Anyone a freelance proofreader?

[momofmikey]

Looking for some feedback. Before I had my first DS 5 years ago, I worked at an advertising agency on Long Island as an account supervisor. Basically, it was a small company, and I pretty much did a lot of everything, including proofreading. Well, I saw one of my old coworkers last night at a wake, and he's formed a company with another girl I used to work with. They asked me if I'd like to freelance as a proofreader. Problem is, I have NO IDEA what to charge. It's a little awkward b/c back in the day I was friends with these people. Do I charge hourly, by job, a minimum ? Not even sure how extensive the proofing is, but wanted some clue going into it, so I don't a) rip them off and b) rip me off.

Thanks for the help!

 

[ziggystardust]

Just saying hi to a fellow Long Islander.

I freelance but not as a proofreader, as a graphic designer. For me it depends on the job. When I do non-profit I usually charge for the job (where the price is worked out before) otherwise its hourly, and I tell them in advance an estimate, letting them know that it might change depending on the amount of changes/corrections.

If I were you, I'd charge by the hour, since you will be working with a company (even if it is a start up) that way, if they are charging clients, they can have a standard price in mind.

 

[Hillbeans]

My 72 yo father is a freelance proofreader for an advertising company and two magazines. For the magazines, he gets a flat rate (but he also publishes an article or two) for about $400 a pop.

He gets paid $22 an hour at the advertising company with the agreement that he's not an "employee" of the company and he gets paid as an independent contractor.

Hope that helps.

 

[Tiggeroo]

just keep in mind the extra costs of being an independent contractory. You are responsible for your own taxes. You can not claim unemployment based on this income, etc.

 

[tar heel]

I've done freelance writing, editing and publications creation for 20+ years. When I first started, I was living in a university town and talked to the university press about becoming one of its freelance proofreaders. I ended up not doing it because the their going rate
was just terrible.

Most of my work is by the job, but I charged by the hour when I was doing a lot of editing. I would definitely look at an hourly charge and would set it at least 50% (double would be better) higher than what you were paid when you worked there as an employee. Remember that you will be paying your own social security and that you will be getting no benefits.

 

[Kermit]

I do freelance editing occassionally. I only do it if they're willing to pay at least $50/hour. Sometimes I charge more. I rarely do a fee per job. The only way I'll charge by the job is if it's a clearly defined amount of work. Most of the time the nature of the project is that it may grow significantly before it's all completed, so charging by the job scares me.