Hiring A Proofreader

Q: "What's one thing you wish more authors knew before handing over their manuscript for proofreading?" 
(3 min read)

What an amazing question! I actually have three ideas for you to consider to streamline the process and maximize your budget.

Get familiar with the publication process
There is A LOT to know ABOUT publishing before you get serious about writing. 

• How long can you expect it to take to have a finished product once you're done writing? It can be as long as a year with a publishing house or a few months if you're doing it on your own with guidance.
• How will you publish - through a publishing house or independently? 
• What is your budget like? This will be important as you consider the number of editors to involve in your process, your marketing plan, and number of ISBN codes to purchase to name a few.
• Wait - NUMBER of ISBN codes? Yes - you need a unique code for each publication method (Kindle, paperback, audio, and more)
• Will you publish exclusively on Amazon or additional locations? Amazon has a very particular system that does not translate well to other publishers and more ISBN codes may be needed. 

Get your marketing plan in place
Books don't sell themselves! It takes a lot of work and time, by you or others if you hire assistance.

Marketing is best if you begin creating an audience while you're still writing your work! Create your tribe as you go. Keep them involved in your process along the way. Share all the highs and lows of putting your work out there! You'll have a hungry market by the time you're ready to sell.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Consider creating a website for yourself, your upcoming book, and maybe future books!
• A website makes a great place to host your blog to journal your journey along the way and get readers interested. Give them a way to leave comments and interact!
• Social media - focus on two social media platforms where you think your audience may be. Some even feature particular zones for authors! Don't spread your time and energy too thin on many platforms. 
  • TikTok has BookTok within it - kind of a hashtag within TikTok.
  • Bookstagram is within Instagram. 
  • Goodreads has an Author Program to promote your book.
  • Create a social page for your book on any of the social media platforms.
• Email subscriber lists are a great way to involve your audience in the process!
  • Email addresses are all yours and not at the whim of social media.
  • You can include pieces of all of your other locations (blog, socials) inside one email. 
  • Emails can have interactive aspects to ask questions, create polls, and involve your audience in publication decisions like choosing a book jacket or title.

The more you can involve an interested audience along your publication journey, the more likely they will be to buy once produced and share with others.

Proofread BEFORE formatting
Finally to tackle proofreading in particular! Proofreading is the FINAL step in your editing process! You should have at least 1-2 other editors involved prior to proofreading. 

• Developmental editor - If you need a hand before you really even start writing, this is the best place to start. This editor helps you formalize your book outline and flesh out some character or story development. 
• Alpha or beta readers - These are readers to provide feedback on your story, whether they were carried away in the work, or if they felt gaps. These can be paid or unpaid roles, but choose folks who are not your (biased) loving family. 
• Copy editor/line editor - These editors help you fine tune the word flow, move sentences around, cut or build sentences as needed.
• Proofreader - The final step to literally dot your i's and cross your t's! A proofreader will make sure any typos are caught or the correct to/too/two was used. They will help you adhere to a style guide. Fiction authors may be more inclined to create worlds and break rules to suit their intent rather than follow a style guide. 
• Formatting - Your publisher takes care of this or you may decide to hire someone to assist you. This ensures the numbers are where your readers expect (even pages on left, odd pages on right) and the page size is correct for how it will be published. Page structure can be radically changed with minor word changes. If at least a couple of editors have reviewed your work already, a proofreader's review after formatting isn't a crisis.

When to Hire a Proofreader? 
​A proofreader takes action at the end of an author's process, but there's much to consider before you get there. 

• Plan out your entire publication process - do your research into what's involved
• Get your marketing plan in place
• Get proofreading done BEFORE formatting but AFTER at least one other editor!

Any advice to add from your experiences with proofreaders?

I provide a number of services - including proofreading - for nonprofits, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and authors. I look forward to discussing ways to Engage your customers - Let's Chat!

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