What Does Book Proofreading Include?
While many people mistakenly believe all stages of book editing are the same as book “proofreading,” there is most definitely a difference.
Not sure if your manuscript is ready for a proofread? Asking yourself, “How do I find someone to proofread my book?” Read on for answers!
Traditional Publishing Sets the Standard for Book Proofreading
In traditional publishing, most stages of book editing are done in a word-processing program. As you might suspect, Microsoft Word is the industry standard for document editing. Even if you write your manuscript in Google Docs, Apple Pages, or another word processor with some text enhancement features, expect your editor to convert your manuscript into a Word document to access the fullest range and best editing features available on the market.
Don’t worry too much about formatting and layout in this software. There are a few things that should be done to make the overall editing process smoother, but don’t get stressed out about making your Word document look like your vision for the final product. For all its wonderful aspects, MS Word is not the best program for finalizing your book manuscript.
Once all the stages of book editing are complete – which, in traditional publishing, is typically four rounds of edits (developmental, content, line, and copy editing) – a designer at the publisher will use software like Adobe InDesign to convert your manuscript into a “galley proof.”
This is when your document begins to “look like” a book! The designer prepares your manuscript by adding things like the correct spacing between lines, drop caps at the beginnings of chapters, fancy or final fonts, images with captions, page numbers, headers and footers with your name, the chapter title or book title, and other design elements. At this point, you’ll no longer be working with an MS Word document; your galley proof will have been converted into a PDF file.
Now, because all these formatting and design elements have been added to the galley proof, it is more difficult to edit and make large-scale changes to it. PDFs are more complex files that hold more information, and making changes to them can require more steps. Once your galley proof has been designed, you are truly ready for book proofreading.
So What Is Involved in Book “Proofreading”?
Different steps in the stages of book editing focus on different concerns. True book proofreading involves a very light touch, where the proofreader focuses on correcting only “true errors.” Your proofreader will review your galley proof PDF and mark up or make specific changes to typos, spacing errors, and style elements. For example, your proofreader might correct capitalization or apply or remove italics where appropriate. Hopefully, your editor has caught most of these, but sometimes during the process of converting your file from a Word document to a PDF, elements get missed or mistakes happen.
Keep in mind, your proofreader is not reading for ideas or content. They are not fact-checking or confirming spellings of names of public figures or other Google-able information. They are not going to give you feedback on character development or plot holes. They, honestly, are not really paying attention to the same things your editor should have paid attention to. They are focused on finding those true errors that your editor may have missed or that could have even been introduced at some point during the editing or file conversion process. They are focused on checking the consistency of design elements and making sure everything “looks right” in addition to the text being as error-free as possible.
Why Is Book Proofreading Important?
Your proofreader is the last set of eyes to go through your manuscript before it goes to the printer. Hopefully, your proofreader finds an error only about once every 1,000 words (or even less often!). By the time the PDF gets to them, it should be mostly clean and polished. Mostly finalized. So close to done that it only needs one more read-through, and that read should catch so few errors that it takes only a few minutes to finalize once they return it to the graphic designer. Then, your approved galley proof goes off to the printer!
It’s important to understand this process because when you ask someone “Can you proofread my book?,” you’re asking them to pay attention to the smallest details, not the big-picture issues, and you’re trusting them to have a razor-sharp eye to prevent even the smallest error from making its way into the published version.
Of course, people make mistakes! No one is perfect. And having multiple professionals involved in the various stages of book editing helps to catch as many errors and address as many concerns as possible. Even traditionally published books that have gone through so many rounds of editing and proofreading might still contain errors when they are released to the market. So give a little grace and have a little patience. Proofreaders are doing their best to help make your book as perfect as it can be, but they might miss one or two things if your book is particularly long or dense, or if on a tight deadline.
What Should I Be Aware of When Hiring a Pro to Proofread My Book?
While this blog has discussed the standards found in traditional publishing houses, self-published authors can follow the same process. Some editing might be combined into a single step in the stages of book editing—such as having the same editor perform both content and line edits—but each book should have separate steps for editing and proofreading.
The lesson here is that, as an educated author, you should be aware of the differences between the stages of book editing, including book proofreading. Don’t confuse the two! Of course, there are similarities, and experienced editors can be excellent proofreaders (and vice versa), but don’t tell your editor that your manuscript “only needs a proofread,” unless you’re convinced that it’s so clean and error-free that it’s ready to be put into PDF format. If there are no more changes to make – other than adjusting for true errors – you’re likely ready for a true proofread. Ask a professional for a sample edit or proofread of up to five pages to allow them to determine which type of service your manuscript needs. Once they have evaluated that you’re really ready for a proofread, get excited, because it means that your book’s launch date is just around the corner!
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