You are reading an article or a book. But there are a lot of grammatical errors and misplacement of punctuation in the content. Even you do not find any continuity of the write-up.
What will be your reaction?
Probably you might have stopped reading it, however good and authentic the write-up is. You have an inferior notion of the creator. You are doubtful about the least language skill of the content creator. This outlook will let you stop reading the article or write-up.
This psychological mechanism determines the value of content. You may create informative and ‘good’ content. But unless it is well edited and proofread, it is of no use.
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That’s why many publishing houses and website owners, and many others who create content, are investing plenty of money to get their content edited and proofread by professionals concerned.
So the future of the editing and proofreading business in India is very bright and is expected to boom shortly.
Scope and Future
With competition growing high at every moment, every content creator house is set to put aside some additional budget to edit and proofread their content.
According to a study, the Indian book market was expected to touch 739 billion by 2020. At present, the book market in India is 261 billion becoming the sixth-largest in the world.
Nielson India Book market Report 2015 shows a CAGR (compound annual growth) of 19.3% for the industry for the next five years. So you can imagine the scope of this industry in the coming days.
You can charge for the project either per hour or per word and page. Generally, a client pays INR 1 per word for editing and INR.50 for proofreading, though it can vary depending on the quality of work it involves.
Steps To Get Started
You can start an editing and proofreading business in India from the comfort of your home.
A home-based editing service is a good choice at the initial stage. The experience you will gather will help you scale up your business.
The skills you will have to learn to be a professional editor and proofreader are:
- Great command of English grammar
- Minute knowledge of the usage of punctuation
- Basic knowledge of word processor like Microsoft word
- Knowledge about some advanced automotive error corrector software
- Ability to comprehend the consistency and continuity of the content
Estimate The Minimum Investment
Editing and proofreading business requires a minimum investment. You can start this business with sixty to seventy thousand INR in hand.
You need:
- A desktop or laptop
- High-speed Wi-Fi connection
- A separate room with sufficient ventilation
- Some additional money to market your service
- A digital printer
After having some experience in this field, you can expand your business by employing staff and renting an office room. Then you will have to buy advanced software to get more professional and give your business a corporate look.
Get License
You will have to apply for a license from the concerned state department. Rules and regulations for getting a license may vary from state to state. You should also get zonal authorization if required.
Know About Taxation
You get to know all about the GST registration. You can take advice from a tax expert.
Find Your Clients
Here, you have to be very strategic and target-oriented. If you are offering service for publishing houses, you will have to find out the platform they are asking for service.
Similarly, if you provide service for website owners, you will have to take a different approach to reach your clients.
The way you can find your potential clients can be:
- Facebook groups and forums
- LinkedIn community
- Target-oriented websites
- Direct contact through emails
- Printing visiting cards and brochures
- Through friends and relatives
Pro Tips
To succeed in the editing and proofreading business in India, you should start from specific to general.
You can start with the service for publishing houses and then gradually enter into website content or many other fields.
This approach will help you professionally channelize your initial resources to grow in the future.
Final words
Before setting up this new startup, you should also be aware of the challenges waiting for you.
In the editing and proofreading business, you can face the following challenges:
- Incomplete and vague manuscripts or digital content
- Unprofessional and untrained staffs
- Boredom and monotony of the same work affecting the quality of your work
- Some unsatisfactory payments from some clients
- Overwork can affect the quality of work
- Inability to meet deadlines either due to unprofessional staff or overwork
So while accepting any project, make sure that the content is understandable. You can employ some interns and get them trained before giving them some important assignments.
As this task is time-consuming and the same, boredom can haunt you. What you should do is take a short break and have some music or snacks to start anew.
Hope for the best of your new journey.