So you want to set up as a home-based freelance proofreader? Great! Proofreading is in many ways the ideal home-based business. You can work any time that suits you, perhaps fitting it around family commitments. You can start part-time and go full-time later if you wish. And while you won’t make a fortune, you can certainly make a very decent living.
Very few special tools or equipment are required to set up as a proofreader. The following are really all you need to get started:
* You will need a supply of colored pens (red, blue and black) for marking up text. Modern gel ink pens are ideal for this, though good-quality fiber-tips and the more expensive ballpoints which will not trail blobs of ink are also acceptable.
* Pencils are needed for writing queries on proofs. For example, if the author spells another writer’s name as PETERSON in the main text but PETERSEN in the bibliography, you will need to put a note on the proofs that the correct spelling should be confirmed with the author.
* You will also need a good-sized desk or table on which to work. The kitchen table might do at first, but it is far better to have your own desk where you will not have to clear away all your papers when meal-times come around! Try to position your desk near a source of natural light. Especially if you plan to work at night or in the evenings, a good quality reading lamp (preferably an angle-poise which can be adjusted into a wide range of positions) is strongly recommended.
* Together with the desk, you will also need a comfortable chair, preferably with a padded seat and adjustable height and backrest. A plain dining room chair is likely to become uncomfortable after long periods, interfering with your concentration.
* You should also have a telephone so that publishers can contact you with offers of work and you can contact them with any queries. As soon as your budget will stretch to it, a telephone answering machine will ensure that you never miss out on work due to being away from home. Alternatively, your telephone service provider may offer a voicemail service you can use when out of your office.
* You will require a good dictionary. Not only will dictionaries help you with spellings, they also advise on correct usage, capitalization, italicization, and so on. Do not be tempted to economize here — any dictionary you obtain should have at least 150,000 word definitions. Shorter dictionaries (e.g. pocket and student editions) are simply not adequate.
* Other reference books. If you intend to seek work in a specialist area of publishing such as medicine or the law, a dictionary of the relevant specialist terms will be an asset. You may also find it useful to buy some basic guides to grammar and punctuation.
