Why Writers Need

Professional Proofreaders

©2013 ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. All rights reserved.

written by Julie DeSilva

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

Page 2

English writer Sydney Smith wrote: “What you don’t know

would make a great book.” What people don’t know about

proofreading would make a great e-book, so here goes!

In this electronic age anyone can become a publisher just

by clicking SEND. That’s why it is more important than

ever that writers distinguish themselves by deferring to

professional proofreaders to hone their prose and make it

perfect.

The word hone is a perfect example of something even a

great writer may need help with.

Example: His editor honed the speech through

rewrites, homing in on the many clichés that would

have left the audience members rolling their

eyes.

Phrasal Verb: Hone in on Meaning: Target, focus Example: The company HONED IN ON its rival and tried to take it over. (Some consider this verb to be wrong and that is confused with 'home in on.) [sic]

Retrieved February 10, 2011 from www.usingenglish.com

In the example sentence the difference between hone and

home is clear, but if you were confused a quick GOOGLE

search finds this:

Oh, where to begin! First, do not trust as “expert” any Web site that has this many mistakes in so few characters! I have copied the

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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entry exactly as it appears—mixed tenses, missing quota-tion mark, and all. And who does “Some” refer to? Some experts or some people on the street?! The GOOGLE entry on page 2 was followed by multiple entries—even blogs—on the subject. When in doubt turn to tried-and-true Merriam-Webster’s.

Main Entry: hone in Function: intransitive verb Etymology: alteration of home in Date: 1965 : to move toward or focus attention on an objective *looking back for the ball honing in — George Plimpton* *a missile honing in on its target — Bob Greene* *hones in on the plights and victories of the common man — Lisa Russell* usage The few commentators who have noticed hone in consider it to be a mistake for home in. It may have arisen from home in by the weakening of the \m\ sound to \n\ or may perhaps simply be due to the influence of hone. Though it seems to have established itself in American Eng-lish (and mention in a British usage book suggests it is used in British English too), your use of it especially in writing is likely to be called a mistake. Home in or in figurative use zero in does nicely.

Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th Edition

Just two days after writing the section

on hone in, I was proofreading a book

for a major publisher, written by a

prominent philanthropist, reviewed by a

seasoned editor, and copy edited by a

professional copy editor and I found

(and corrected) this sentence:

I relied on my rather abstract

conceptual framework for guidance and

I honed in on the concept . . . .

~Julie

Want to avoid mistakes like this one? Hire a professional proofreader!

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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What Exactly Is a

Proofreader?

Over the years the term proofreading has come to mean the same thing as copy editing. In traditional book publishing the proofreader and copy editor roles are still two distinctly different roles, with the acts of proofreading and copy editing being two distinct steps in the publishing process. Here’s a quick overview of

the proofreader and copy editor roles and the hybrid role that has become the norm in many publishing processes: editorial proofreader.

Copyediting Reviewing manuscript (on paper or electronically) to ensure correct punctuation, spelling, grammar, usage, sentence structure, and consistency

Proofreading Correcting typeset, designed copy by comparing it with a previous version (usually the original copyedited manuscript). Involves using standard markings and symbols (on paper or electronically, usually via PDF) to correct typographical errors and deviations from typesetting and design instructions. May involve checking specifications. Egregious typos and grammatical errors are also corrected.

Editorial Proofreading

Proofreading material that may or may not have been edited and may need extensive querying for mistakes in spelling, grammar, punctuation, consistency, and style

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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Grammar and Spell Checkers

We’ve all received one of those emails with a sentence that looks like this:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht frist and lsat ltteers are in the rghit pclae.

Even though the words are jumbled and words are missing, most folks have no problem interpreting the meaning. And running something like this through a quick grammar and spell check should fix the problem, right? Wrong. Here’s what the grammar and spell check turned out:

Occurring to scholarch, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only iprmoatnt (no suggestions given) thing is that the (it did not catch that this word was missing) first and last letters are in the right place.

If typed correctly, the sentence should have read:

According to research, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letters are in the right place.

A good proofreader would have fixed everything and edited it for clarity.

According to research, the order in which letters appear in a word doesn’t matter. The only important thing is that the first and last letters are in the right place.

Mcuh bttr, rght?!

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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Typos

How about words

that are words,

but not the right

ones? If the

jumbled word

theory above

applies, when

proofreading

your own work you will read a mistyped word as the word

you meant it to be. If you rely on your spell checker or

grammar checker to clean up behind you, most typos will

not be flagged as words used incorrectly. Here are some

sample sentences where a proofreader could help the

writer save face!

As the guest of honor, we severed the bride first.

(serve, server, served, sever, severed, severe)

Thanks to the parents who volunteered to mange

the science fair. (mange, manger, manage,

managed, manager)

The front office manger is responsible for

distributing the mail. (mange, manger, manage,

managed, manager)

We complied a list of all donors. (compile,

compiled, complied)

The community watch policies the neighborhood.

(polices, policies)

Not only could you type the wrong word but you could type

the wrong form of the word: compile instead of compiles or

manage instead of managed. In my more than twenty

years as a professional proofreader this is one of the

mistakes I encounter most often.

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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Of course, if you ever use the word public in your writing,

you must use a professional proofreader!

South Bend, IN—Published by CNN/WSBT, September 22, 2010. Retrieved on February 22, 2011, from

www.wthitv.com/dpps/news/strange/billboard-reads-pubic-instead-of-public-ob10-jgr_3588314

Wordos

Not only can you mistype a word creating a typo, you can

use the wrong word, thinking that it’s the right word, as

with hone and home in the opening section. I call these

wordos.

Once you have crafted that perfect piece of prose who will

ensure (assure or insure would also be okay, but would

you know that!?) that your words will speak to your

principal (or is it principle?) audience or that your graphics

are complementary (not complimentary)? Once again,

why stress yourself out? Why not take the worry out of

your writing and leave sorting through the words to a

professional?

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.

~ Mark Twain

Grammar

You may have an excellent command of the English

language and all its nuances but even the finest writers

still don’t know how to employ dashes correctly—like this

em dash—use semicolons, or decide whether that or

which is correct. A good proofreader will fix all your gram-

matical errors, your subject–verb agreement issues, and

your inconsistent or incorrect use of punctuation.

Everything Else!

We’ve only covered the words in your writing. If your

document has figures, tables, graphics, or multiple

heading levels, a proofreader will make sure that all of

these elements are consistent within the document.

If you use a lot of proper names or industry-specific terms

a professional proofreader will make sure that they are

spelled and hyphenated correctly and consistently.

Moving from one year to the next with a document revision

or within a document? A professional proofreader will

check the calendar and make sure that February 22,

2011, is, in fact, a Tuesday if you write that it is.

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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Make a Good Impression A professional builder hires a professional plumber for

plumbing or a professional electrician for wiring. A

professional writer should hire a professional proofreader

to make sure that the words he crafts are perfect.

There are lots of proofreading options available today. Be

sure you choose a professional proofreader who offers the

quality you need and who has the experience to find your

errors before your work is published.

After all, wouldn’t you rather spend your time writing and

not worrying?

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. | 447 Boston Road | Topsfield, MA 01983 | 978-887-6675

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Back in 1999, we recognized that many business writers

had a need for fast, accurate, professional proofreading

services. We realized that we needed to be available to

these clients when they needed us, not just during regular

business hours. So, we created an online model that

allows writers to submit documents to us with no advance

notice, no pre-payment, and no contracts. And we created

a team of professional proofreaders who are available 365

days a year, around the clock, around the world.

Our model is unique in that we perform two separate,

complete readings on every document. And this double

review is done as part of our standard service at no

additional charge.

Since then, we’ve helped marketers, advertisers,

publishers, editors, and other professional writers maintain

their professional and personal reputations by ensuring

their documents are free of errors and clearly written.

We’ve caught hundreds of thousands of errors before

documents were published. This kept our customers from

incurring additional printing costs, saved them time and

protected them from professional and personal

embarrassment.

Our services come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

You’ll love our service or it’s free.

To find out more about our services, please visit our Web

site at www.ProofreadNOW.com.

Why not send us a document and we’ll proofread it at no

charge? Take advantage of this offer by clicking on this

link:

http://www.info.proofreadnow.com/special-ebook-offer-

why-writers-need-proofreaders

ProofreadNOW.com, Inc.

447 Boston Street

Topsfield, MA 01983

USA

978-887-6675

www.ProofreadNOW.com

©2011 ProofreadNOW.com, Inc. All rights reserved.