Editing and proofreading

There are two types of person in the world: those who notice errors in logic, inconsistencies, typos and grammatical mistakes ... and those who don't.

Those who notice errors really notice them. If there are more than one or two on your website, in a blog post or, worst case, in your book, these readers will stop concentrating on your content and instead start looking for the next mistake. That's not good, especially when you consider that these readers make up a quarter to a half of your audience.

This is why getting your work properly edited and proofread is critical if you want to present yourself and your organisation as professional and credible. It's even more important if you're one of those people who doesn't notice errors because ... well ... you may not realise how much angst you are causing the grammar nerds amongst your readers.

We can help you present a professional face to the world by thoroughly editing and proofreading your existing and new content, whether in a book, brochure, blog or article, or on your website. 

Editing

Editing can cover a range of content reviews, including:

• structural appraisal of your content, looking for errors or inconsistencies in logic, potential improvements in structure (e.g. the order of chapters) and gaps that need filling. Often performed in conjunction with re-writing
• tone, looking at things like consistency of voice (first person, third person), address (similar to voice – are you addressing the reader directly or indirectly?), and 'tenor' (e.g. formal, familiar, conversational)
• copyediting, focused on grammatical issues, consistency of spelling, consistency of style (e.g. use of dashes, capitalisation, accuracy and currency of references and/or web links).

Every document we work on goes through each of these stages. Generally, editing for structure and tone occurs during writing/re-writing. Copyediting is always recommended before a document is finalised for publishing.

Editing can be incorporated into your ghostwriting project up front, or it can be priced separately. It can also be provided as a stand-alone service.

Proofreading

With books and other printed materials, proofreading is completed towards the end of the project, either on the final draft or on a layout 'proof' provided by the designer. The assumption is that the work has been well edited prior to proofreading, with proofreading providing a final once-over. Proofreading of laid-out text is important because glitches can inadvertently be introduced during the design process.

Proofreading is usually incorporated into the cost of ghostwriting projects, but is also available as a stand-alone service. 

In the end the terminology is unimportant. What matters is that editing and proofreading will ensure that your written words are free of errors and contribute to a professional image. Contact us to discuss your situation and how we might help.