Proofread

A proofread is the final check before publication, catching typographical and layout errors in the typeset pages rather than improving the writing.

Strictly speaking, proofreading happens on proofs: the laid-out pages, after copy editing and typesetting. The proofreader hunts for errors introduced during setting as well as any the earlier passes missed.

What a proofreader checks

• Typos, doubled words and missing words, often dropped when a late fix made a paragraph reflow.
• Bad word breaks at the end of lines, and uneven spacing.
• Widows and orphans: a lone line of a paragraph stranded at the top or bottom of a page.
• Running heads (the book or chapter title at the top of each page) from the wrong chapter.
• Page numbers that no longer match the contents page.
• Missing italics, mangled apostrophes and quotation marks facing the wrong way.
• In ebooks, broken links and a table of contents that goes to the wrong place.

What a proofreader does not do is rewrite. Every change at proof stage risks moving the text on the page and creating new errors, so a proofreader fixes what is wrong and leaves the rest alone.

Proofreading vs copy editing

It is the smallest stage of editing, and easily the most commonly misnamed. A great many writers ask for a proofread when what they need is a copy edit or a line edit.

A copy editor reads for consistency across the whole book, and will notice that a character's brother changed his name between chapters. A proofreader reads page by page for errors on a text that is supposed to be finished, and may not. The plain test: if there are still sentences in the manuscript you would like someone to make better, you do not want a proofread yet.

Where it sits in the editing order

1. Developmental edit: the story.
2. Line edit: the sentences.
3. Copy edit: correctness and consistency, recorded on a style sheet.
4. Proofread: the finished pages.

The proofread is always last. If the text is still changing, it is too early.

A note for self-publishers

Proofread the final formatted file, the actual EPUB or print PDF, and not the Word document it came from. Conversion introduces its own errors, and the file the reader buys is the only one that counts. If you had a copy edit, give the proofreader the style sheet too, so they know which spellings and choices were deliberate.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between proofreading and copy editing?

A copy edit works on the manuscript before layout, checking grammar and consistency across the whole book. A proofread works on the laid-out pages at the very end, catching the typos that survived and the errors the layout itself introduced.

Do I need a proofread if I already had a copy edit?

If you are publishing, usually yes. Typesetting and ebook conversion create new errors, such as bad line breaks and dropped words, that did not exist in the file the copy editor saw.

Can I proofread my own book?

You can catch a lot, but your eye will read what you meant rather than what is there. Change the format so the text looks unfamiliar, read it aloud, and if you can, have someone who has never read the book do a pass as well.