FOR WRITERS
Why every writer needs a proofreader
Your manuscript is more than just words; it’s your voice, your vision, and your chance to captivate readers and open doors to publishing success. But is it truly ready? If you’re querying literary agents or self-publishing your book, polished content is essential.
Literary agents expect submissions that are clean, professional, and compelling. Self-published authors need books that read smoothly and maintain credibility. Errors, inconsistencies, and awkward phrasing can stand between you and success. That’s where expert proofreading and, more commonly, proof-editing come in.
Understanding the different levels of editing
Editing is a multi-stage process, and understanding the distinctions helps you choose the right service for your needs.
| Editing Type | Focus | Main Tasks |
|---|---|---|
| Developmental Editing | Big-picture storytelling and structure | Focuses on plot development, character arcs, pacing, theme integration, structural improvements, and major revisions. |
| Line Editing | Sentence-level clarity and engagement | Focuses on sentence structure, word choice, clarity and flow, tone and style consistency while eliminating redundancies. |
| Copy Editing | Grammar, syntax, and consistency | Corrects grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and detail accuracy. Includes minor sentence rewrites for clarity (syntax) and ensures adherence to style guides. |
| Proof-Editing | Hybrid of copyediting & proofreading (BEFORE formatting) | A combination of copy editing and proofreading; correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, syntax and readability (highlights and suggests fixes without rewriting sentences), and checking formatting elements (page numbers, headers, references, etc.). |
| Proofreading | Final pre-publication check (AFTER formatting) | Focused on catching any remaining grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Checks formatting (fonts, layout, pagination, headers, footers, references, tables of contents, indexes, etc.) and ensures adherence to style guides. |
Proof-Editing
(Before formatting)
From £75
Ideal for: Self-publishers looking for a final polish before formatting.
Format: MS Word doc or PDF
You’re on the home stretch! Your story has been through developmental and line editing, and now it’s time to tidy up before formatting.
Many independent authors consider this the final step before publishing on Kindle, IngramSpark, or other platforms.
This service combines copyediting and proofreading, focusing on consistency, language, and style guide adherence. It ensures your manuscript is polished and ready for the final formatting stage, giving you the best chance at a professional and polished publication.
To maintain consistency throughout your manuscript, I will also create a custom style sheet, recording decisions on hyphenation, numbering, capitalization, spelling variations, punctuation style, etc.
What this service covers:
Text & Language Corrections
✔ Grammar and punctuation corrections
✔ Spelling and typographical errors
✔ Syntax and readability
✔ Homophones and commonly confused words
✔ Elimination of redundancies
✔ Consistency in names and details
Formatting & Layout Consistency
✔ Capitalization and hyphenation consistency
✔ Extraneous letter and line space removal
✔ Paragraph indentation and section break consistency
Where Possible
✔ Page number alignment and accuracy
✔ Header and footer format consistency
✔ Widows, orphans, and short lines
✔ Text and image design consistency
✔ Table of contents and index accuracy
✔ Figures, charts, and tables
Pure Proofreading
(After formatting)
From £75
Ideal for: Writers with a fully formatted manuscript who need a quality-control check before publication.
Format: MS Word doc or PDF
Your manuscript has already been through professional editing, design, and formatting. Now, it’s time for a final quality-control check before publication.
Proofreading is the last step in the process, catching any remaining errors that may have been missed in earlier rounds of editing or introduced during formatting. This ensures your book is polished and professional when it reaches your readers.
To ensure consistency, I will follow your chosen style guide or provided style sheet. If no style sheet is available, I will create one, recording decisions on hyphenation, numbering, capitalization, spelling variations, punctuation style etc.
What this service covers:
Text & Language Corrections
✔ Remaining grammar and punctuation corrections
✔ Remaining spelling and typographical errors
✔ Homophones and commonly confused words
✔ Consistency in names and details
Formatting & Layout Consistency
✔ Capitalization and hyphenation consistency
✔ Extraneous letter and line space removal
✔ Paragraph indentation and section break consistency
✔ Page number alignment and accuracy
✔ Header and footer format consistency
✔ Widows, orphans, and short lines
✔ Text and image design consistency
Structural & Reference Accuracy
✔ Table of contents and index accuracy
✔ Figures, charts, and tables
✔ References and citations (style guide adherence)
Pre-Query Polish
(First 10,000 Words)
£180
Ideal for: Writers preparing to query literary agents.
Format: MS Word doc or PDF
You’ve crafted your story and are confident in its structure, whether through developmental or self-editing. Now it’s time to tidy up the writing itself.
The first 10,000 words are crucial in making a strong impression on agents. Even small issues can be distracting and could mean the difference between a request for more or a rejection.
This service ensures your opening pages are grammatically correct, polished, and ready for submission, giving you the best chance to grab an agent’s attention.
What this service covers:
✔ Proof-editing of the first 10,000 words
Text & Language Corrections
✔ Grammar and punctuation corrections
✔ Spelling and typographical errors
✔ Syntax and readability
✔ Homophones and commonly confused words
✔ Elimination of redundancies
✔ Consistency in names and details
Formatting & Layout Consistency
✔ Capitalization and hyphenation consistency
✔ Extraneous letter and line space removal
✔ Paragraph indentation and section break consistency
✔ Formatting adjustments (if required for submission)
Definitions:
Grammar and punctuation
Identifying and correcting grammar errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, general punctuation, and dialogue punctuation.
Spelling and typographical errors
Ensuring accurate spelling, accounting for regional variations (such as American vs. British English), and identifying typographical errors, including misspellings and improper word usage.
Syntax and readability
Refining sentence structure for clarity and readability while removing foreign expressions.
Please note: this is a light proof-edit, not a line or full copy edit.
Capitalization and hyphenation
Verifying correct capitalization, hyphenation, and compound word usage, with attention to stacked hyphens often introduced by AI chatbots during content creation.
Homophones and commonly confused words
Ensuring accurate use of homophones and commonly confused words (such as their/there and affect/effect).
Elimination of redundancies
Removing repetitive words, phrases, and unnecessary redundancies to improve clarity and conciseness.
Removal of extraneous letter and line spaces
Identifying and correcting unnecessary spaces between letters, words, and lines.
Paragraph indentation and section breaks
Ensuring consistent indentation, clear idea separation, and smooth transitions throughout the document to enhance readability and organisation.
Widows, orphans and short lines
Preventing single lines of text from being isolated at the top or bottom of a page (widows and orphans) and avoiding overly short lines that disrupt text flow.
Consistency in design of text and image elements
Ensuring consistent fonts, colours, sizes, and spacing, including bullet points, as well as uniform style and placement of images throughout a document or website.
Consistency in names and details
Ensuring consistency in names, locations, dates, and other specific details throughout the document to enhance clarity and prevent confusion.
Table of contents and index accuracy
Ensuring that chapter and section headings are accurately reflected in the table of contents and index.
Page number accuracy
Ensuring that all page numbers are accurate and correctly aligned with the corresponding content in the document.
Figures, charts, and tables
Ensuring that all figures, charts, and tables are correctly formatted, listed and labelled in the document
Consistency in header and footer format
Ensuring consistency in the formatting of all headers and footers throughout the document, including font style, size, alignment, and content
References and citations adherence to style guide
Ensuring that all references and citations conform to the specified style guide (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago) in terms of formatting, punctuation, and arrangement.
Formatting adjustments (if required for submission)
For strict adherence to literary agent submission guidelines. Example: 10,000 words (~40 pages) in an MS Word doc, double-spaced, one-inch margins, and 12-point Times New Roman. Always check the exact requirements!
English Proofreading and Editing Services 