A proofread is the last step in the editing process, which might have you thinking you can skip it. After all, MS Word's Spelling and Grammar function is basically proofreading, right?

 

Wrong!

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Proofreading is when some of the most obvious errors, the ones readers notice and leave reviews about, are eliminated. And those errors are the ones only human eyes can spot. 

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These are also errors that previous rounds of editing, including rounds reviewed by your word processor's spelling and grammar checker, usually miss!

 

 

Without a proofread, those errors will linger in your manuscript. And those errant hyphens or lines of incorrectly formatted dialogue? They might interrupt a reader's flow and affect their engagement with the romance you've spent so much time and effort crafting. ​

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Proofreading mistakes are also usually the ones readers notice and leave reviews about, and you don't want your reviews focused on your book's edits. You want them focused on the story! The characters! All those plot points you painstakingly outlined!

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Okay, so now that you know why you need a proofread, I'll briefly go into what a proofread is. 

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During a proofread, I'll check for issues with:

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-capitalization

-hyphenation

-spelling of names, places, events

-dialogue punctuation

-homophones and homonyms 

-consistency of grammar and spelling standards

-chapter formatting 

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During a proofread, I won't fix issues with:

-clarity. If a sentence is confusingly worded, but grammatically correct, it stays as is
-suggest alternate words or phrases that are more fitting for a scene's context/tone. Again, as long as it's grammatically correct, it stays.
-change anything beyond the sentence level. That means no changes will be made to the story itself—the plot, character development, etc. That's the job of a developmental edit.
 

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Note: I only perform proofreads on manuscripts that have already been through at least one round of copy/line editing NOT DONE BY AI. AI is terrible for the environment and it also makes really annoying mistakes that can turn a simple proofread into a hair-pulling nightmare. My life is short, and so is my hair. 

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Interested in booking a proofread with me? Just fill out the form to the left!​​
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