Proofreading

Most people know the word ‘proofreading’, and it’s often used as a catch-all term for checking a piece of writing. But in the book publishing industry, proofreading is a very specific job.

Proofreading comes at the very end of the process, after the book has been edited and the interior design has been laid out. Proofreaders check the print-ready PDFs for any residual spelling, punctuation and grammar errors, highlight problems with the design or formatting, and flag up anything else that has been missed or needs tidying up.

If you’re an independent author planning to self-publish, ideally, you’ll have had your manuscript edited and you’ll have made all the changes you need. You’ll then have had the interior designed (whether you’ve done that yourself or hired a book designer), and you’ll now be in possession of a PDF file ready to send to a proofreader before you go to print.

Alternatively, if you’re planning on publishing digitally, you’ll have a final Word document ready to format as an e-book.

Either way, the important thing to remember is that proofreading is meant to be a final quality-control check. It’s not intended to be a one-stop fix, and you really do need to have your manuscript copyedited before you commission a proofread. If you skip the editing stage, you might find that issues come to light during the proofread which can be time-consuming and costly to fix.

What does a proofreader check?

During a proofread, I look at things like:

• spelling, punctuation and grammar
• consistency
• layout and formatting
• chapter headings and subheadings
• tables and images
• footnotes
• the cover text

As this is meant to be a final check for errors, I make only those changes that are absolutely necessary, respecting your story and voice, and any editing work that has been done previously. You remain in charge – you are free to accept or reject any of my edits.

If you’re not sure if proofreading is what you need, do feel free get in touch!
I’ll be happy to advise and can offer a free sample edit to illustrate. 

What you need to send me

For print books, you’ll need to send me the PDF file of the interior pages, and the cover file if you want me to check the text there too (recommended!).

For e-books, you’ll need to send me the final manuscript in MS Word with all your previous edits accepted.

It would also be extremely helpful if you could send me your book’s style guide or style sheet, if you have one.

While MS Word and Adobe PDF are the industry standards, I can also work in other applications. Please contact me to enquire.

What you’ll get

PDF proofreading

If you’ve sent me PDF files, we’ll have had a discussion beforehand about the best way for me to mark up the edits so that you can work with them.

While there are industry-standard mark-up symbols, independent authors often prefer me to use Adobe’s Comments and Sticky Notes features as they’re more straightforward. You’ll be able to review these using the free Adobe Acrobat.

I’ll send you the marked-up PDF file and a style sheet (or update your existing one) which will provide explanations for changes made.

You (or your designer) will then be able to make the necessary changes to the layout file and create the final PDF ready to go to your printer.

Proofreading on Word documents

If you’ve sent me a Word document, I’ll proofread using the Track Changes facility. You are then free to review the edits and accept or reject them as you wish.

I’ll also send you a clean version of the proofread manuscript with all the changes accepted, for your reference or convenience. if you decide to accept all or almost all of the changes, it can be much quicker to use this version!

And I’ll send you a style sheet (or update your existing one) which will provide explanations for changes made.

Cost and timescale

Both the cost and the timescale will depend upon the length of your book and the level of proofreading it requires. I usually quote a project rate, so we both know the cost up front, and I can offer payment in instalments for larger projects.

You will normally need to book your proofread in advance so that we can agree on a schedule.

To enquire

Please take a look at my Terms and Conditions for more information about working with me. Then, send me an email! Please include:

• the name of your book
• the genre
• the wordcount
• what your plans are (such as seeking a traditional publishing deal or self-publishing
• whether your manuscript has been through any previous rounds of professional editing
• any other details you feel might be important

I’ll get back to you and we can take it from there!

Please note that while perfection is always aimed for, I can’t guarantee that your book will be 100% error free, particularly if it has not been through sufficient rounds of copyediting beforehand. Please refer to my Terms and Conditions for more information on Quality Assurance.