Saving Money on Proofreading Services
The smart way to use a proofreading service
If you're not an editor, but you write or are in charge of written material at your business place, you need to know about saving money on proofreading services. First, set aside any thoughts of inadequacy. Even best-selling authors use editors and proofreaders. It's far better to hire a proofreading agency than to offer your employees or customers material laced with typos and embarrassing grammar problems.But proofreading agencies can be expensive. Is there a way to reduce the cost of using proofreading services? You bet there is! In addition to shopping around for the most qualified proofreader at the best price, there are three excellent ways to spend less on your proofreading service:
1. Do the easy editing, proofreading and polishing yourself.
2. Hire the right type of proofread service for your material.
3. Learn from the proofreader service so the proofreader will spend less time on your manuscript the next time.
Do the simple proofreading services yourself
The last thing you want is to have your proofreader waste time (and, therefore, your money) on things you can easily fix yourself. Run your document through a spell checker; if you're uncertain about a spelling, take a moment to look it up. It doesn't take much time to search an online dictionary or technical manual. Also, apply the old proofreader's trick of reading your manuscript backwards to more easily catch problems.
Try: The Writing Lab at Purdue University offers great tips on learning to proofread effectively, including ideas on fixing common errors. Howard Culbertson of Southern Nazarene University also gives free tips on basic proofreading skills.
Hire the right proofreading service
Some freelancers do legal proofreading, others focus on science or technical papers and still others focus on novels. Every type of writing has its own rules, so it makes sense to hire someone intimately familiar with those rules. If you hire a proofreader who normally works on novels, for example, he or she will spend a lot of time looking up the correct rules for editing your business proposal--and a lot of time means a lot of money. Also, consider hiring a student or a beginning proofreader, who is likely to charge less.
Try: PuffRead is unique among online proofreading services, allowing for inexpensive--and even free--online proofreading. Freelance proofreading experts must work their way up the ladder, and, therefore, have great incentive to give you good service even when you're getting a freebie. If you don't want an online proofreader, check out Manta.com, which offers a regional freelance proofreader directory.
Learn from proofreading services and spend less next time
Take note of any repeated mistakes your proofreader points out and take the time to correct them next time. For example, if you always misspell a word, learn to spell it correctly. If you can never remember how to properly use a colon, type up the rules and tape them onto your desk. By not repeating mistakes, your proofreader will spend less time on your documents in the future, thereby saving you money.
Try: To learn about commonly misused words (like affect verses effect) check out English Plus. For information on common grammar mistakes, go to English Chick.
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