Proofreading work ...

OneYorkshireLass

I have a proofreading qualification but no experience. I've found a freebie magazine published country-wide which, to be honest, is absolutely dire. The whole thing needs copy editing and proofreading.

Does anyone have any idea how I could approach the publishers without sounding like I'm being totally negative about their publication?

lincroft1710

You never know but the budget might be so tight that they can't afford a proofreader.

OneYorkshireLass

You never know, that is true. The publication is 99% advertorial though, so £££s are being generated. The set-up looks very small - no website etc.

chocsessential

Why not email them and offer to proofread a couple of pages free of charge? You could also create a dummy before and after document, i.e. with and without mistakes, and attach that as an example of your work.

You could say you really enjoy reading their publication and would welcome the opportunity to get involved in it it. You could also say you have a very keen eye for detail and enjoy helping other people make their work look even better. I wouldn't go criticising their mistakes, if you want them on side you'll have to make it sound like a golden opportunity for both of you. Good luck.

Fishingtime

If you have no experience then why not give your time free to the magazine,that way you will get some experience.
Also they may forward your name to other people

Sixer

If it's 99% advertorial, you'd probably need to contact all the advertisers individually. They'd be the ones to pay for editing their own copy.

OneYorkshireLass

chocsessential wrote: »

Why not email them and offer to proofread a couple of pages free of charge? You could also create a dummy before and after document, i.e. with and without mistakes, and attach that as an example of your work.

You could say you really enjoy reading their publication and would welcome the opportunity to get involved in it it. You could also say you have a very keen eye for detail and enjoy helping other people make their work look even better. I wouldn't go criticising their mistakes, if you want them on side you'll have to make it sound like a golden opportunity for both of you. Good luck.

I've created a document which shows before and after changes for the first five pages of their publication.

Thanks for the tips on what to write

yoxford2008 wrote: »

If you have no experience then why not give your time free to the magazine,that way you will get some experience.
Also they may forward your name to other people

I've been doing various types of volunteering work for nearly a decade. I'm getting a bit tired of giving my time for free now. I'll probably say I'll proofread/copy edit one magazine for free and then it'll be X amount for the rest.

Sixer wrote: »

If it's 99% advertorial, you'd probably need to contact all the advertisers individually. They'd be the ones to pay for editing their own copy.

I've worked in the sector before (publishing, not proofreading) and I've never heard of advertisers paying for their own copy to be edited/proofread. If it were my publication then I wouln't allow anything to be published that wasn't proofread as it'd make me look unprofessional.

**Juice**

I'd absolutely love to do something like this - out of interest, what qualification do you have?

OneYorkshireLass

**Juice** wrote: »

I'd absolutely love to do something like this - out of interest, what qualification do you have?

Journalism degree and a proofreading diploma, plus 4 years experience in a newspaper/publishing office.

Sixer

OneYorkshireLass wrote: »

I've worked in the sector before (publishing, not proofreading) and I've never heard of advertisers paying for their own copy to be edited/proofread. If it were my publication then I wouln't allow anything to be published that wasn't proofread as it'd make me look unprofessional.

I work within publishing now!

But I've sold puff space in a previous working life and the process is 99% sell. Advertisers send their copy and a mock up gets sent back to them. If they don't make the corrections, nobody will.

You could try the main publication, but I very much doubt they'd be interested in paying to proof or edit someone else's copy.

If you're interested in freelance work generally, you could try people like BubbleCow. Or make an approach to the various self-publishing houses who may well maintain a list of editors and/or proofers for their customers.

Do you copy-edit or proofread? Or both?

OneYorkshireLass

Sixer wrote: »

I work within publishing now!

But I've sold puff space in a previous working life and the process is 99% sell. Advertisers send their copy and a mock up gets sent back to them. If they don't make the corrections, nobody will.

You could try the main publication, but I very much doubt they'd be interested in paying to proof or edit someone else's copy.

If you're interested in freelance work generally, you could try people like BubbleCow. Or make an approach to the various self-publishing houses who may well maintain a list of editors and/or proofers for their customers.

Do you copy-edit or proofread? Or both?

I proofread. I have done copy-editing before but don't have a qualification.

I'll try BubbleCow and self-publishers. Thanks.