them in one email.

12. Submit the work and invoice the client.

Or vice versa.

Every proofreader (and client) is different. Some proofreaders invoice their clients upfront and some wait until the work is complete and submitted. And, some proofreaders send the invoice before submitting the work but after the work is completed. They let the client know that the proofreading job is done and the completed project will be sent after payment is received.

When to invoice the client should be agreed upon between both you and the client and it should be written into the contract.

An invoice should include:

• Your name
• Your contact details
• Invoice number
• Date
• Client name
• Description of work
• Amount due
• Payment method
• Due date

After submitting the invoice and receiving payment (if this is your preferred method), send the completed proofreading job back to the client. Most proofreaders send two documents to the client – one with changes shown and one with changes accepted.

Be sure to meet the agreed-upon deadline!

13. Ask for feedback.

After the client has had a chance to review your work, ask them for feedback. Both positive and negative feedback is valuable.

Positive feedback will help you spot your strong points, which you can use to reinforce good habits. Also, you can ask happy clients if it would be okay to use their comments in testimonials.

Negative feedback will help you identify things you need to improve and help you grow as a proofreader.  

Some questions to ask could include:

• How would you rate the service? Why did you rate it that way?
• Is there anything I can do to improve my service? If so, what?
• Would you recommend me to others?
• Why did you choose me to work on your document?

Be sure to thank the client after receiving feedback.

Feedback not only reflects the work you do on future proofreading jobs, but it will also reflect your relationship and communication with the client. All types of feedback will help you build better relationships with future clients as well. A good client relationship will usually end up in better feedback!

More proofreading tips here:

• 17 Essential Skills Proofreaders Need to Be Successful
• Proofreading Niches: Should You Niche Down as a Proofreader?