Freelance Writing, Editing and Proofreading

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Freelance Writing

Freelance writing is one of the most flexible of the non-phone options, and it’s a natural field to break into without any experience at all! This is also an industry that can pay well, especially if you forgo content sites (such as the ones below) and work on finding private clients that will agree to the rates you set.

The content sites I’ve listed below may not pay that well, but they can still help you get valuable writing experience and earn a weekly paycheck.

  • Verble – Read Verblio Review – the US only. Pay ranges from $8 to $72 per post. Get paid weekly with Paypal.
  • Boost Media – Read Boost Media Review – Open worldwide. Rate of pay varies. Pays via Paypal.
  • Buy Keyword Articles – Read Buy Keyword Articles Review – the US only. Rate of pay varies, but they state most of their writers earn between $10 and $18 hourly. Pay is every two weeks via Paypal.
  • Crowd Content – Read Crowd Content Review – Open to US, UK, Canada, and Australia. Pay ranges from 1.2 cents to 7.6 cents per word. Pay is every second Friday via Paypal provided you’ve reached the $10 cash out threshold.
  • The HOTH – Anywhere in the US. No previous professional writing experience or education necessary, but you must be a native English speaker. Pay varies depending on skill level, but according to Glassdoor, most make around $15 – $17/ hour.
  • Online Writing Jobs – Read Online Writing Jobs Review – the US only. Pays around $15 per article. Payments made weekly via check or Paypal.
  • Scripted – Read Scripted Review – Maybe open worldwide. Pay varies depending on the assignment but could range between $10 to $25 or more. Get paid weekly via Paypal.
  • Textbroker – Read Textbroker Review – Open to the US and some other countries. Pay depends on your star rating when you apply. Pay ranges between a seventh of a cent per word and five cents per word at the highest level. Pay is weekly via Paypal provided you have at least $10 in your account.
  • Words of Worth – Read Words of Worth Review – Open to US, Canada, and possibly other countries. Pay rates are not listed on the website, but it will vary depending on the assignment. Get paid once a month via bank transfer.
  • Writer Access – Read Writer Access Review – the US only. Pay rates range between 1.4 cents to 7 cents a word. Get paid weekly if you opt for direct deposit payments, or bi-monthly if you opt for Paypal payments.
  • More writing sites listed here.

If you’re serious about starting a freelance writing business and would prefer to avoid the lower-paying content sites I listed above, you can get a FREE no-strings-attached list of 200+ writing niches and sub-niches from Gina at Horkey Handbook.

This will help a lot when you get started and you’re unsure what to specialize in.

Editing & Proofreading

Editing and proofreading are flexible, non-phone jobs that are often home-based. You might make a great editor if you have excellent grammar/spelling skills, can read/scan documents, and you can spot mistakes in text that others miss.

One thing to keep in mind about editing and proofreading jobs is that most of these will require that you have either a degree, or a degree in a related field.

  • Cactus – Read Cactus Review – They offer highly specialized freelance editing work regularly.
  • Gramlee – Has occasional openings for remote proofreaders/editors.
  • Kibin – They do not always have openings for work at home proofreaders, but you can fill out their form to get notified when they do.
  • Scribendi – Read Scribendi Review – Open to US and other countries. Rate of pay not listed, but will depend on word count and turnaround time. Pay is via Paypal.
  • Scribbr – Read Scribbr Review – Worldwide. Must be a native English speaker with a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Experience editing academic texts is also required (it sounds like editing your own assignments in college would probably suffice). Pay is a flat per word rate, but rates vary based on assignment. According to their website, many earn $23 – $25 per hour.
  • Go here for 25 companies that have work from home jobs for editors and proofreaders regularly.

Many of my readers have started proofreading from their iPads, scanning legal documents for court reporters as a result of the Proofread Anywhere eCourse I recommend. You can read some of their testimonials in the comments on this post. They offer a 7-day intro course free, so you can decide if that line of work is right for you before you pursue the training.