Given the useful
nature of book proofreading services and proofreading services, all types of
clients – ranging from fiction authors like Stephen King to international
students writing university essays –are interested in having their work
proofread. It is the main job of the professional editor, writer, or
proofreader to review a written document before it is presented to the public,
or any other audience.
Several
differences exist between book proofreading services and proofreading services.
Therefore, depending on what type of document you are writing (e.g., a
biography, a scholarly article, or a reflective account for your university
portfolio), it is worth knowing what these differences are. Choosing the right
service will ensure that your partnership with a proofreader, which is aimed at
making your document as effective as it can be, and is as strong and closely
aligned as possible.
For all proofreading
services, whether you have a book, an article, or a film script, a few things
will always be the same. Proofreading a document involves error-proofing it, in
terms of identifying and revising mistakes in the text, before it is printed,
put online, or submitted to an audience. A key point of difference exists
between this service and the more in-depth process of editing, which involves
making decisions about pieces of text that should be removed or kept, to
prepare for publication.
With book
proofreading services, the key distinction when compared to general proofreading
services is the focus on preparing the manuscript for publication. Since
publishing a book normally involves an arduous and protracted series of steps,
where the author has to satisfy often-stringent publisher requirements
(addressing issues such as formatting, word count, and so on), proofreaders
typically work very closely with book authors to understand what their specific
needs are, and to work out how these can be addressed.
Experienced and
qualified proofreaders always tend to provide helpful advice when working on a
document, but in book proofreading services, this advice is usually even more
targeted. This is partly due to the closer relationship that develops between
the author and the proofreader, in terms of the longer nature of books compared
to articles and essays. However, it is also linked to the fact that in most good
proofreading companies, the people who work on proofreading tasks for books are
often specialists. These proofreaders tend to know a lot about the subject
area.
Taking several
companies, the prices of the two services may differ, with book projects typically
costing more. This stems from the in-depth nature of a book project, as
described above, as well as the expertise of some book proofreaders. However,
other proofreading companies have been known to charge similar prices for the
two services, and so it is worth seeing if these services could meet your
needs. Altogether, it is clear that, for book authors, essay-writers, and
others, recruiting a proofreader who can provide a tailored service,
personalised to your document type, is considered essential.