SYP's Freelance Glance
For some years I have written a column for the Society of Young Publisher's magazine, sharing my experiences and pearls of wisdom on being a freelance book copy editor, book writer and book proofreader.
In this column, I look at the highs and lows of working from home as a freelance proofreader and copy editor.
Working from home as a book proofreader and book editor
If I was going to write a subtitle for this month’s column, it would be ‘Total freedom, and a little boredom’ or perhaps ‘The biscuit jar calls to me’.
It’s the question most people ask me – what’s it like working at home? Actually, they tend to phrase it, ‘Working at home? (envious tone) That must be fabulous!’ Or occasionally I’ll meet someone who’ll say with a shudder, ‘Oh dear, how lonely!’ For me, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
I probably don’t need to tell you the benefits of working from home, but just for fun, I will anyway. Well, the comfort of home is a big plus – my own office space just as I want it; copy-editing in my pyjamas; not even having to venture outside on a cold, wintry day; proofreading in front of daytime ER repeats (be warned, I’ve found this doesn’t make for efficient and accurate work).
Then there’s the freedom – to come and go as I please, to go on holiday or just take an afternoon off, to work the hours that best suit me. I’m home to let the plumber in and keep an eye on what he’s up to, and to sign for whatever it is my eBay-mad partner has bought this week.
Working from home immeasurably increases productivity and efficiency in my work. All the time in the day I used to lose to travelling, pointless staff meetings and office chitchat is now time I can maximise. It takes me less time to complete tasks at home, because I can concentrate without distractions, which means I can do more work overall.
Clearly, home-based proofreading and copy-editing has a lot going for it, but that doesn’t mean it’s always working heaven, and it’s certainly not suited to everyone. Because my aim in this column is not to sugar-coat things, I’ll give it to you straight – sometimes it can be downright boring, lonely and just plain hard.
I’ve always been quite happy in my own company, but occasionally home can feel a bit isolated. The house is quiet and after seven hours straight proofreading you can miss the welcome distraction of colleagues. There’s no one to bounce ideas off, no cheery banter. Put it this way, Perfectly Write’s Christmas do last year involved me, a cracker and a mince pie – lovely, but not quite the social life I used to have in office jobs.
I’ve also found my boss isn’t always the fun-loving, easygoing gal I wish she were. To be successful and make enough money to live, I have to be a tad strict with myself. My working day has to have routine so I can meet my deadlines, and I have to be my own motivator, organiser and appraiser (not to mention accountant, secretary, receptionist, postman and office cleaner).
Some days home can feel suffocating. Polar Bear Syndrome, I call it. You look in the enclosure at the zoo and the bear is doing demented laps, then you look again later after an ice cream and it’s still on the same course. If I’m foolish enough not to make myself get out once a day and breathe some fresh air, I am that bear.
Then there’s the temptation factor. Miss Greedy works dangerously close to the kitchen and its many yummy delights. Miss Snoozy finds it hard to get up when her partner’s alarm goes off, knowing she doesn’t have to. Miss Domesticated can usually find a floor that needs vacuuming, clothes that need washing or an empty biscuit jar that needs filling. I do my best to lock these parts of me away during my working day, but they’re rather determined little misses and some days they run rings around me.
The good news is, there are ways to improve these less-joyful aspects of home-working. I reduce the boredom factor by varying my daily work and making myself take breaks, even when I’m in a good flow. To help with loneliness, I keep in touch with friends during the day on the phone and email, some of whom are also freelancers and happy sounding boards. For an hour or so every day, I bid my strict boss adieu and get out of the house – for a walk in the park, to the gym, or just to the post office – and remind myself there’s a world outside my study.
It’s all about balance, I think, and working at it. No job is without its highs and lows, but the great thing about freelance copy-editing and proofreading is that you have the choice, the control over your job. It’s the daily challenge of creating a happy working life that keeps me enjoying the highs, and weathering the lows.
New book: How to Succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing
I'm currently co-authoring a book with Emma Murray called How to Succeed as a Freelancer in Publishing, which will be published autumn 2010 by How To Books. The book offers advice on how to build a freelancing business in your chosen publishing field – from proofreader to copy editor, ghostwriter to author, typesetter to graphic designer. So watch this space for plenty more top advice on making it in publishing.