Average Rates

• According to the SimplyHired website, freelance proofreaders made an average yearly salary of $38,000 per year in June 2011. Assuming a standard 40 hours of work per week, this converts to $18.27. However, freelancers may work in many sectors of writing and publishing and have different experience and education levels, so rates vary greatly. Additionally, freelancers are in complete control of the projects they accept. A proofreader who freelances can earn just as much if not more than a proofreader who has a regular proofreading job with a company, provided they work hard to secure new projects consistently.
  
  

Book Publishing Proofreaders

• Normally, book publishers use internal proofreaders who are employees to handle most proofreading tasks. However, if a publisher is behind schedule, or if they discover that there is more work than the available proofreaders can handle successfully, they hire freelancers as independent contractors. According to Lynn Wasnak, author of Writer's Digest's "How Much Should I Charge?", proofreaders in book publishing who get low pay made $15 per hour or $2 per page in 2011. High rates were $75 per hour or $5 per page. The average was $31 per hour or $3.26 per page.
  
  

Medical and Scientific Proofreaders

• Medical and scientific proofreaders receive some of the highest rates in the proofreading industry, as they require extensive knowledge of medical and scientific terminology and formats. Freelancers who work with this kind of text made a low-end rate of $18 per hour or $2.50 per page in 2011, says Wasnak. At the high end of the pay spectrum, rates were $125 per hour or $3 per page. The average in this sector was $64 per hour or $2.75 per page.
  
  

Newspaper Proofreaders

• Like book publishers, newspapers sometimes use freelancers when work exceeds what in-house proofreaders can finish by given deadlines. The lowest rates in 2011 according to Wasnak were $15 per hour or $35 per project. The best rates were $45 per hour or $225 per project. Average pay was $23 per hour or $124 per project.
  
  

Magazine and Trade Journal Proofreaders

• Proofreaders who support magazines and trade journals on a freelance basis earn rates nearly identical to those in the book publishing industry. Low pay was $15 per hour in 2011, according to Wasnak. High pay was $75 per hour, while the average rate was $35 per hour.