Nazlı Hanım opened the door of the print shop and inside. The apprentice had been waiting to the proofs of a book printed ten years earlier. “ coming with you,” he said. “ only a matter of time.” She looked at him for a long while. “Won’t that your plans?” she asked. “ is a train at noon, earlier you think. Don’t your ticket.” He had come a long way and was tired to argue.
Book editing and proofreadingWhich one does your book need?
In short: Editing improves a text’s style and language: shifts in tense, needless words, repetition, inconsistencies. Proofreading is the spelling and punctuation check just before printing. If nobody but you has read the text, have both; if it has been through an editor, proofreading is usually enough.
Sample page
Editingwalks → walked
Keep the tense steady
A sentence that starts in the past does not slip into the present: “opened the door and walked inside”. A shift in tense pulls the reader out of the scene.
Not sure? Work it out from your word count.
Editing and proofreading are not in the calculator right now. Send us your text and we will tell you the price.
Editing, copy-editing, proofreading
Four words publishers use all the time. They are often swapped for one another, but each looks at the text from a different distance.
- Editing
- Looks at the text as a whole: the flow, consistency of tense and point of view, repetition, needless words, inconsistencies. It readies the text for readers while keeping the author’s voice.
- Copy-editing
- Language editing at sentence level: mending broken sentences and refining the choice of words. It is part of editing.
- Proofreading
- The last check before printing: spelling, punctuation, capitals and apostrophes. It does not touch the style.
- Proof
- A trial print of the typeset text, marked up with corrections before the final run. Checking it is proofreading in the strictest sense.
Which one does your book need?
It depends on who has read the text so far. Four situations, four suggestions:
It is your first book and nobody but you has read the text.
Both. The editor pulls the writing together; proofreading then catches the spelling mistakes left after the edits.
The text has been through an editor and the book is being readied for print.
Proofreading. Edits create new typos; this is the last pair of eyes before printing.
You are sure of the flow and worried only about spelling.
Proofreading. It corrects spelling and punctuation without touching the style.
An academic, technical or multilingual text.
Write to us first. For texts that need subject knowledge, we look at your text before quoting.
The most common spelling mistakes
These are what proofreading corrects most often. You can check your own text for them before sending it.
- alota lot
- Always two words.
- definatelydefinitely
- It comes from “finite”.
- seperateseparate
- There is “a rat” in separate.
- recievereceive
- I before E, except after C.
- occuredoccurred
- The final R doubles before -ed.
- untilluntil
- One L, unlike “till”.
- accomodateaccommodate
- Double C and double M.
- wichwhich
- The H comes after the W.
- govermentgovernment
- It comes from “govern”.
- beleivebelieve
- I before E.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between editing and proofreading?
Editing improves a text’s style and language: flow, consistent tense, repetition, needless words. Proofreading is the spelling and punctuation check before printing; it does not touch the style.
How are editing and proofreading priced?
We price it by the length and kind of your text. Send us your file and we will tell you the price.
Do I need both?
No. If your text has already been through an editor, proofreading is usually enough. If it is your first book and nobody but you has read it, both together are safer.
Do I need typesetting after editing?
The corrected text has to be set on book pages. If your file is not print-ready, you can choose typesetting and layout in the same order.
In what format should I send my text?
An editable Word (.docx) file works best. Corrections can then be made directly in the text.
Let your text go to print clean
See the print price now. Write to us about editing and proofreading.