Case studies: Freelance proofreader and copy-editor: Day

Day graduated with a BA in English Literature from Toledo University in Ohio, USA. During her degree, she studied at St Andrews University for a year abroad. She then completed an MSc in Scottish Culture through Literature at Edinburgh University and now works as a freelance proofreader and copy-editor.

My degrees didn't include anything directly related to proofreading or copy-editing. Saying that, I guess through reading a lot of literature you pick up on what is grammatically correct and it provides you with an understanding of how text has to flow, which comes in handy when you copy-edit. By studying in both the USA and the UK I'm able to proofread and be grammatically correct in both British English and American English, which can come in handy.

I started doing proofreading and copy-editing work as I enjoy working with words and saw it as a way into doing some feature writing for magazines.

At the moment I mainly do freelance proofreading and copy-editing for two clients: one is a church magazine and the other is a Christian publishing house in the Scottish Highlands. That's one of the good things about this job - you don't need to be based where your clients are. I got both of these clients through contacts that I already had, which is how most people start off their proofreading and copy-editing careers.

In terms of how the process works for copy-editing the magazine: I usually get the text sent by email in a Word file by the editor. I then make changes (sometimes I have to refer back to the editor or authors of individual articles for clarification), send it on to the designer, get it back from him, proof it and sign it off before it goes to print. Most of this is done via email, unless there are any major queries, which can be resolved through a quick phone call.

I enjoy the autonomy this job gives me and the fact that I get to write articles on topics that I find interesting. The checking of the proofs can sometimes be a bit of a drudge, especially if you have to re-check things, as you have to be very meticulous and detailed.

I would definitely advise someone interested in getting into this kind of work to undertake a publishing course and join The Society of Young Publishers (SYP)  as that can really help you make contacts and to get a foot in the door. I go along once a month to the meeting of a Literary Salon to meet like-minded people and keep up to date with what is happening in the publishing world.