My experience with Upwork

As i mentioned in a previous post, i used all my free time to finish a project, and that is my book about gut microbiota. I was interested in a decent book cover, and i have it clearly in my mind, but surprise, when i tried to do it it was proven to be almost imposible for me. It was so easy that you couldn't undestand how complicated my mental projection become once on the workboard. As Leonardo da Vinci said: 'Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication'

Meaning, for some picture to look almost child play is very complicated to do it minimalistic and so on. I had an idea, what if i will let this become somebody else problem? So, i went to a platform called Upwork, and i rented somebody else time to do this. And after 2 days was done. I am still proud of it, and believe me, angles and fading letters and all that were a tricky bussiness.

After it was done, i looked a bit at the services offered on the platform, and i realised that i can do some of them too. I was thinking at proofreading and translating in at least 3 languages (yes, one of them being Romanian) and some life coach bussiness, and i am still trying to learn what a virtual assistant does and what is copyediting and copywriting.

I will explain this to you in few words. Let’s take a closer look at what a copyeditor does. A copyeditor:

-Checks for and corrects errors in grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation.
-Checks for technical consistency in spelling, capitalization, font usage, numerals, hyphenation. For example, is it e-mail on page 26 and email on page 143? Or do you use both British and American English spelling variations interchangeably, such as favourite vs. favorite?
-Checks for continuity errors and makes sure that all loose ends are tied.
-Checks for factually incorrect statements. This is a necessary part of the copyediting process for non-fiction manuscripts, such as historical pieces and memoirs. The copyeditor must check if the facts in your manuscript are accurate and if the names and dates are correct.
-Checks for potential legal liability. The copyeditor verifies that your manuscript does not libel others.
-Checks for inconsistency within the story. This includes character description, plot points, and setting. Does each character stay true to his own description throughout the story? Are there conflicting descriptions of the house? For example, have you described the setting as “a yellow brick home” on one page but “a weathered wooden home” on another page?

As you see, the copyeditor’s job is not just to check grammar and spelling. He or she must make sure that every element of your story is consistent, cohesive, and complete.

As for copywriting, this is completely another kind of job. Which got more to do with writing that with proofreading or copyediting and nothing to do with copyright (you know, protecting your inventions against being copied). Copywriting is the process of writing advertising promotional materials. Copywriters are responsible for the text on brochures, billboards, websites, emails, advertisements, catalogs, and more.

I hope this helped you a bit. Stay safe and enjoy the sunshine!
G.