Are you a grammar whiz? Are you able to spot spelling errors from miles away? Do you always have good suggestions to help people improve their writing? A career as a proofreader is in high demand and it's a business that you can run from the comfort of your own home.

You can help other business owners edit copy, their websites and other written materials. You can help authors edit their work...the possibilities are endless.

Moms Talk Biz Guide to Proofreading  & Editing: Find out how to get started, learn the legal issues, start up costs, how to acquire clients and more.

Proofreading and Editing:  An Overview 

If you’ve considered ways to start a business from home, perhaps you have thought about proofreading and editing.  If you excel in English and are detail-oriented, it could be the perfect business for you.  For those who are unfamiliar with the proofreading and editing business, here is what it involves.

Writers write their books, articles, or other works, and usually go over it themselves.  But if you’ve ever tried to check your own work, you know it’s not as easy as it sounds.  Because you’re already familiar with the content, you sometimes see things as they are in your own mind.  It happens to the most experienced of writers, and they are well aware of it.  That’s where a proofreader comes in.

The writer can send a hard copy of the document to the proofreader, but it is much easier to send it as a word processing file.  This cuts down on paper usage and facilitates sending the document by email, disk, or CD-ROM.  In order to work with the file, the proofreader must have a compatible word processing program.

The proofreader reads the draft and checks it for mistakes.  The document is carefully examined for correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and point of view.  Depending on the writer and project, the proofreader may also be asked to make sure that the writing “flows” correctly and make changes at his or her own discretion.

The editing part is simply implementing any changes that are necessary.  Changes are generally highlighted in some way so that the writer can see them.  The document is then returned to the client.

Large publishing companies often hire full-time editors to work on-site.  But independent writers usually use editors on a freelance basis, as do some smaller companies.  This provides an opportunity for work at home moms to fill their needs.

Other work at home moms can also be good customers.  Those who write for others, or even for their own websites, are often eager to hire other work at home moms to edit their work.

Starting your own proofreading and editing business allows for a lot of flexibility.  Even though you will be working with deadlines, you can do the work at the time that is best for you.  And if you have kids, being able to work around them and their schedules is one of the greatest benefits you could ask for.

Proofreading is a good business for work at home parents.  It is always in demand and easy to work around your family.  It also requires very little overhead, as the only equipment necessary is a computer, printer, and word processing program.  With the resources available on the Internet, you can choose to offer your proofreading services to people anywhere you wish.

To learn more about how to start your own Proofreading & Editing business click here.