Proofreading is a must for all projects, but is it what your manuscript needs right now?
If you’re looking for any feedback in terms of consistency, clarity, readability, effectiveness and more, proofreading is not your next step.
Proofreading is a surface-level check to fix simple issues within your writing such as grammar mistakes, misspellings, incorrect punctuation, and incorrect word use. No piece of writing—whether it be website copy, a novel, or a professional business report—is complete without proofreading. It’s the final step before publication in every industry, but it is especially important for self-publishing authors. The unfortunate truth is that self-publishing is still looked down upon as “lesser” when compared to traditional publishing by many. It’s far from true, but the fact that many self-published books go to print and land in readers’ hands with lots of errors doesn’t help dispel that impression. While some readers don’t mind a few errors, the truth is that mistakes are distracting and negatively impact the reading experience. Maintain your credibility and professionalism as an author by maintaining the quality of your work.
If your manuscript is nearly perfect—meaning everything is written to your complete satisfaction and it’s basically ready to be in readers’ hands—then a look-over from fresh eyes is all it needs before you set it free in the world. It’s time for proofreading.
However, if your manuscript requires any editing for page-to-page consistency (did you say it was nighttime on page 47, then reference sunlight streaming through the windows on page 48 without any indication of time passing?) or any content-level corrections or suggestions in order to make your writing as impactful and effective as possible, you’re looking for copyediting or line editing.
Proofreading is simply the last step before calling a project complete, and no project is complete without it.
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