G R MATTHEWS
Proofreading
What is proofreading vs proof-editing?
Simply put, a proofread looks for those typos, misspelled words, commas, and other grammatical gremlins. Checks for the correct word usage will also be made, e.g., 'lay' vs 'lie'. You will get back a manuscript with some simple errors corrected (e.g., 'teh' into 'the') and suggestions of changes. A proofreader will not change the author's voice.
A proofread should be the last stage, the last polish, before the book is published.
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A proof-edit is the same as above, but with more in-depth checks and suggestions for sentence and paragraph flow. It is a little more intrusive, and while not a full copy-edit, it will highlight areas for the author's consideration to improve the overall book. As a result, it takes a little longer and more communication between the proofer and author.
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In both cases, the manuscript should be complete and formatted in WORD (or equivalent).
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All the changes and suggestions remain the author's final decision. Which, when you think about it, is just as it should be; it is their book!
As the author
This book is yours. You know it inside and out. You know the characters, the plot, the beats, the beginning, the middle and the ending.
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You also know your unique voice.
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Proofreading or proof-editing always seeks to keep that voice true and at the forefront of the book.
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As the author, you also have your own 'in-house style guide'. How you want the language to read, what punctuation you've chosen (some of us love a good semicolon or even colon; others might choose to work with full stops), when you want italics to be used (for internal monologues, for abstract words), and a myriad of other little details that you may have battled with when writing your book.
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Do you want English or American spellings in your book? Single or double speech marks (I always opt for double, as it leaves you free to deploy the single version for other types of speech, that of internal, past speech, and/or telepathy, depending on your book).
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You also know how much time you've spent writing the book and your budget for getting it out there to the readers who are waiting, primed, for an exciting story.
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And budget is important. You've got a cover to source, a manuscript to be edited, and marketing to pay for – it all mounts up quite quickly.
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Some self-published authors do all of this without spending a lot, and others spend much more. Often this shows up in the final quality of the book, but not always.
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The choice, like your author's voice, is yours alone.
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What will I do?
I will:
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Read your book from cover to cover, line to line, word to word
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In line with your style guide, correct typos misspellings, and punctuation
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Raise queries with you when appropriate regarding any inconsistencies
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Track all of this via TRACK CHANGES in WORD
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Send the manuscript back to you by the agreed deadline
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If you wanted a proof edit, I will also suggest grammatical changes or improvements for flow and readability
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What will you do?
You will:
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Have the manuscript ready
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Complete the booking form reading all the Ts & Cs and answering all the questions​
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Email a WORD document
The sample
We have to be sure that we align our way of working and our expectations. Part of that is 'the sample'.
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Once you've completed the booking form and I've got back to you, and before we've agreed on a cost, we will look at a sample of your manuscript.
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This serves a number of purposes, which benefit us both.
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Firstly, you can see what I will do for your manuscript, how I work, and what my changes look like when you get them back.
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Secondly, I can gauge whether or not I feel your book is ready for a proofread, because changes afterward will probably involve another proofread and more expense, which you don't want. It also gives me a chance to get a feel for your author's voice and to raise queries before we agree to work together and get started.
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Next?
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You can contact me via email or go straight to the booking form.
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