Month: October 2021

Writing a book is only one part of the publishing journey. Before you even get to the point of publishing your stories or novel, it will need to pass through the hands of a proofreader and an editor. There is a big difference between proofreading and editing, but for this article, we are going to focus on proofreading. On Reedsy, there are a lot of great proofreaders to choose from, but knowing what to look for is important regardless of the platform you end up using. Here are some of our tips that will help you hire a professional proofreader that meets your needs.

Ask For A Sample

Proofreading takes a lot of intensive attention. In fact, many people who claim to offer proofreading services simply check for plot holes or check the flow of a story. Proofreading requires intimate attention to detail that allows a person to catch spelling, syntax, grammar, and other errors in the text. It is a good idea to pick a passage from your book and send that to potential proofreaders for review. Use the same passage or page for all proofreaders you are considering so that you can easily compare the resulting samples provided.

Pay Attention to Turn Around Times

Any proofreading service that offers an insanely quick turnaround time is likely not going to do a very good job. Proofreading is more than just reading through a book, it is analyzing each sentence line by line multiple times until no more errors can be found. It is common for 100k words to take as long as a month to be properly proofread, if you have technical texts or a longer manuscript, a complete proofreading job can take even longer.

Check Reviews

Just like with any other product or service it is important to check a person’s reviews before handing over your whole book. Other clients feedback can provide great insight into their customer service and the quality of their services. Also, look for independent reviews if the only source you are given is reviews listed on their own website.

Comparing Rates

The price of proofreading can vary wildly from one place to the next. Some services may charge on a per-page basis while others may offer a flat fee based on the total number of words in your book. It is a good idea to steer clear of bottom-of-the-barrel rates no matter what your budget may be. It is well worth paying a little bit more to have your text proofread by a professional as opposed to hiring a subpar service that will allow mistakes to fall through the cracks. At the same time, the most expensive service will not always provide the best proofreaders for your buck. Compare prices between the vetted proofreaders that have completed your sample passage and then move on from there.

Only Hire A Proofreader Who Offers a Contract

With any service getting the details down on paper is the best way to ensure everyone is on the same page. The same goes for when you want to hire a professional proofreader. The contract should cover the scope of services you expect to be completed, the cost for those services, the number of words or pages in your manuscript that you would like proofed, and the cost & deadline expectations. It is also a good idea to toss in a confidentiality clause or a nondisclosure clause to ensure your work is not shared with anyone else while it is with the proofreader.

Finding The Perfect Proofreader

With our easy-to-follow tips, finding proofreaders will be easier than ever. Just make sure that your manuscript is actually ready for this part of the process before you take the plunge. Professional proofreaders are not always budget-friendly, so always go over your work on your own and complete all of your story revisions before you hire a proofreader to check your work.

If you are crafting and artistic, you may have thought of how you could sell your work and earn some extra money while writing a book. Then along came Etsy, a site that makes it very easy for the creative to sell their merchandise and connect them to shoppers on the lookout for unique items. How does one earn using Etsy? Read on.

What’s Etsy?

This is the first question you need to know, especially if the term is new to you. Etsy can be defined as an online marketing platform where sellers trade “unique items.” By unique, we mean many things, including clothes, jewelry, greeting cards, or anything vintage (at least 20-years-old) or handmade. 

The platform is large and hosts well over 70million buyers and 3.6 million sellers. So whether you are a novice or a pro, all you need is something unique; the audience is already there. So get your fantastic product and utilize the insider tips you will learn from this article, and you will be good to make money in a matter of days.

How much do people make on Etsy?

If you are thinking of making some quick money like what the get-rich-fast pyramid schemes promise guys out there, Etsy may not be the place for you. This is a platform that pays people for hard work and insider tips. This means that while you don’t stand a chance of being a millionaire by selling on Etsy, you can support yourself well and do something that gives you joy.

Steps to setting up an Etsy store 

The processing of getting started on Etsy is easy, and it’s all you need. If you start worrying about many things, you may never get started. Therefore, all you need is a kickstart, and you can always finetune stuff as time goes by and you sharpen your selling tricks. 

Here are five simple steps to follow to get started on etsy and start selling things on the platform:

1.    Decide on what you will sell

While this may sound easy, it is probably the most challenging step of this process. This is because you might have so many ideas that you don’t know which one is viable, or you simply have no idea about what to sell. If you are full of ideas, discussing with a friend could help you decide fast. Still, if you are green and confused, you can check what other people are doing. 

Be inspired by them but do not try duplicating another person’s ideas. Remember, whatever you want to sell does not have to be something physical. People are trading on delicate items such as logos, home wall prints, and images for social media pages, and you can design all these.

2.    Choose a name for your etsy store and a logo

Once you have decided what you will sell on Etsy, it’s time you chose a name for yourself and a logo too. In choosing a name, don’t fret too hard; it doesn’t have to be complicated. Besides, you always have a chance to change the name once. Remember to run a Google search to ensure that your name is not like another in Etsy. 

Canva is an app that people use to design logos. Although it’s more like Photoshop, you use it for free! If you cannot create your logo or are not comfortable with it, visit Fiverr and get an expert to do it for you at a cost.

3.    Give your very best shot for the image of your items

On online platforms like Amazon and eBay, the photo of an item really matters. In Etsy, the same applies, and it’s even more critical. In fact, the picture carries more weight than your store name or logo, which is why you need to take clear images. When setting up the store, there is an option for downloading prototypes to help you know what your photos should look like. You can also check what others have and try making your products look similar but still unique.

4.   Save money

Now that you are set, you need some savings as people don’t sell freely on Etsy. You’ll have to pay about $10 to list an item but you can use the internet to market your store freely. The platform is competitive, and if you get noticed within the first few days, you are better placed to sell on it. Decide on the best price to sell your items, considering all the costs and profit without being greedy.

5.    Plan on postage

If you are dealing in physical products, you must plan on postage. Light items will work well with post offices. However, courier services work better for heavy items. Research and know in advance how the charges work so that you don’t charge $5 for a delivery that costs you $10. 

Once you have your products on the site, be quick to respond to orders, questions and returns; ask for reviews from your customers, and hopefully, watch your side hustle become a full-fledged career.

Rose Rosie is a writer for the personal finance website, Joy Wallet, which provides readers with useful information, resources, and tools to help maximize their financial fitness.