My Services
Beta Read
What’s Included?
Beta Reading
In-document comments:
Overall structure
Plot (including plot holes)
Characterization
Pacing (tension; engagement)
Inconsistences
Areas needing clarification
Dialogue (relevance; how natural is it?)
Descriptiveness (vividness; sensory details)
Overall enjoyment
Examples to highlight suggestions
Possible improvements/solutions suggested
Post-Read
Author Correspondence:
Scheduled discussion with the author to address feedback
Open to feedback on my own feedback
Clarify uncertainties and provide further insights
Staying in touch to answer any further questions
Support and encouragement throughout the revision process
YAHOO! YIPPEE! CONGRATULATIONS!
(i.e. celebrating with the author when their manuscript goes out on sub)
Copy Edit
What’s Included?
Content Edit
Tracked Changes:
Overall structure, flow, and coherence.
Grammar, spelling, punctuation.
Eliminating inconsistencies (maintaining original meaning and voice.)
Keep style, language, and formatting consistent (aided by the use of a style sheet.)
Improving overall readability.
In-document comments:
Explaining any changes that I think the author may have queries about.
Explaining any substantial edits (allowing the author to review the reason behind a change and decide whether or not they feel it’s appropriate or that we should alter it.)
Liability Checks
Checking for copyright:
Highlighting permissions that may be needed in relation to the use of copyrighted material.
Double-checking whether or not referenced media is in the public domain or free use.
Cross-references and citations:
Ensure everything is correctly referenced and cited.
Check footnotes for accuracy and consistency.
Fact-Checking:
Verifying facts and figures.
Checking geographical location accuracy.
Correct use of job titles.
Names and dates.
Proofread
What’s Included?
During Proofread
Tracked Changes:
Spelling and punctuation.
Page number accuracy and consistency.
Review illustration captions to establish whether or not they accurately describe the content.
Accuracy of the table of contents (ensuring page numbers match where content begins.)
Removing ‘orphans’ and ‘widows’ (lone words or short first/last lines at the top or bottom of a page.)
Ensuring references and indexes are all present and in the correct order.
After Proofread
Liaising with the Copy Editor:
Content inconsistencies.
Typographic inconsistencies.
When a change needs to be made that would add or remove a line from the copy.
If the content is not arranged logically.
Why do you need to tell the Copy Editor?
A proofreader cannot make any substantial changes to the content, as the copy will have been through a page designer by this stage. Any significant changes may lead to errors in page design and further inconsistencies. Large errors must be noted and sent back to the copy editor for another pass.