Proofreading

Proofreading is the final check of your book's spelling, grammar, punctuation, and formatting:

• Does every opening quotation mark have a closing one?

• Does your female main character scratch her face on her husband's bread or beard?

• Are your chapter numbers in order without any repeats?

• Is the formatting consistent throughout?

• Have you got text that is spaced too far apart or smooshed together?

• Do you have four lines in a row that all end with the word and?

• Are some words badly split at the ends of lines (Mc-Broom)?

Your proofreader is the last line of defense between you and your readers, and they can mean the difference between a 5-star review and one that mentions typos, bad formatting, and missing punctuation.

Do I need copyediting or proofreading?

Samples:

Process

I use at least two monitors when I proofread. That way, I can reference your style sheet as I'm reading to ensure consistency. If I'm editing a PDF file, I use a third monitor for the final Word document and look for things like forgotten returns in the dialogue and words that are hyphenated but shouldn't be.

Page checklist:

• words/letters that repeat at starts/ends of lines

• hyphen stacks

• smooshed lines or ones spaced too far apart

• words or lines standing alone on the page

• random spaces that line up to cause a distraction

Manuscript checklist:

• headings and footers consistent

• page and chapter numbering correct

• flag any words hyphenated across a page turn

• flag misalignment of the last lines on a spread

• check overall formatting of chapter headings and section breaks

Proofreading rates for fiction start at $0.012 per word ($12 per 1,000 words).