Creating your Book

The Proof-reader will check that inserted material such as figures and tables are in the most suitable places and are correctly captioned and set out.

Other items to be checked include: chapter and section headings are the same in the text as on the contents page, and the page numbers are correct; all references cited in the text are listed in the references; footnotes/endnotes are numbered consecutively and the details match the number shown in the text.

We will provide you with a digital proof of your Book to check for any final errors or mistakes. This stage is not a good time to re-write! It is important that the text has been carefully edited before this stage. When you return the proofs we will make the corrections and arrange the printing. If major changes have been made at the proof stage it will be necessary to charge for studio time to do the additional work involved. This is invoiced at £25 per hour.

What does a Proof-reader do?

Page proofs represent the first, and usually the only, chance for authors and others involved in the work to see the words integrated with the other elements – e.g. design, illustrations, graphs – to become a coherent whole before publication. From the relatively 'fluid' state of raw copy, where changes can be made easily by the Copy-editor, the work is now relatively 'fixed' and production is now well advanced.

The proofreader's role is to check that the editor, designer and typesetter have each done a good job, and to use judgement in marking amendments, to minimize costs and delays.

Professional proofreaders will undertake the following tasks:

Compare the proofs with the edited copy line by line. Alternatively, the work may have to be proofread 'blind' (i.e. not read against copy). With this method, however, it is difficult to avoid unconsciously skipping words, especially at the end of lines.Check that page numbers are consecutive and that running headings are correct.Ensure consistency – particularly of alternative spellings and hyphenation – by following a style guide if one is supplied or by compiling their own.Identify necessary changes and mark them in the copy with the appropriate British Standards Institution (BSI) marks. This is generally done on hard copy (that is, text printed on paper), and the most errors will be picked up in this way. If proofs come in electronic format as PDFs, they can be printed out and marked up in the usual way. Page proofs, draft web pages and PDFs can also be read on-screen, but this is usually less successful than proofreading from hard copy.

Professional proofreaders will not be tempted to re-edit the work at this stage. Acceptable changes are corrections to typographical errors and misspellings, minor adjustments to grammar and dealing with inconsistencies, but not restructuring or rewriting.

 

Mark amendments accurately and consistently, taking into consideration the budgetary implications of any changes. Adding or removing just one word may, in some circumstances, have a knock-on effect that drastically alters page layout, resulting in unacceptable costs and delay.Watch out for typographical and design inconsistencies as well as textual ones.Cross-check chapter titles with the table of contents. Check that the list of end matter – that is, appendices, index, etc. – corresponds to the text.Check or insert numbers in cross-references.Eliminate inelegant or confusing word, column and page breaks. 'Widows' and 'orphans' – i.e. short last or first lines of a paragraph that appear at the top or the bottom of a page, respectively – are undesirable. It may be necessary to adjust the text to correct for these.Ensure that illustrations and their captions and labels correspond with each other and with the text.Check that each page is aesthetically pleasing and logically arranged.Liaise with the Copy-editor and/or the author to resolve queries or bring them to the client's attention.If required, collate the author's changes with their own, rationalizing or querying conflicting instructions if necessary.

If extensive changes are needed at proof stage, proofreaders will discuss the situation with their clients before proceeding.

What does a proofreader not do?

Copy-editing  Changes on proof are relatively expensive, so should be kept to a minimum. Corrections to grammar and spelling, application of house style and, especially, restructuring or rewriting should be tackled at the copy-editing stage, before typesetting and page layout.Indexing  This is quite a specialist skill. The Society of Indexers can refer you to qualified indexers.Page layout  This is another specialist skill.Seeking permission(s) to use copyright material  Not only is this not a part of the Proof-reader's duties, but if permission is denied at this late stage, it can be costly. For example, if an illustration has to be withdrawn, this can have a serious effect on page layout. Permissions should be obtained before typesetting, if at all possible.

We have several professional Proof-readers that have the skills to perform these services, if requested.