….APPLIES TO PROOFREADING, TOO
Earning Money from Writing
Earning money from writing is exquisitely difficult. By this I mean that those who follow careers as authors suffer a high intensity of pain which I have always assumed, as a publisher, they must enjoy. Writing, particularly any form of creative work, gives pleasure; there is an intrinsic value beyond any thought of gain. There has to be since money is horribly difficult to make as a novelist or poet.
Writers all know this, but some believe the lottery finger is pointing at them. They will be the chosen ones. A recent study of Amazon books looked at a sample of 10,000 first novels. The average sale in the first year was seventy-nine. Royalties will be tiny, perhaps paying for a new dictionary and a copy of Clive James’s Poetry Notebook (read on). And, yes, I know all about the exceptions and that’s what keeps some authors going. If you love writing, never stop. Money comes way down the list of rewards. And, of course, there are many other forms of writing which may make you quite well off. You don’t have to be a novelist or poet. You could choose journalism or non fiction and it may be easier if you’re good enough.
Need for Editing and Proofreading
One problem which authors face is overconfidence with grammar, punctuation and use of English. A novel will remain unreviewed if there are literals or solecisms leaping out of the page at the potential reader or reviewer. And how you want those reviews! The need for copy-editors and proofreaders is undeniable and there is a massive market for their services with indie authors both in hard copy and e-book. There are over three million Kindle books on Amazon now!
Could you be a Copy-editor or Proofreader?
Well, you won’t know until you try. And you really do have a big responsibility for someone else’s pride and joy. Would you drive a friend’s new car without having had some lessons? And would some feedback from experienced publishers be useful? That’s why we and other good editorial course providers are here. If you are brimful of confidence just buy a book on proofreading and get on with it. You may be lucky and save some course fees or you might upset a lot of people before you get the hang of it. (And they and their many internet friends won’t use you again!)
By the way, did you see the words solecism and literal a few lines above? There are several possible responses: yes, and I’m sure of their meanings; yes, and I’m sort of sure what they mean; yes, and I don’t have a clue what they mean; no, and where were they again?
If you are a potential editor or proofreader you are unlikely not to have noticed these two words, whether or not you know what they mean. A good, would-be copy-editor or proofreader will certainly have 
checked them in their dictionary if they had the slightest doubt about meaning. If you didn’t look them up or notice them and you don’t know what they mean, or frankly don’t care, proofreading or copy-editing is going to be a tough choice of career. We all have big gaps in our knowledge but unless we are fascinated by language and prepared to fill those gaps we simply will not enjoy editorial work. (Some dictionaries don’t list literal; it means an error with a letter in British printing terminology [see Concise Oxford].)
The Joy of Copy-editing and Proofreading
So, you’re not particularly interested in words or language and this post has turned you off the idea of being a copy-editor or proofreader. So be it; that’s fine. But if you really love the sound and look of words, if you enjoy getting things right and are prepared to work at it and become a really proficient, useful professional, a job you will genuinely love awaits you.
Clive James and Poetry
The sharp-eyed will have spotted that my reference to Clive James’s book went nowhere. I was sidetracked. A post on this follows soon. You noticed this? Promising!