Proofreading

Our manuscript has been put under a microscope during our line edit, “stylized” during the developmental edit, copy edited for grammar and tense and now it is ready – wait, not yet! What? It’s still not ready for publishing?! Nope, sorry…the final stage of editing is Proofreading.

As the name suggests, a proofreader works with a “proof”, or a nearly finished work. Proofreading is typically done after the manuscript has been edited and designed. It’s a final overview check before printing.  Any formatting issues, spelling and grammar, or punctuation mistakes missed in earlier editing stages are found. Proofreading puts the final polish on your work.

Is it necessary? Yes! Especially because new typographical errors can be introduced during production. {Us designers are close to perfect, but occasionally we make mistakes, too! 😊} In print publishing, proofreaders also generally check the formatting (e.g., page numbers and line spacing).

Why is proofreading important?  A work that has typos, grammatical errors or inconsistencies will throw off a reader, so instead of getting caught up in the story, they’re forced to mentally correct this mistake. Proofreading keeps the reader on track and adds shine to your work.