hire a professional proofreader to ensure your book is the best it can be
Most writers and authors know that hiring a professional editor is an important part of the process, and one that should not be scrimped on or ignored. But many writers don’t realize the importance of hiring a professional proofreader to ensure that every small grammatical technicality is perfect, that there are no spelling errors and that your book will be the best it can be. A proofreader should be the final step before your book goes to print.
hiring a proofreader
I’ve asked Bev Phillips, a good friend of mine who is a professional proofreader, to write a guest post on why proofreading (and editing in general) is so important to the book publishing process. Please welcome Bev to our virtual community, and enjoy her post.
Bev Phillips serves the writing community under the name of Proofreaders Plus
why hiring an editor is not an optional expense
by Bev Phillips
You’ve spent years and lots of money working on your book – researching, writing, rewriting, designing, printing, marketing. But without an editor, your finished product may contain annoying errors that will stop people from ever reading it.
Errors are distracting and infuriating to readers. At the very least, they diminish your credibility.
How bad can it be? I have bought self-published books that contained hundreds of errors: incorrect grammar, bizarre capitalization, words that change spelling and punctuation from page to page, misused vocabulary, and others too numerous to list here. That’s not even mentioning obvious factual errors.
I’m amazed that some authors spend so much time and money but omit the necessary step of using an editor.
Should you hire an editor? Yes!
First, understand what kind of editor you need. The main specialties are substantive, stylistic, copy editing and proofreading.
A substantive editor considers the overall manuscript, and can make suggestions like moving chapters around, focusing on one character or story line, and changing the voice or tone. A stylistic editor concentres on language. A copy editor or proofreader (the terms are often used interchangeably) works on a line-by-line basis, eliminating errors and inconsistencies in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting for numbers and capitalization.
Authors and publishers dedicated to quality hire both types of editors. The substantive editor looks at the manuscript when it is fairly complete, but with plenty of time for changes before the publishing date. The copy editor looks at the final text, shortly before publication. (If you are tempted to keep making changes until the presses roll, remember that every time you make a change, new errors can creep in.)
Build about a month for the editing process into your book development timeline. That should allow time for the editor to complete one review, and the necessary back-and-forth discussion to clarify points and ask questions. Again, discuss with your editor how much time they expect to need.
How much does an editor cost? Most editors are freelancers and set their own rates. Generally editors charge by time, so the more work they do, the more they charge.
You can expect to pay at least $2,000 to $3,000 for a 60,000-word manuscript. You’ll pay more if the text is technical or challenging, or if your writing skill or command of English is below average, or if you’re aiming for a mass market.
The Editors’ Association of Canada explains types of editing duties and rates at http://www.editors.ca/.
You can find local editors and their specialties at the Manitoba Editors’ Association site: www.manitobaeditors.ca.
Your editor helps pave the road between you and your future readers. When you receive your editor’s comments, thoughtfully consider them. It can be hard to consider changing the precious text that you’ve put so much of yourself into, but your editor has an impartial fresh eye and detailed knowledge of the mechanics of language. Work together to create the best possible version of your book!
Proofreading is a must for any content. I also prefer hiring a proofreading expert because they can make our existing content a way better. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I really loved reading this.
Great, Informative Post, like this one must be maintained so I’ll put this one on my bookmark list of Professional Proofreading Services. Thanks for this wonderful post and hoping to post more of this. Have Great Day.
Thanks for your comment, Adam. Glad you enjoyed the post. Do drop in again soon!
As someone who is building a freelance editing book as well as write my first novel, I’m amazed at the variety of “editors” one can come across on the interwebs. Just out of curiosity, I’ve been contacting potential editors. The last one I chatted with charged $350 for “editing.” She even proudly asserted the fee included two reads. I asked if the first read was for content, and the other for copy, and she said no. Indeed. She’s going both at once, which makes no sense as they are completely different tasks. Still, many authors who want to self-publish don’t know any better and it can make it hard to compete with that. If I had money to throw around, I would hire a few bargain-basement ones just for a giggle. I’m sure I would get what I paid for 😉
Thanks for your comment, Jeri. I was hoping you’d drop by to share your thoughts.
Yes, there are definitely a ton on unqualified people offering both writing and editing services out there. I think that’s why Bev was stressing in her post that it’s best to look to professional associations and references from people one knows for the right editor. I found mine via a personal reference and knew that as she was a member of a national professional assn of editors that she possessed admirable credentials. I just wished I’d followed her advice and hired Bev to do the proofreading before we went to press. Live and learn!
Ugh, and my comment is proof that no level of proofreading skill is safe from late-night writing 😉 One of my goals for the coming year is to align myself with an editor’s association.
It ing is so important, and I envy people who have publishing houses who will see you through all the way. But of course to get to that position the work needs to be at the very least critiqued by peers and have beta-readers. I can’t imagine self publishing without have both a professional editor and proofreader. Thanks so much for the links. Very helpful.
Doreen- great guest post. Happy holidays to you both:-)
Oops- & just noticed my own typo to prove your point!
Excellent suggestions by your guest blogger! My book, “Phoenix of Faith” was edited no less than four times over the ten years that it took me to write. Danika Dinsmore was much more than an editor. She was also a coach, as it was my first attempt at a book. Yes, I had a story to tell, but I was inexperienced. She knew I wanted to write my own story and I am truly thankful for her gentle encouragement and wonderful coaching skills. She is a middle-grade teacher and apparently just the perfect tutor to help me get my story out there! During the ten years of writing, I also completed a certificate course in Multimedia and Web Development, which helped me to self-publish and sell the book on my own website. So, if one has the knowledge and the where-with-all to do the writing and the layout, as I did, very good. But, the point I’m trying to make is that no matter how capable you are in your own right, never skimp on the editing/proofing process. I couldn’t agree more with Bev Phillips!
Thanks for your comment, Esther. I had no idea it took 10 years for you to write your book! But as you and I both know, no matter how good the editor, a proofreader is still necessary, as we both ended up with far too many typos in our first drafts that a proofreader would have caught. Live and learn!
What a great article, Doreen and it is so true, I’ve been to workshops where authors have said the biggest drawback to self publishing is the editing process. I have been blessed with a great content editor and a couple of editors – one associated with my publisher who found little mistakes like on page so and so the character has blue eyes and further on she has green etc. Self editing is okay but you are too familiar with your own work and can miss the obvious.
Bev is bang on when she says that you lose credibility with the reader if you have errors and that applies to fiction as well especially if your novel contradicts a well know fact. for example if I were writing a novel about Lincoln and said he was shot in the Civil War then the reader will question my research and ever other premise of a book even when it is fiction.
I hope you don’t mind me sharing this excellent post with our local writers group.
Thanks for your comment, Harry, and absolutely do share far and wide! Invite your writer friends to subscribe to this blog. The more the merrier, as we all learn from one another. Merry Christmas to you, and all the best for 2014.
Hi Doreen & Bev,
I certainly concur with your views re the importance of editing and proof reading. I have been really lucky with the editors and proof readers that my publishers have assigned to my books. Have you got any suggestions, Bev, for writers who find themselves unable to work with the editors assigned by their publishers?
Excellent question, Irene. My suggestion is to stick to facts rather than opinions, and remember you are both working toward the same goal – an improved manuscript. Be very specific about disagreements – prose style, timelines, or whatever the problems are. Then you have something concrete to work with. As much as possible, refer to the publisher’s style guide and other publications. If it’s possible, ask the publisher to mediate, explain specific points and make recommendations. On another level, think about why the publisher matched you with this editor – did they think you would work together to produce a good product, or was it just chance? If all your efforts to collaborate fail, ask for a new editor.
I urge you to give the arrangement a chance – there have been times when I had to work with someone I took an instant dislike to (and sometimes the feeling was mutual), but over time as we got used to working together, we grew to like each other. Life’s like that. Good luck!
Bev
The need for that final proofreading is so often over looked by authors. I think many editors work collaboratively with their favorite and most trusted proof readers so it should be a fairly seamless process. It is absolutely true that the very best editor is not a proof reader. Once the editor has read through the text multiple times, they become too familiar with it catch those pesky typos. And Bev is absolutely correct about pushing the proofreading back as far as possible because each change in text, no matter how small it seems, creates one more potential place for the misplaced period, comma, or who-knows-what.
Hi Linda: Yes, it took getting hit in the head with a brick for me to realize the difference in skills between an editor and proofreader, and that the proofreader is the one who gives the final OK to the finished (literary) product. That’s why I thought it was so important to ask Bev to write this post and bring it to the forefront of thought among the writing community. Cheers, and happy holidays.