A proofread meticulously reviews your manuscript, identifying and correcting any errors. It’s the final quality-control check that aligns with your intention, tone, and style. You choose how hands on or off I am with making changes or providing suggestions in the margin. With a focus on precision and attention to detail, I identify grammatical slips, punctuation mishaps, and pinpoint those blips that are all too easy to overlook in your own work, so you can publish with confidence.
From uncertain to confident
I’m proud to be a Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and I passed their rigorous editorial test. I’ll ensure errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar are corrected, but I’m a lover of flexible and ever-changing language, not a pedant. So you can be sure I won’t overcorrect your characters’ dialogue. Your book will be ready for readers without distracting errors.
Would your story benefit from proofreading?
A proofread is for you if …
- You have a fully finished manuscript that has been through multiple rounds of editing (professional or self-editing).
- You are looking for a final quality-control check to catch and correct any lingering grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation issues.
- You are happy with your story and prose and want to improve the correctness of your writing at the sentence-level, while maintaining your unique style and tone.
But not a good fit if …
- You know your manuscript needs substantial help with spelling, punctuation, or grammar. If so, you’d get the most benefit from a thorough copyedit.
- You’d like detailed feedback on sentence-level writing craft. If you’d like personalized support with this, a line edit may better match your preferences.
- You’re still refining the broader elements of your story. If your manuscript requires structural changes, or if you’re in the early stages of shaping your narrative, a developmental edit might be a better fit.
“Significantly improved World History Encyclopedia in the global publishing market”
Joanne has great attention to detail and her comments were very helpful. She went above and beyond what I expected. I highly recommend hiring Joanne and will definitely hire her again in the future!
Joshua
Non-fiction author
Joanne’s skills as a proofreader and text editor have proved invaluable in ensuring our material, which is read by 3 to 5 million readers each month, is as error-free as is humanly possible. As leader of the editorial team, I have found Joanne’s precision in her work and her communications both within that team and to our readers, a great asset that has significantly improved World History Encyclopedia in the global publishing market.
Mark Cartwright
Publishing Director, World History Encyclopedia
What a proofread includes
- Your choice of global English (such as UK/US/Canadian/Indian/Australian).
- An initial tidying-up pass and a close read through.
- Surface-level checks for clarity, consistency, and readability including spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
- Word Styles checked for chapter numbers/titles, paragraph indentation and special features such as letters or text messages.
- Removal of extra lines or spaces.
- Conscious language checks for unintended, potentially harmful language.
- Final checks with professional editing software for extra peace of mind.
- Weekly email updates. These are short and casual to keep you up to date or ask quick questions.
- Optional introductory call – it helps me more quickly understand your unique voice!
- Annotated manuscript, clean copy, and personalized style sheet.
What happens to your manuscript
After reviewing a sample of your work, and giving you some example corrections to see if we’re a good fit, you send me your full manuscript. Your work and our communications remain confidential (unless you specifically ask me to shout about it!).
First, I do what are often called clean-up tasks: any formatting or tidying up jobs that I can apply throughout the manuscript with editing tools such as PerfectIt (a pro editing tool) or specialized macros. This enables me to proceed with the close read with fewer distractions, such as commas after speech marks when you want them before. It allows me to focus during the close read.
In the close read, I carefully consider each sentence for spelling, punctuation, and grammar, in line with your voice and intention. I make notes in the margin to flag changes or offer suggestions. During the close read I also record style decisions on the style sheet, such as spelling choices and hyphenation. After some final checks, it’s time to deliver your style sheet and marked-up manuscript.
What proofreading looks like
Here’s an example manuscript page and style sheet page from a proofread. (Shared with kind permission from the author, though identifying details have been disguised for confidentiality.)
A proofread is the lightest-touch sentence-level service I offer
Choose the service that works best for you. Line editing, copyediting and proofreading all consider the individual sentences of your story. The different tiers are based on the amount of time I spend with your manuscript and the level of detail I consider.
Need a final polish before publication? Get a 1,000-word sample edit for US$50 to check that a proofread is what you need.
| Details | Line edit | Copyedit | Proofread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of read throughs. | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Correct literal errors and offer suggestions: typos, spelling, punctuation, grammar and syntax. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Additional clarity, consistency, and readability. | ✓ | ✓ | x |
| Word Styles checked for chapter numbers/titles and paragraph indentation. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Removing extra lines or spaces. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cliché and repetition, overwriting, filter words, redundancy, and adverb over-reliance. | ✓ | x | x |
| Point of view slips (head-hopping). Tense in flashback transitions. Balance of showing and telling. | ✓ | x | x |
| Balance of dialogue and narration. | ✓ | x | x |
| Dialogue tags and action beats. | ✓ | ✓ | x |
| Conscious language checks for unintended, potentially harmful language. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Final checks with professional editing software for extra peace of mind. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Weekly email updates. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Introductory call (optional). | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Feedback call (optional). | ✓ | ✓ | x |
| Annotated manuscript and personalized style sheet. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Service-specific editorial report. | ✓ | ✓ | x |
| Approximate duration in weeks. | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| Approximate price for 80,000 words. | $1,950–$2,400 | $1,480–$1,950 | $960–$1,600 |
| 10K mini-edit of 10,000 words. | $305–$350 | $235–$315 | $180–$255 |
Local rates available if you’re in Sri Lanka 🇱🇰
“Merged with my writing style perfectly”
I have worked with Joanne over a series of multiple books. She is a very talented editor. Working with her has been an absolute pleasure and she made it very easy! Joanne had a significant impact on my books and merged with my writing style perfectly. Whoever she is working for next is very lucky. Joanne, you deserve all the success in the world!
Zayden Stone
Mythology author
Joanne got the characters and the story so well, and my take on the genre – all things that make a real difference. I am so pleased with the quality of the report and the level of detail. It is truly precious! Joanne, I loved working with you, and really hope we can work together on the next one too! 🙂
Lara Byrne
Award-winning historical fiction author
Feel free to reach out with questions or specific requirements and we can discuss how to best give your book the boost it deserves.
Looking for something else?
If you need a more in-depth sentence-level option with feedback on writing craft, see my line edit service. If you’re looking for a more in-depth consistency check, a copyedit might suit. If you’re looking for big-picture story-level support, you might be looking for a story-level edit like developmental feedback.
Not ready for a professional edit yet? My post about self-editing is here to help.
Joanne Taylor • Ajatar Editing 