How Long Does It Take to Proofread 1000 Words?

You may be wondering if proofreading can be a career. It’s safe to say that it’s one of the most sought after jobs nowadays. If you are a grammar lover then this can be a perfect gig for you. Keeping in mind the demands each type of job offers, each individual will take quite a different time in proofreading a document or project.

An experienced professional proofreader can proofread about 2000 and 3000 words in an hour. If this is the case, then it should take just about half an hour to proofread 1000 words.

For purposes of clarity, proofreading entails reading a document to correct grammatical and spelling errors. Before you submit a document to your boss or client, you should consider proofreading it first. Besides, you wouldn’t want to get fired because of a simple typing error you made, will you?

In this article we are going to discuss at length how many words one can proofread in an hour and the pay for such a job. So sit back, relax, and read on to find out more.

How Many Words Can You Proofread in an Hour?

Deciding the exact time for proofreading a project will be quite a task if you are a young professional. However, the more proofreading jobs you do, the easier it gets to come up with the correct time frame.

People who have been in this type of business often say that you should be able to complete a proofreading task of a 10000-word project in 5 days. So get your calculator and let’s do some math here! If you divide by the number of days, this means that in a day you should be able to proofread 2000 words. This means that in half a day you should proofread 1000 words. If you are an experienced proofreader, then this should take you just about half an hour to complete. If you are new to the business, it may take you about an hour or more.

As much as you may want to maximize your profits, professionalism requires that you get the job done correctly and should be satisfying. This means it will take you some more time compared to our math above, approximately an hour or two to proofread 2000 to 3000 words.

How Much Does It Cost to Proofread 1000 Words?     

Notably, most proofreaders find it quite difficult to come up with clear structures during the beginning of their careers. For most businesses, the aim is to make profits and ensure wealth maximization. As a proofreader, you may want to consider charging enough. This way, you can offset your daily bills whereas not making clients overpay.

As per the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), you should earn approximately $30- $35 per hour for a proofreading job. AFEPI suggests that the right pay should be about $28-$39 per hour while the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SFEP) states that you should get an average of at least $31 per hour.

You may want to consider moving to another place before you engage yourself in this job. A proofreading job will earn you differently depending on your location. In the United States, proofreaders in the business support services and publishing sector earn more compared to their counterparts in the advertising and public relations sector- $18 more. If you want to earn more and quickly you should try joining the legal services industry which can earn you about $ 28 per hour. However, it’s basic knowledge that you earn that much because of the hefty legal paperwork and jargon involved.

As a newbie, you may want to quickly charm your clients with your rates, but you are stuck on how to do it. First, it should be fair to mention that your rates will be based upon your experience (newness to the field) and your level of confidence during pay negotiations. At the start, you should be prepared to work for lower rates as you gradually move to the top of the food chain. You can always express your proofreading rates per hour, per page, or word.

Most people start their proofreading jobs by offering their services per hour. As seen in our above rates it will likely earn your approximately $32 if you decide this is the way to go. Being a beginner means that you won’t be able to assess a document accurately and charge the correct hourly pay rate. You should therefore look at the different charges of other proofreaders whilst you keep in mind that their added experience will make them work faster and therefore earn more.

If you decide to proofread on a page-by-page basis, then the easiest way to do it is by dividing the whole document’s word count with the words you can proofread in an hour. The most recommended way is by charging per word. It will not only be accurate but will also give you and the client a great deal. In such a case, you are likely to quote your rates per 1000 words. This will earn you at least $11 as a beginner. Besides this will be less confusing to your clients due to the clarity provided.

Before deciding how much you should charge you, clients, you should consider the following;

• How good is your client’s documents source material

Being aware of the source of the material will help you avoid putting more effort than you had originally planned for. Some may be complex whereas others simple. We’ll leave you to be the judge of that!

• How quickly do your clients require you to proofread the work?

As we mentioned earlier choosing the time frame required to complete a task is quite challenging. It’s necessary to avoid making promises which you can’t deliver within the time frame you stated. For instance, you get an urgent document to be proofread, you prioritize it. This however should come at an added cost. Make it clear that besides your normal rates, there are extra charges for jobs that need to be completed within a short time.

You can also do the same for proofreading jobs that require consuming your time during the weekends.

• Does the document /project line up with expertise?

As a proofreader, you should be able to determine if you can do a proofreading job with the expertise required. If you do not meet the required skills needed for a certain job, it will be better if you referred your client to a professional proofreader.

To sum up, channeling the right amount of energy, time and dedication will go a long way into helping you realize your proofreading potential. So why not try it out?