Proofreading services

polish YOUR NON-FICTION WRITING WITH professional proofreading

You’re almost ready to publish – it’s time for a professional quality check

Writers can get very close to their text during the writing and editing process, and final errors can slip through. Proofreading is your last line of defence before you publish.

It’s much more than just checking for spelling mistakes, though. It’s a careful and slow, close read, looking at all kinds of errors, including issues related to layout, typography, and design.

What do proofreading services at Eaves Editorial include?

Proofreading is a final editorial check – it’s your last chance to catch any glaring errors or issues, which is why it’s so crucial before a piece of work is published or distributed. You don’t want your audience to be distracted by a grammatical error, a sudden change in typeface or font, or a design issue when they should be focusing on what you’re trying to say.

A proofread is typically carried out when a piece of text is already laid out for publication – layout and design issues are more effectively caught when the work has been formatted. This allows the proofreader to review the fully designed version, so that any problems impacting how it might look when published can be caught early.

Because the proofreader is the last person to check the manuscript before publication, the goal is to interfere as little as possible to avoid introducing more errors, and only flag or change what is most crucial.

Professional proofreading involves…

  • Checking a wide range of elements for errors. This can include the text (grammar, spelling, punctuation), typography (typeface or font size changes), page numbers and headings, word breaks (such as mans-laughter instead of man-slaughter), footnotes, citations, references, lines that have uneven spacing, and so on.
  • Ensuring the appropriate style guide has been applied and checking this against the copyeditor’s decisions. The proofreader may need to implement some of these edits if the copyeditor has missed anything.
  • Working in Microsoft Word, using Track Changes, or on designed PDF page proofs (the typeset pages that have been digitally prepared for printing). Proofreading may also be done in digital content management systems.
  • Slow, careful reading, and keeping track of different editorial elements using checklists to make sure the proofread is careful and thorough.

  • Rachel’s keen eye for grammar greatly improved the readability of The Test, a nuanced work translated from French. She proofread the text thoroughly and conscientiously, always knowing when to use her judgement and when to query. She is a joy to work with.

    Chris Schultz
    Production Editor, Skyhorse Publishing
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Schedule your proofread

You can request a no-obligation quote for proofreading services using the contact form below.