: Re: If I'm going to hire a copyeditor, do I need to do any proofing myself? For my book I'm planning to self-pub, I aim to hire a copyeditor / proofreader at some point. The question is this:

@Sarah872

Vote Up Vote Down

Generally speaking, this is a perfect job for a proofreader, so there's not much point in you trying to "double up" with a professional. There might be some minor cost difference if they charge by hour, but I would guess it to be negligible - the effort is less in fixing errors once found, and more in carefully going over the entire text, to find the errors.

Some provisos and qualifications, though:

If you're not 100% certain of the proofreader, definitely look again once he's finished and make sure he's done a reasonable job.
What shape is your ms. in, proofreading-wise? You'll only want to pay once, for one editing - on the absolutely final text. No point in paying for copyediting of something that might change entirely! However, before you get to that point, you will want outside feedback - writing groups, critique circles, feedback from friends, hiring an editor - and for them, you should have something that's not too riddled with errors. Critiquing a piece full of obvious errors is very tough; they're distracting and they give an amateur feel - even if they're sure to be corrected later in the process. So, if you've got a lot of minor errors, it's worth cleaning up on your own before any round of feedback.
Some writers just like their writing to be pretty clean, and put effort into keeping down blatant errors even when it's not strictly necessary. Obviously, this is a matter of personal preference. It certainly doesn't hurt - and many will say that basic concern for "correctness" correlates with good command of the language.

(0)

Login to post a comment!