Press

Hazel studied English at Durham University but finished her degree without any fixed idea of what she wanted to do. She now works as a freelance proofreader and copy-editor.

I wanted to work with books, but many of those kinds of jobs are located in the capital. However, a children's bookseller position became available in my home town and I got the job. Bookselling was a great introduction to the commercial side of the book trade.

I decided I wanted to work in publishing and began the 'Basic Proofreading by Distance Learning' course run by the Publishing Training Centre to acquire skills that would be useful in an in-house role. I then got a job with Elsevier, a major science, technological and medical publisher, in inventory management. Through this role I learned a lot about time management and general office skills. I also got to know about the production department, which led to a job as production project manager.

Production project managers (also known as desk editors) arrange for the manuscript to be copy-edited, typeset, proofread and printed and/or published online. There was a lot of opportunity in my job for working closely with the text, checking proofs and liaising with authors, and it was this part of the job that I was increasingly drawn to.

I decided to take on some freelance work in my spare time. I was lucky to get regular work with an agency specialising in non-native-English-speaking authors' manuscripts. The pay was relatively low, but many people start out doing low-paid or even voluntary work and the experience I gained, plus my in-house experience and proofreading qualification, enabled me to qualify for ordinary membership of the The Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP). I then got some sub-editing and proofreading work with two magazines.

I enjoyed the freelance work and decided to go full time. I was lucky in that my ex-colleagues daily commissioned proofreaders and copyeditors, so I was confident of a good stream of work. Having the right contacts can be essential, and many talented people struggle to find work because they didn't start off in-house. An English degree is not essential, and a degree in almost any other subject, alongside a good grasp of written English, can be far more valuable.

Skills needed for freelance proofreading and copyediting include: concentration, attention to detail, a sound grasp of grammar, an enquiring mind and being able to work alone. It is also increasingly necessary to be technologically minded as copyediting is now mainly done on screen. Finally, you must be willing to think about things like marketing yourself, record-keeping and tax returns.

The benefits of working as a freelance proofreader or copy-editor are principally job satisfaction, flexibility and work-life balance. Pay is not high but can be fairly good. Career progression can be whatever you want it to be! The work can be very varied – as well as conventional publishers there are magazines, websites, businesses, charities, educational institutions, individual authors and many more. You can also write, learn other skills such as indexing or start your own agency.

HAZEL HARRIS gained a first-class degree in English literature from Durham university and spent two years as a children's bookseller.

The 26-year-old, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, enjoyed managing the children's book section at her local Ottakar's, but was keen to break into publishing, so she embarked on a distance-learning basic proofreading course with the Publishing Training Centre at Book House (PTC).

It is an educational charity that provides high-quality training for publishers in Britain and overseas and offers a range of distance-learning courses, including basic proofreading and copy editing. All allow students to work at their own pace from home.

Mrs Harris was able to fit her studies around her job as well as start a new career working for Elsevier, a scientific publisher based in Oxford.

She began there in the shipping department, but after gaining her proofreading qualification in 2007, moved to the production department, managing the copy editing, typesetting and proofreading of encyclopaedias.

Mrs Harris said: 'It was a modular course that taught all the basics of proofreading and how to get into the industry. It worked very well. My job didn't interfere with it at all as I set aside time on Saturday mornings to do the modules.

'I had to be quite structured in the way I approached it. I'd set aside a few hours to do the modules rather than trying to do half-an-hour here or there. That way I was able to focus on it.' Elsevier gave her the confidence to become a freelance copy editor and proofreader in September 2009 (wordstitch.co.uk) and Mrs Harris now focuses on academic books, mainly in the humanities and social sciences, but is also interested in genealogy.

She said: 'My main client is Elsevier, and I've got Wiley-Blackwell as well. I'm proofreading for other organisations, and I am also approached by individual authors. It's a great variety, and I love it.

'Its one of those careers that's Catch-22 – you need the experience to get in, but no one will give you the experience. Doing qualifications is a great idea because it shows you're serious about it.

'This really suits me. I can work my own hours and control what I do a lot better. I'm doing the job I love. It's the best thing I've done, really.'

Mrs Harris advises people considering distance-learning study to get organised. 'You do need to be disciplined,' she said. 'Make sure you plan ahead and think about whether you really can fit it in. If you don't leave yourself enough time, you don't get enough from it. You're always rushing and not concentrating on it.' The PTC's basic proofreading course costs £395, and the estimated study time is at least 35 hours over five to six months. Other distance-learning courses include editing on screen, picture research and effective copywriting.

A spokesman said: 'Each student is assigned a personal tutor who will guide them through their study, provide feedback and mark any assignments. With this assistance it is possible to build a new career or improve existing skills.' There are plenty of courses on offer for people looking for distance-learning opportunities.

The Writers' Bureau specialises in distance and open learning with a range of courses for budding authors. This includes novel-writing, writing for children and even poetry.

Meanwhile Chapterhouse has been training people to proofread and copy edit for 20 years.

Copy editors and proofreaders work from home, correcting mistakes in books and other publications. The recommended minimum rates of pay are £21 an hour for proofreading and £24 an hour for copy editing.

Chapterhouse offers a range of courses, including classroom and distance-learning options. Courses are fully assessed and certificated.

Course director Richard Littler said: 'In the early Nineties, working from home was unusual. These days, the internet now makes it easy to communicate from your own kitchen, it's increasingly popular.'

Chapterhouse co-founder Daisy Crowther adds: 'We've seen an increasing range of students over the past year or two.

'People from all walks of life are training to proofread and copy edit to give a useful second income, develop their career or provide a way out of their existing job.'

PUBLISHING Training Centre: 020 8874 2718, train4publishing.co.uk. The Writers' Bureau: 0845 345 5995, writersbureau.com. Chapterhouse: 01392 811642, chapterhousepublishing.com.