As writers, we all make mistakes, and plenty of them. Our first draft may well be littered with errors, and we correct most of these as we edit. But as we prepare the book for publication, there’s always the worry: what have we missed?
Of course, you can proofread your own book, but there are some mistakes you just won’t spot. Your brain tells you what you think you’ve written rather than what you’ve actually written. And unless you’re a professional editor/proofreader, you could miss a lot of mistakes that you don’t realise are mistakes.
I find that when I proofread, many writers feel like they want to apologise to me for the mistakes I find (I can’t believe I missed that!). But there’s absolutely no shame in needing a proofread. We all do! As a proofreader, I’m not here to judge. But readers do judge. They forgive the odd slip-up, but mistake after mistake… well, then you risk alienating your readers.
Ultimately, if you want your book to be of the standard of a traditionally published book, then you need a professional proofread. My clients are often astonished by how many mistakes I find in their manuscripts. Really, it’s a very satisfying process all round – and reassuring for the writer, who cares deeply about their book.
If you want your books to shine, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve worked with Charlie on all of my books and she’s brought each one to a higher level. I can’t thank her enough and recommend her without reservation.
– Christopher Greyson, Author (indie)
The role of the proofreader in the publishing process
Proofreading comes right at the end of the editorial process – after the manuscript has been developed and copy-edited. The proofreader’s role is to perform a final quality check, looking for the little errors and inconsistencies that have slipped through the net.
How I proofread
Proofreading is a careful read-through of a book. As I proofread, I’m looking for:
Spelling and grammatical mistakes
Punctuation errors
Spelling inconsistencies
Inconsistencies in names, capitalisation and hyphenation
Errors in the table of contents, e.g. incorrect headings or page numbers
(Typeset books) Layout glitches, e.g. missing indents or extra spaces
In my proofread, I’m not looking to improve the writing style (that’s the copy editor’s job). Nor am I fact-checking. I’m just looking for the black-and-white issues in the book and correcting them.
Back when I began proofreading for publishers, I would sit at my desk with a red pen and a pencil and mark up paper proofs, using the BSI proof correction marks. But times have moved on, and these days I proofread Word documents and PDFs.
Charlie has passion for her work and it shows. She is thorough, exact, accommodative, imaginative and an absolute pleasure to work with.
– Sif Sigmarsdóttir, Author (Hodder)
Book proofreading FAQs
How much does proofreading cost?
My rate for proofreading starts at £8 per 1,000 words.
How long does a proofread take?
This depends on the length of the book, the level of work required and my current availability. Turnaround can range from two to four weeks.
How can I prepare for a proofread?
The best preparation is to finish editing the book. It’s really important that you send your proofreader the final manuscript. If you edit the book post-proofread, you may introduce new mistakes.
Some authors send a messy manuscript for proofreading (often because they can’t stand to read it through again!). If you can manage it, tidy the book yourself. Correct the typos that catch your eye. That way, there’s less for the proofreader to spot, and the proofread will be quicker, cheaper and more effective.
What comes next?
Following the proofread, the author checks and integrates the revisions (and tries to resist the temptation to carry out new edits!).
Many authors feel confident that the book is ready to publish after one round of proofreading from a professional proofreader. If the book required a lot of markup, however, you may consider another round of proofreading.
If you’d like to discuss proofreading, please get in touch.
