Proofreading

What to check

There is a common misconception that proofreading simply involves reading the text and looking for typing errors. This may be the case during the writing phase, but once the book has been typeset there are more elements to consider.

Remember that your word processor documents will have been used, without re-keying. Consequently, once both you and the publisher’s copy-editor have checked this for spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors, there is no reason why the typesetter should introduce any further errors. No reason, certainly – but it does happen. When reading your proofs, you should look for such errors. However, there is not usually a need to read the proofs word by word against your original copy.

Proofreading is also concerned with page layout and the structure of the book. Check for the following:

• Are all headings consistently formatted?
• Are all pages of approximately the same depth? (This may not be required for some complex book designs.)
• Are the page numbers correct?
• Are all the running heads (or footers) correct?
• Is every page present?
• Are all the figures present, in the right order, and as close as possible to where they are mentioned in the text?
• Are all the tables present, in the right order, and as close as possible to where they are mentioned in the text?
• Do the page numbers in the contents list match the text?

It is quite likely that no professional proofreader will be employed to read your proofs, so it is important that you carry out these checks for yourself. Your publisher’s in-house editors will probably carry out some of the basic checks, but they probably won’t read the text in detail.

Finally, resist the temptation to add and delete material at this stage. You will always find things that you might improve, but if you do make changes, try to make compensating changes on the same page to prevent the text from reflowing and altering the pagination. Typesetters are skilled at making corrections to avoid the minimum disturbance, but they’d rather not have to do it.

Marking the proofs

If you are familiar with standard proof correction marks, use them. If not, don’t worry too much: just cross out whatever is wrong, and write the correct version in the margin.

Use a red pen for the typesetter’s errors and a blue pen for any other changes. Too many ‘blue’ corrections could lead to the typesetter charging extra for the corrections.

Don’t write notes in the margin to explain your corrections. At best, they slow the typesetter down; at worst, your comments might end up being added to the text in error.