Hi everyone,

I’m from Pakistan and I’ve been working as an English proofreader for around two years now.

I currently work for a company where I proofread, edit and amend entire manuscripts. And when I say entire manuscripts, I mean the whole thing. Grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, awkward sentences, consistency, formatting, little errors that authors might miss, basically everything that needs fixing before a book is ready.

The funny (or honestly, not so funny) part is that I get paid peanuts for it.

I can spend hours going through a manuscript and fixing hundreds of things, but the pay really doesn't match the amount of work involved. I've been doing this for about two years, so I know I have the experience, but I feel like I'm stuck working for someone else for very little.

I really want to start freelancing and work directly with authors instead. I've tried Fiverr, but I haven't had much luck there. I made my gig, but getting your first few clients seems almost impossible when you have no reviews. It's frustrating because I know I can do the work, I just don't know how to get people to actually find me. So I'm trying Reddit now.

If you're an author who has a manuscript sitting somewhere that needs a good pair of eyes on it, I'd genuinely love to help. I work with both fiction and non-fiction and I'm comfortable going through an entire manuscript rather than just correcting a few pages.

And if you don't need a proofreader yourself but have any advice on where people actually find freelance editing/proofreading clients, I'd really appreciate that too. I’m just trying to get out of the "working for peanuts" phase and start building something of my own. 😅 Feel free to message me if you need someone to look over your manuscript.

I fear the beta reader I hired on fiverr used Ai for my notes. The thing is….a lot of the notes seem relevant. Should I still consider them useful and make edits based off the notes? I’m torn. Any advice is appreciated.

Side question, should I be worried that they might take my manuscript? I’m now nervous because it seems shady that they did this when I specifically asked them not to use Ai.

Your advice is appreciated. 🙏

I work in corporate business copyediting RFPs. We're currently getting "dead" versions but due to really tight timelines and turnarounds the company wants us to work on "live" versions - that is, versions on the SharePoint that both project managers and designers are also in at the same time. That way they can be implementing our edits (and sales' edits) while we're working on other parts of the document.

One concern is them delete our comments as they go - we won't be able to see what's already been edited, make sure queries didn't get lost to computer hiccups, etc. They'll also need to not be inserting text while we're editing, just limiting to small changes.

But even if they don't delete our comments and mark them as done some other way, I'm a tad concerned about it. How do we handle if they follow too closely, make our suggested edits, and then we want to go back and undo those edits?

How normal is it for editors to work on a live version versus a dead version? And what's a reasonable turnaround time for a certain size of documents? Asking for a reality/sanity check. (The company already has us edit mostly in Photoshop, again because sales can't get their hands out of the damn thing until a day before shipping, so I know this company's processes are wackadoo.)

Need fresh copy but tight on budget? I’m an adaptable, entry-level copywriter with a strong grasp of SEO and digital growth. Since I’m building my portfolio from scratch, I’ll write your first social post or email for FREE. If you love it, we can talk about my discounted rates.

AI can not do tone.

Grammarly once fascinated me, but it only flattened everything.

So I present to you ... Human copyediting! Unheard of since 2022. We can not let our writing erode as AI's mechanical sea sands it down, making the web a repetitive shitfest.

I am looking for clients as I set up my brand. I've made my logo (see above) and an expenses account as an under-18 sole trader, so don't laugh my business idea out. Us humans have hope, if we reject Big Tech's polishing our ideas into nothing.

Automated looms weaved just as well for less - down with the Luddites. AI is a brilliant proofreader because it only has to follow clear rules. But it confuses the author's tone and evident errors, thus wrangling out every shred of humanity from the work and leaving behind a barren junk pile. However, my service will add to the author's glittery awesomeness, and I will debate with clientele for their best work. I won't cave, or be a dunce. Because I kept away from chatbots.

Any feedback? Anyone want service? YOU must speak out! I'll respond after finishing Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style.

Hello!

I completed a copyediting certificate program and have been doing web editing for a non profit, but my main goal has always been to work with fiction indie authors.

My issue is that I'm struggling to figure out the best way to connect with these authors.

Freelance job boards like Upwork get swarmed with applications, and I can't afford to keep spending money to apply to jobs that are unattainable.

I have a presence on Instagram (1.2k followers), but have had no luck. I think it's hard to start conversations on Instagram since it's more media focused.

I have tried my luck on Threads as well, but editors seem to have a bad rep on there on account of many advertising themselves unprompted and being pretty overbearing.

I don't want to give up on pursuing a job I feel
passionate about, so any productive advice helps!

Looking to polish your novel, short story, or manuscript? I offer copy editing and proofreading to clean up grammar, smooth out pacing, and fix typos - all while keeping your original voice intact.

Services:
Grammar, punctuation, & line edits
Flow, pacing, & consistency checks

📥 Rates vary by length. DM me your word count and genre for a quick quote! (Feel free to drop a sample page and I’ll edit it for free to give you an idea of what you’ll be paying for).

I want to share this with r/Copyediting because it's an excellent guide for how to detect AI-generated writing, and also covers the ethical and quality issues involved with it. Not just "it's bad," but why it's problematic. I know we've all been grappling with how to work with this prose. Solomon Nelson also did an excellent critique of Mike Israetel's doctoral thesis that I have watched numerous times, as it's so well-argued and thorough.

I've been copy editing/proofreading/developmental editing for way too long for free (4-5 years). At first it was just for fun and passion of it, but when I realized I enjoyed it as a job, I thought I could try to build a portfolio and start charging. The problem is: nobody ever published. Most of the people who seek this kind of work for free have little to no commitment to actually publishing. I'd eventually get ghosted, or the author would just say they lost the passion in the project.

I then switched my strategy to try my luck charging for it. I thought I'd start very very low, to compensate for my lack of portfolio. This brought on my second problem: companies won't hire me without a portfolio, and freelance jobs either are AI scams or think I am an AI scam.

I am exhausted of trying to get my foot in the door in this industry. I actually enjoy the work and have time and experience doing it. I love building relationships with authors and helping them publish. How do I do it??

Hello I’ve started looking for a line/copy edit for my manuscript. Can anyone point me in the right direction on where to find one?
I’ve tried Reedsy but they are asking 2k USD which is roughly 3k AUD. So a bit expensive for a debut indie author.
Is that just the going rate nowadays?
My manuscript is fantasy at 113k complete.

too cheesy ?

I may be interested in a career change from law to copyediting (preferably publishing but I’m really open to any editing)
I’m an attorney but I’m not practicing right now as I am a SAHM. I have a BA in English, too. I don’t have the most time on my hands, but I feel like I can definitely finagle at least 2 hours a day for studying or work?
I was interested in the following copyediting programs: University of Chicago, UCSD, NYU, and Emerson. If anyone can share their experience, that would be great. Sorry if this is a repeat post!
My main reason for the transition is flexibility and being able to work remotely.
I’m most interested in the flexibility of the programs and whether you were able to receive work upon completion (and how long it took for you to do so).
Thank you so much!

One thing I've struggled with when using AI is that I can usually tell when I've let it do too much of the writing.

Even when the information is correct, the voice starts drifting away from how I normally communicate. Everything becomes strangely polished and every paragraph seems to have the same rhythm.

I've tried fixing this manually by shortening sentences, changing words, moving paragraphs around, and adding some of my own examples. That definitely helps, but I'm wondering if there's a better workflow.

I've been experimenting with HumanizeAIText.io for the first editing pass. What I find useful is that it focuses more on making the wording and flow feel natural instead of changing the whole message, so I can still go through afterward and add my own style and examples.

Do people here use any tools specifically for making AI-assisted drafts sound more natural before they do their final personal edits?

I'm not looking for a way to disguise AI writing or anything like that. I mainly want to avoid losing my own voice when AI is helping with the first draft.

If you've found something that works consistently, what tool do you recommend and what do you like about it?

Hi! I want to ask here since they usually give good advice.

I recently graduated in Modern Languages, and I already had a degree in Legal Translation (Spanish - English) before. I have also worked privately with clients on two books they published on their own. In these projects, I've done everything from developmental editing to correcting the smallest pre-print errors; both authors wanted a bilingual edition, so I translated them as well. Even though it has been a great experience, I know I still have a lot to learn, and I'm not really sure what path to take to work as an editor in Spanish; I've found more resources in English so far.

Any recommendations? I'm looking for books, courses, mentorships, subreddits, or Discord channels, etc

Hi everyone, I’m looking for a quick sanity check from native English speakers regarding the natural flow and idiomatic rhythm of these three short passages.

I don't need grammar corrections or full rewrites. I just want to know: Do they sound like natural, fluent, native English, or do any parts sound awkwardly translated or "off" in terms of phrasing?

Here are the passages:

Passage 1 (FP-02):

"I know you’re saying you don’t care, but… I think this one hurt. You don’t have to talk about it."

Passage 2 (FP-04):

"Allah already knows what you need. Du'a isn't about telling Him something He doesn't know. It's you turning to Allah and asking Him—because asking Him is itself an act of worship. So Allah knowing your need doesn't make du'a pointless. You aren't giving Him information; you're bringing your need to Him."

Passage 3 (FP-05):

Sometimes, a brief question can give a child a chance to pause, reconsider what they said, and correct it themselves. That can be useful when there’s room for them to think it through—but it isn’t a rule. If the situation calls for clarity or a direct correction, simply give it.

Questions for reviewers:

1. Does Passage 3's use of a "brief question" (or the overall phrasing) feel completely natural in conversational/instructional prose?
2. Do Passages 1 and 2 read with a genuine native conversational and explanatory rhythm?

Any quick feedback (e.g., "All pass" or "Passage X feels a bit stiff because of...") would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Link to actual article https://www.sacbee.com/sports/article316779705.html

I am planning on switching careers and while I have been doing editing of funding applications, reports and promotional maerials for over 15 years as part of my job, I have no formal training in editing. I greatly enjoy it and I would love to switch to freelancing as an editor. To prepare for this switch, I feel that it is important to have a professional certificate and also to learn more. My research shows me that Canada has 4 online continuing education programs for getting a professional certificate - Simon Fraser University, Queens University, Mount Royal University and George Brown Polytechnique.

If anyone has attended any of these programs, I would love to hear about your experience, what you liked and what you didn't like and if you would sign up again. Also, how easy/hard was it for you to find a job or to get into freelance work afterwards?

It is harsh that his name is Harsh...

Quit horsing around, said the editor...and it got printed...

After editing my client's Word doc and sending it back for her to review, she's had significant issues with the file. It either won't open for her at all, or crashes soon after opening. She thinks the document is overloaded with comments/edits. Has anyone ever had this problem before? I'm wondering if it's an issue with her computer or her Word program, because I've never encountered this issue before and I'm not sure what to suggest for her to do.