Looking for free proofreading practice? Want an opportunity to brush-up on those all important proofreading skills? Well, here are three great places to find proofreading practice without having to part company with a single penny or cent.
Free proofreading practice location 1: Right here.
Click here and you’ll be taken to 20 free proofreading exercises with answers. You can download them individually or ‘Pay with a Tweet’ and download all 20 proofreading worksheets in a single neat bundle.
Free proofreading practice location 2: Duotrope.
Duotrope is a resource to help writers find publishers who are looking for short story and novel submissions. I know what you’re thinking: Well, that’s wonderful if you’re a budding writer, but I’m a budding proofreader. How’s Duotrope going to help me advance my proofreading career?
On the surface, Duotrope is a resource for writers, but dip beneath the surface and you’ll find what you’re looking at is actually a massive database of publishers. Lots of these publishers are what’s known as ‘small press’ publishers. Small press publishers are often run on a shoestring. Some even operate at a loss. They can’t afford the services of professional proofreaders. So, when you contact them offering free proofreading services in exchange for testimonials (providing you do a good job, of course), I’d be surprised if they didn’t bite your hand off in their eagerness to work with you.
Just think how impressive it will look on your resume or website to have testimonials from companies with names like Woodland Press, Hourglass Books and Permuted Press? Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Here’s the URL: http://www.duotrope.com.
On the surface, Duotrope is a resource for writers, but dip beneath the surface and you’ll find what you’re looking at is actually a massive database of publishers. Lots of these publishers are what’s known as ‘small press’ publishers. Small press publishers are often run on a shoestring. Some even operate at a loss. They can’t afford the services of professional proofreaders. So, when you contact them offering free proofreading services in exchange for testimonials (providing you do a good job, of course), I’d be surprised if they didn’t bite your hand off in their eagerness to work with you.
Just think how impressive it will look on your resume or website to have testimonials from companies with names like Woodland Press, Hourglass Books and Permuted Press? Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Here’s the URL: http://www.duotrope.com.
Free proofreading practice location 3: Yahoo Answers.
Sign up for Yahoo Answers at http://answers.yahoo.com. Key in the search phrases, ‘proofreading’, ‘proofreader’ or ‘proof reader’ and narrow your options down to ‘open questions’ only. You’ll be presented with an abundance of people looking to have documents proofread: essays, reports, dissertations, short stories, novels, that kind of thing. Now, these people aren’t looking to pay you for your services. Not in cash, anyway. However, you could ‘work for rep’. In other words, you say, “I’ll proofread your novel, so long as you provide me with a glowing testimonial (providing, of course, I earn it).”
It’s a great opportunity for the neophyte proofreader to practice their talents on ‘real world’ material and bag a few testimonials into the bargain. Put these testimonials on your website, resume or feature them as part of your promotional activity. Instant credibility!
You’ll find even more free proofreading practice opportunities in The No-Nonsense Proofreading Course. Click here to find out more.
Best of luck with your proofreading practice!
It’s a great opportunity for the neophyte proofreader to practice their talents on ‘real world’ material and bag a few testimonials into the bargain. Put these testimonials on your website, resume or feature them as part of your promotional activity. Instant credibility!
You’ll find even more free proofreading practice opportunities in The No-Nonsense Proofreading Course. Click here to find out more.
Best of luck with your proofreading practice!