Proofreading

This step ensures that all of the previous editing phases worked and churned out a book with as few mistakes as possible. Unfortunately, this step is so vital because something always gets missed whether the editor missed it or the author forgot to fix it or while fixing a sentence, another mistake surfaced. A comma, a capitalization, a missing letter in a word... we've all caught errors in books before. Thankfully, they are quite rare and that's down to a final proofread.

While these two phases of editing are incredibly similar, the main difference is clear in the title: copy-EDIT versus proof-READ.

The copy edit is much more time and effort intensive and fixes a greater array of issues. The proofread is the final step (post formatting or both pre and post formatting) before publishing, used to catch any small errors that were missed or caused during the copyedit or formatting.

Short answer: yes!

Long answer: it is very rare for a book to be perfect at the time of publishing no matter how much proofreading has been performed. However, we can all (editors and authors) do our best to minimize distracting errors. I believe quite strongly that even if an author has been publishing successful books for years and they can edit their own books incredibly well—they should still hire a professional to proofread their books at least for the fresh eyes on their manuscript to catch things they've been unable to see. In some cases authors will exchange their work with each other for a less formal beta-read in place of a proofread, but I personally think that this does the book a disservice on a general basis. Beta reading is lighter and more big picture oriented and is best performed early-on in the writing process.

Proofreading is the FINAL step before publishing! It can be done multiple times (such as prior to formatting AND post formatting), but an author should ALWAYS get their book proofread at least once by a professional before hitting the "publish button."

This applies to indie authors as well as traditionally published authors, however, traditional publishing houses will perform this for their authors at no extra cost to the author. So, if you are trying to publish with a house (you're querying or looking for an agent), I recommend waiting on the formatting and proofreading at least. Some publishing houses will also cover or perform line and/or copyediting services as well, so check with your agent, your publisher, and your gut regarding what your book may or may not need and when. If you don't know which stage should come next or how ready you are for querying or publishing, I recommend getting a manuscript evaluation.

Confusing homophones (you're, your; effect, affect; aid, aide; advise, advice...)

Accidentally using British-English spelling for something if you prefer the American-English or vice versa, (color, colour)

Formatting mistakes (like an image isn't centered correctly or a page break is missing)

Missing or misplaced apostrophe (The guardians' versus the guardian's)

En dash mixed up with an em dash

Etcetera!

Depends on the editor! However, in general, this step occurs after formatting has been completed on a book. Therefore, in order to not mess up any formatting, any minor errors will simply be flagged via a separate document with a page number and indication as to placement on the page. Or, they will be commented on in the margins of the book. If the book is yet to be formatted, then changes may be made in-line, with track changes on.

IN GENERAL, most proofreaders—including myself, can reasonably proof 4-10 pages an hour. Sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the genre, gravity of the material, and density of errors.

This means, that for an editor who has ~20 hours/week available to edit your book, for an 80k word book, it will take 2-4 weeks to receive your completed edit from the time work begins on it (not necessarily from the time a contract is signed). Timeline will be discussed during your free consultation.

See more about how I determine overall cost and what your options may be by requesting access to my very detailed price guide, or by discussing my process with me during your discovery call. It will also be made available alongside the final contract so that you have all the details you desire prior to beginning work with me.

Short answer: no.

Better answer: No, but some editors may add some formatting, depending on the editing phase, but most will do no more than add paragraph indentations, chapter numbers/titles, or add page numbers. These will be purely for their own ease of movement within and editing of the document. These changes are generally made with “track changes” on, so that they can be undone if the author prefers. However, unless an editor is being specifically hired to format a document, they will do no more than what is necessary for them to edit to the best of their ability.

Formatting is a separate phase of the editing/publishing process and some editors offer special packages just for formatting. If you need recommendations, I may be able to help!