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Published: 09 September 2017 09 September 2017

What does proofreading involve?

Traditionally, in the publishing industry, a book will have been copy-edited and typeset before coming to the proofreader for a final check. This involves a final check for any errors that might have slipped through – spelling, grammar, punctuation and consistency; in some cases making sure page numbers and headings are correctly formatted and the illustrations have the right captions.

Outwith the publishing industry, the proofreader may be the only editorial professional involved; this is sometimes called ‘proof-editing’ and requires extra tasks to be completed. No two pieces of work involve exactly the same level of scrutiny.

I can work on paper proofs (either blind or checking against copy) using BS 5261C proofreading symbols, or on screen in Word (with track changes) or PDF (using mark-up tools and comments) to suit your requirements.

What will it cost?

Firstly we can discuss your requirements to make sure I am the right person to help you. I will need to see a sample of the text before I can give you a quote as each piece of work is different; this usually means a few thousand words from the middle of the copy. I will return the sample proofread to you with a quote that reflects the amount of work involved.

If you would like a no-obligation quote from me, it would also be useful to know if you have a specific deadline in mind and whether the text has previously been copy-edited.

When the proofread is complete I will email it back to you, with an invoice. I accept payment by bank transfer and Paypal.