Is my Work Ready for a Proofreader?

How do you know when your work is ready for a proofreader?

Proofreading is the final check for spelling, punctuation, grammar and consistency before publication. Any piece of writing benefits from the scrutiny of a fresh pair of eyes. You’ve spent so long labouring over your work that you may not see what is on the page anymore – you see what you know should be there.

But how do you know when your work is ready for a proofreader? Ask yourself a few questions to help judge if your work is ready for this last check.

Has your work gone through multiple drafts?

There may be writers who can dash off a near-perfect manuscript in one pass, but they are rare creatures. By the time you’ve got to ‘The End’ your book may be a completely different beast than the one you started with. It will need to go through one or more revisions to ensure plot cohesion, clarity and consistency.

How many drafts you will need to go through will depend on the work. If you’ve spotted a major plot hole, character inconsistency or problem with pacing then it may need an extensive rewrite, and that may introduce new issues. The aim is to get the story into a satisfying, cohesive state, and if that takes several revisions, then they must happen before it goes anywhere near a proofreader.

Have you put your work through a self-editing pass?

It’s a good idea to put your work through a self-editing pass when you consider inconsistencies, structural issues and grammar. Ensure your writing is clear and concise and the style and tone are consistent. When you are done your book should be in a fit state to be put in front of your first readers.

Have you got feedback from beta readers?

Once your manuscript is in good condition, it should be tested on a few carefully chosen beta readers (read about finding your beta readers here).  They will point out your work’s strengths and weaknesses and may inspire you to make another pass at your manuscript.

If several beta readers have the same difficulties with your manuscript, the issues should be addressed before the work gets to a proofreader.

If you do substantial work on your manuscript after the beta reader stage, it will need another editing pass to catch any newly introduced errors and problems.

Have you used a professional editor?

Hiring a professional editor to work on your manuscript is a major investment. Whether you choose to make that investment depends on many factors.

What do you plan on doing with your manuscript? If you are self-publishing and want your book to be well-received, it must be in a clean, polished state. If you are querying an agent or publisher, the writing must not detract from your story or message.

Are you confident that the writing is already as strong as it can be? Have other people told you that? Then a copyedit may not be necessary.

Your final decision on whether to use a copyeditor may simply be if you can justify the cost, or whether you can afford it at all. If your budget is tight, you may be able to find an inexperienced copyeditor willing to take on your book for a low fee or even completely free, in exchange for the experience and practice. Just be aware that they are likely to be slower than a copyeditor who has been plying their trade for years.

Have you taken a break from your manuscript?

If your schedule will allow it, set your work aside for several days or weeks. Give yourself a break from it. Then you can return to it with fresh eyes and make a more dispassionate judgement on its condition.

Is your work ready?

Now is the time to be completely honest with yourself. If you are still considering removing an entire chapter or subplot from your novel, it is not ready for a proofreader. If you are not happy with the description of a major location in your world, your story is not ready for a proofreader. If you are still trying to decide what your main character’s name is, your novel is not ready for a proofreader.

A proofread should be the last process your story passes through before it is prepared for publication. If any changes are made after the proofread there is a risk that new errors have been introduced. You will have paid a proofreader and then negated part of their work.

Only you can be sure if your work is ready for a proofreader. An honest professional will quickly tell you if they think your work needs another editing pass before it’s ready for proofreading, but they will only be judging it on the state of the writing they have in front of them. They cannot know that you really wanted to expand a character’s role or rewrite a chapter from a different point of view.

Take a deep breath, try to take all the time you need, and ask again – is this ready for a proofreader?