What A Proofread Is—And Why You Probably Don’t Need One Yet

Most writers asking for a proofread aren’t ready for it yet. Know what kind of edit you need first and when you’ll need a proofread.

If you’re a serious writer, you’ve likely already considered the fact that you need an editor to look over your work. Creating a quality book requires at least one pair of professional eyes on your manuscript. You get that. So what you need is a proofreader—right? 

Well . . . not exactly.

Yes, you’ll need a proofreader eventually. But probably not yet.

The Short Story

A proofread is the edit that takes place very last—after a manuscript has been through developmental stages, line edits, a copyedit, any beta reads, and typeset into its publish-ready format, like PDF or EPUB.

A proofreader works on the final manuscript in a non-editable format, marking mistakes that should not go to print. The proofreader’s markups are then sent to the typesetter, who makes the corrections in the editable file.

The Novel

As editors at Ever Editing, experience has taught us that what the general writer refers to as a proofread and what a professional editor refers to as a proofread are often two different things.

That’s why we ask specific questions when a writer wants an estimate for a proofread. These questions can help us (and you) know whether an author is truly ready for that editing stage. 

The first question we ask is . . .

Has the book been edited already?

If the answer is no, then we automatically know it will need more than a proofread. Here’s why: 

In a proofread, the editor looks at the final copy for only blatant, no-argument mistakes. In other words, a proofreader treats the version you give them as fully fleshed-out and designed, needing just a final comb-over to catch those pesky errors that crop up no matter what. Some things a proofreader might catch are common word mix-ups like consistently and constantly, incorrect page numbers in a table of contents, and missing closing quotation marks.

Proofreaders should not suggest large, debatable changes, such as adding multiple introductory commas on every page or querying the premise of an entire chapter, because proofreaders work in a document that has already been typeset They either mark mistakes, typically for formats like PDF, or write a list of mistakes for formats such as EPUB. The markups are then sent to the typesetter, who corrects the errors in the typeset file for the final print version. 

If a proofreader marks unnecessary changes or alters sentence length without need, it ends up costing the author because the proofreader’s corrections take more time for the typesetter to implement. A significant portion of the typesetting may even have to be done again, which could push back the publication date.

But of course it is important to review the manuscript for big-picture elements,  such as storyline, character development, sentence flow, word choice, and the like. So if a proofreader doesn’t look for these elements, then who does? Well, it depends. Which is why we ask the next question:

What editing level might the book actually need?

Authors might ask for a proofread because it’s the most affordable, but it’s not always what they need. While proofreading is the cheapest editing stage, there’s a reason for that. Proofreaders mark only edits that are absolutely necessary. A style choice that might be preferred but isn’t required would not be marked by a proofreader. Confusing word choice would not be flagged unless it’s incorrect. Repetitiveness or odd syntax would stay as is. Character development and plot structure would not be touched.

Those types of edits should have already been addressed by the developmental editor, line editor, or copyeditor before the proofread. Edits for things like story arc, tone, or clarity take much longer and require more in-depth analysis, which is why the rate for a proofreader will generally be significantly less than any other type of edit.

For a story that has never seen a professional set of eyes, the first and most beneficial choice is a developmental edit. This type of edit will help the story itself become engaging, build strong characters, and ensure that there are no holes or chin-scratchers in the timeline.

If the storyline, plot, and characters are sound, you’ll want an editor to look at sentence structure, flow, and word choice. That’s line editing. Line editing also takes care of unnecessary wordiness, dragging dialogue, and confusing antecedents. You can read even more about each stage of editing in our other tip, “The Types of Editing: Know Which Kind Does What.”

But let’s say the writer already had a developmental or line editor look at their book, and they are looking for corrections to punctuation and grammar. That sounds like what a proofreader does, but there’s still one more question to ask:

Has the book been typeset?

If the answer to that is no, then once again, the book is not ready for a proofread. What the author needs next is called a copyedit. A copyedit takes place in the editable document, such as Word or Google Docs, before it has been put into its print format. Copyeditors look for all mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and syntax, including suggesting changes to match the preferred style guide and establishing a style sheet. The corrections are tracked and then sent back for the author to accept or reject. A copyedit is the last editing stage before a book is typeset and proofread.

It’s important to note here that a true proofread cannot, and I repeat cannot, be done in a file that has not been typeset. This is because one major part of a proofreader’s job is to look for errors in the formatting of the text. They look at the design of the book overall, checking page numbers, font accuracy, inconsistencies in margins, etc. If you are giving them a document that is not formatted for print, you are missing out on a large portion of what you’re hiring them for.

So first things first, make sure you get an in-depth copyedit and then get your manuscript typeset by an experienced formatter before hiring a proofreader.

If you have read this far and you do have a book that has been edited and typeset, then congratulations! You are ready for a proofread. But if your book has never been edited before, no worries, just know that you’ll want to ask about a developmental or line edit first, preferably both. If you’ve “been there, done that,” then it’s on to a copyedit, and then to typesetting. 

Of course, here at Ever Editing, we can help you with any one of those stages. We are editors and designers trained in each step of the process. We’d be thrilled to help get your manuscript ready for a proofread.