Proofreading: a guide for pros
What customers ask, how to win the job, and what to put on your profile.
Offering proofreading
Proofreading clients have a finished document and a deadline. Show that you catch errors without changing meaning, and explain clearly what you check and how you return it.
What customers ask
- Do you rewrite, or only correct errors?
- Can you check a printed proof, or only the digital file?
- What file format do you need, and what do you send back?
- How quickly can you turn it around if the printer is waiting?
- Will you check the layout and formatting, or only the text?
- Do you follow my style guide or your own?
How to win the job
- On the first call, ask what the document is for, the deadline and whether there is a print date, then confirm the turnaround in writing.
- Read the first page before you quote and name one type of error you found, so the client sees you have looked at their work.
- Return corrections as tracked changes plus a clean copy, with a short list of questions for the client.
- State in the quote whether you check the print proof, since that separate step is one clients often forget.
- Ask for the house style guide, or a list of names and terms that must stay as written, and confirm it before you start.
- Offer a quick check of the final file after the client makes the last change, if the deadline allows.
What to put on your profile
- Sample pages with corrections shown, and the document type noted.
- Document types you proofread, such as brochures, reports, menus, catalogs or theses.
- Your file formats and the marking method you use.
- The style guides you know, and the ones you ask clients to name.
Follow-up that helps the customer
- Offer a final check of the print proof when the printer sends it back.
- Suggest a short style sheet for future updates to the same document, so names and terms stay consistent.
- Offer to proofread the next edition, since errors often return when a document is updated.
Licenses and permits
Proofreading is not commonly licensed, so you usually do not need a license to offer it. Check with your state or local licensing agency for business registration, and keep a written agreement that names what you check and what you do not change.
Questions
How do I show a client I can proofread their kind of document?
Show a sample with corrections marked, from the same document type if you can. The marks themselves show your accuracy.
Should I accept rewrites from clients?
Only if the agreement says so. Proofreading is the narrow job of fixing errors. If the client wants rewriting, quote it separately as editing.
What if the client changes text after I return it?
Limit the review rounds in the quote, and say in the agreement what happens to changes made after your final check.
Pro reviewers
Pros who offer proofreading remotely can improve this guide, like Wikipedia. We check every edit before it goes live. Every approved edit is credited in the edit history and on the pro's profile.
Edit history
- Oct 29, 2026: Drafted by infinibell to our content guidelines.
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