So far we’ve looked at developmental editing, line editing, copy editing and today we’ll finish up this craft series with the Proofread. Defined, a proofread is the final read through is the examination of the manuscript for glaring errors missed in the overall presentation of the book. It might be apostrophe inconsistencies or a missed spelling error, strange tabs, unintended change in font, or any myriad of misses that can occur between drafts. This final edit is looking for the nit-picky issues that when fixed will reflect the work as being polished and professional.
Proofreading is the least expensive and can be budgeted between $.02-.04 per word. Some proofreaders will just charge for the projects.
No budget?
Here are 5 things to look for in your proofread:
Consistent fonts. Make sure your font is readable, and that any changes are purposeful.
Tab errors. Beware the too deep tab. In a published work, it will be about .25 from the margin rather than the standard .5 it’s set at while writing. And make sure the margins are justified.
Are the page numbers consistent?
Check those apostrophes. Seriously. I just read a really popular fantasy romance recently (a best seller) that had inconsistent apostrophes (two different fonts). This is often a formatting error when the computer doesn’t automatically adjust, so they have to be done manually.
One more read through for misses in the copy edit. They happen.
Happy Publishing, friends!