Blog 65: Interview with a Proofreader

Hello and welcome back to another interview with a member of the Author Support Network. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to Jacob Whiten, all the way from Michigan in the US, whom I am going to quiz about proofreading. But, as is the tradition, let’s get to know him a little bit first.

Hi there, Jacob. Could you tell readers about yourself and what led you to become a proofreader?

Hello! I worked as an attorney for a few years, but over time, I realized it wasn’t making me happy. I decided to look into the publishing industry because I had loved books since I was a child. I received a publishing certificate from the Denver Publishing Institute and an editing certificate from the University of Chicago, and began work proofreading and editing.

That’s quite a contrast. It’s wonderful you could revisit something you loved and make a career out of it. There can be a bit of confusion over what proofreading actually is. As I have covered in previous blogs, there are many editing stages that happen before this one. Can you explain at what stage an author would come to you with their manuscript and what exactly you do for them?

Proofreading should be done after line editing, copyediting, and formatting. It’s a final check for remaining errors. I look for any glaring typos or formatting mistakes.

So, what is the process when someone reaches out for your services?

I’ll ask some introductory questions (over email, phone, Zoom, whatever the author prefers) about their work. For example, the length, the genre, and potential deadlines. I’ll also offer a sample edit to see if we’re a good fit.

Does the proofreading cover all aspects of the writing? Such as the information at the beginning and end of the book: chapter page and acknowledgements, and consistency with titles, page numbers, as well as errors?

Yes, I’ll look at the whole work for errors.

Fantastic! What methods do you use for amendments? For example, do you personally make the corrections or make notes in the margin to alert the author of the issues that require attention?

I work in Adobe because, at the proofreading stage, manuscripts are typically PDFs. I’ll leave comments with suggested changes.

Do you have an option for the client to come back to you to check over the changes they have made?

Yes, I give authors time to review after the project. My contracts allow seven days for clients to contact me with concerns.

That’s good to know. How long would you say it takes for you to proofread a manuscript, depending on the word count?

It varies quite a bit, but I would say it takes about one or two weeks for a shorter manuscript and about three to four weeks for a longer one.

Do you have budget options for people who may be a little strapped for cash?

I offer payment plans to help clients manage the costs.

What happens if you go through the manuscript and feel it needs more work? Do you offer other services to assist with this?

If this happens, I’ll suggest to the client that the manuscript may need a line edit, copyedit, etc., which are services I offer.

It sounds like your clients are in good hands. What advice would you give to writers who wish to proofread their own work?

If they’re not already familiar with the style guide they’d like to use for their work (Chicago, APA, etc.), I would suggest reviewing it and seeing what steps the guide recommends for proofreading. You can also reach out to an editor to see if they have a checklist for proofreading. Many editors, including me, have detailed lists of items to check every time we proofread.

That’s useful advice. Although I’m sure you would agree it’s always better to get someone else to check over your work, to catch the errors that we can easily miss in our own writing. Are there any other services you offer that we should be aware of?

Yes! Here’s a breakdown:

Line editing: a more substantive form of editing. It involves analyzing word choice and sentence structure so that the writing is clear and flows well, while maintaining the author’s voice.

Copyediting: includes fixing mechanical errors in grammar, syntax, and punctuation. It also involves checking for consistency in spelling, formatting, and style preferences.

Edit of first 10,000 words: I'll perform service(s) of your choice (a line edit, copyedit, or both) on your manuscript. This is a great option if you're planning to submit to a literary agent because agents will often only request your first 10,000 words. I will also give you actionable advice you can apply to the rest of your manuscript.

Free sample edit: I'll perform service(s) of your choice (a line edit, copyedit, or both) on 1,000 words of your manuscript. You'll get a sense for my editing style and can see if we're a good fit.

Thanks so much for popping in to chat with us!

You’re welcome! Thank you for inviting me!

If you want to get in touch with Jacob for assistance or wish to check out what he does, you can find him on his website: https://www.whitenediting.com/

I hope this blog has given you a bit more idea of how a proofreader can assist you. Until next time, bye-bye.