Self publishing articles

What is proofreading? Simply put, it's checking over your work to ensure that it is error free, both in grammar and spelling. Too often proofreading is a step that is ignored. It shouldn't be. You might think your book has no errors, but it's easy not to see errors when reading. When we read, our eyes naturally gloss over words that we are familiar with and often do not see that they are misspelled.

Why you can't proofread your own work

Even if you have someone else who is not a professional proofreader take a look at your book you can have a fresh pair of eyes look at the book so that they can see errors where you cannot. You have a very strong connection to your book that others do not, so you are likely to ignore or gloss over errors. Having someone who has not looked at the book take a look for errors can help you out tremendously.

How to start proofreading

Take the book and print it out on paper. Then, starting with the last page and moving backward, use a ruler to look at each line in the book. You are looking for spelling mistakes as well as mistakes in punctuation. This is why it is important to take your time and proofread your book from finish to start. By going up one line at a time, you will not be reading, but looking for errors that your eyes will ignore if you simply read the book.

You can hire a professional proofreader who will go through the book and deliver a product that has been marked up with changes. A proofreader can either use proofreading marks or use the track feature in Microsoft Word. A professional proofreader should also discuss changes with you before adding them to the manuscript just in case you need to explain the text.

It is vital that you proofread your book or have someone else do it for you. If you have a book published by a mainstream press, this service is done for you. If you are self publishing, however, you do not have this luxury.

Most professional proofreaders will charge by the page. This may be an investment that you will want to make if you are serious about making sure that your book is error free.

Proofreading is not like editing. Editing is a completely different process altogether. If you decide to proofread your book yourself, take your time and do it correctly. Do not rush through this process as an array of misspelled words in your book will make it look less than professional to the reader.

You want your book to be as professional as possible so that the reader will not get turned off. You can keep it free from typos, punctuation and spelling errors by doing careful proofreading or hiring someone who you can pay to do the job for you.

Have a look at GoodBooks services page to see how we can help you proofread your book.

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