A Guide to Book Editing and Proofreading

After you complete writing your book, you must come to terms with the fact that it will now be subjected to a panel of editing and proofreading standards. And, for any book to be ready for publication, editing and proofreading are a must.

You might wonder why book editing and proofreading are so crucial. Let’s have a look:

  • Book editing helps to remove syntax errors, grammatical errors, and punctuation errors.
  • This will make sure that the prose is well-written and composed.
  • Helps to flesh out your story and characters better.
  • It alsohelps to refine what the author’s vision of their book is.
  • Helps to remove any continuity errors.
  • A book editor gives valuable suggestions and advice on how else can you approach writing a particular character.

Fiction and Non-fiction Book Editing and Proofreading

For all sorts of written material, editing and proofreading are stated to be basically the same. However, there is a lot more that goes on in novels and non-fiction books that are not included in other writings.

The following steps will be encountered during a book edit:

  • Developmental editing is concerned with the bigger picture of a work, such as story, language, and general style and organization.  
  • Substantive edit is a chapter-by-chapter assessment of the text, with the goal of ensuring that the chapters are well-connected.
  • Copyediting is the first stage of editing in which an editor corrects basic grammatical and punctuation issues as well as the writer’s stylistic choices.
  • Proofreading is the last step in the process of ensuring that a text is free of small inconsistencies and errors.

When it comes to fiction and non-fiction, the process of book editing and proofreading differs even more. To learn more about the differences, see this article. (Difference between proofreading and editing)

Book Editing

While many people believe that proofreading is synonymous with editing, it is not. It isn’t a type of editing, but it is a part of the editing process.

Aside from the three types of editing mentioned above, there are a few types in the middle of the process:

1. Structural Editing:

It is exactly what it sounds like: it examines your story’s overall structure. It can be used to answer questions such as:

  • What number of chapters should I divide my book into?
  • What should be the starting point for each chapter?
  • Is the order of my chapters correct?
  • Is there anything else I can add to this chapter to make it more structured?

2. Line Editing:

Often confused with copyediting, line editing focuses on a line-by-line edit of your book. It’s also known as ‘stylistic editing,’ because it concentrates on style rather than content.

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Book Proofreading

Before the book is typeset, formatted, or has a cover design, book proofreading is the last line of defense in the pre-publishing and editing process. It contains the following items:

  • Correction of typos and misspellings.
  • Examining the text for grammatical errors.
  • Errors in syntax are being checked.
  • A brief review of the text to ensure that it is free of errors.

To know everything about proofreading read the following:

Is Self-Editing Enough for Your Book?

Even although self-editing appears to be a more cost-effective alternative, hiring a professional editor will improve your book, especially if you plan to publish it:

Editors are thoroughly taught to edit methodically, coupled with a strong vocabulary and understanding of acceptable syntax. Writers may or may not be taught to write so, the best option would be to hire a trained professional. 

As an author, you are emotionally invested in your work and will find it difficult to edit since everything will appear to be in order to you.

You can superficially edit and proofread your first draft using internet tools, but we strongly advise you to send your book to a professional book editing service for best results.

TrueEditor’s Book Editing or Proofreading Service

TrueEditors is widely regarded as one of the top online editing services, as seen by its glowing client reviews. It offers proofreading and editing services.

TrueEditors can also help with paraphrasing services.

Their Editing service will:

  • Ensure the highest quality by ensuring 100% plagiarism-free content and checking for any grammatical, punctuation, pronunciation, typographical, and other errors.
  • Skilled native speakers can increase the clarity, composition, paragraph, grammar, and sentence structure of a polished and academically written English document.
  • On-site proofreaders are available 24*7. Maintain the utmost anonymity, a rapid processing period, and on-time delivery of the paper before the deadline.
  • Correct all formatting, including references, in-text quotes, and footnotes, according to many style standards, including Harvard, APA, MLA, OSCOLA, Chicago, MHRA, and others.

If you’re not sure about the difference between book editing and proofreading, this table may help:

EditingProofreading
It takes place from the beginning to the end of the book editing process.It is the final stage of the editing procedure before submitting the work for publication.
Plots, structures, characters, and other fundamental writing concerns are addressed. Surface-level issues are addressed.
Only correcting mistakes is included, not lowering the no. of words.Includes word reduction in accordance with the book’s specifications.
Removes spelling errors, formatting issues, and inconsistencies. Makes text adjustments to improve readability and clarity.

We’ve implemented a dynamic pricing structure. Without compromising efficiency, we polish and optimize your papers at incomparable rates. We are available to you at all times and offer proofreading and editing services around the clock.

We understand the significance of meeting tight deadlines, which is why we have a dedicated editing team on hand to help you on weekends, vacations, and other odd hours.

Nothing makes us happier than preparing your paper to your exact specifications and assuring your total satisfaction. Our expert editors guarantee that your information is interpreted and edited in a way that is personalized and tailored to your needs, and we constantly improve our service based on your important feedback and recommendations.

Our service is completely safe and confidential.

-Isabell S.

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