You’ve finished your latest writing project, hooray! It could be anything from a novel, a website, an article, or a flyer. Whatever it is, before your work is published, you should consider having it copyedited and proofread. What is the difference between these two services, and do you really need both?  

Copyediting 

Copyediting comes before proofreading. Copyeditors will work in the copy supplied, usually in its raw form. Often, copyeditors will be given a style sheet to work with, or they will draft one for you as part of the process. The style sheet includes intentional choices the author has made, or that the publisher may prefer, about things including word choice, spelling, punctuation etc. The copyeditor will conduct a full edit of the project, keeping a special eye out for consistency, and raise any queries they have for both the author and production team. Their aim is to improve readability without compromising the author’s style or voice. Usually, you will have the opportunity to discuss the level of copyedit that you require, where you can ask for a particular focus e.g. a full fact check. Here is a non-exhaustive list of things a copyeditor could be looking out for: 

• Spelling, punctuation, grammar, and tense   

• Language, word choice, and syntax

• Consistency, clarity, and continuity 

• Illustrations, tables, and graphs (including their placement and captions)

• Formatting: chapter title, headings, subheadings, paragraph indents, and line breaks etc.

• References and citations

• Fact checking 

• Any copyright or legal concerns

  
  

A copyeditor may also be asked to make small rewrites if there is anything ambiguous e.g. correcting repetition and run-on sentences. If there was anything significant, they would clear with the author and publisher first. 

The copyeditor will usually make edits in track changes in Word, though some copyeditors may be open to working on hard copy. This is your chance to make any revisions based on their queries and suggestions before you move onto the next stage. You may disagree with the copyeditor on certain suggestions they have made, and that is OK. This is an opportunity to discuss those changes and work out what will work best for your writing.

Proofreading

Proofreading follows copyediting, and should be the final step before your work is published. The proofreader is there to polish your final draft. If you are publishing a book, your work will have been typeset, and the proofreader will work on this version. At this point, no significant changes should be made. Unlike copyeditors, proofreaders won’t rewrite elements of your work. If they are concerned that significant changes still need to be made, they will suggest a further copyedit, or maybe a proofedit (see below). A proofreader will use both the style sheet of the publisher, and the copyeditor to look for any remaining errors that may have fallen through the cracks. They are really the final point of quality control.

Both copyeditors and proofreaders will usually provide a style sheet documenting the changes they have made. Any changes they make will be taken in before moving forward with publication.  

Sometimes proofreaders are asked to do more than is usually required of them, and take on elements of copyediting work. This is called a proof-edit and will often incur a higher fee. 

Are Copyediting and Proofreading Necessary? 

While it can be tempting to move straight to publication, having your work copyedited and proofread will improve the quality and readability of your work. No doubt you will have read your work over and again, but having a professional set of eyes or two can really make the difference. 

Get in touch today at susannahbutler.edits@gmail.com to discuss my proofreading services and how we can work together on your project!