Proofread

A proofread is the final check before publication, catching typographical and layout errors in the typeset pages rather than improving the writing.

Strictly speaking, proofreading happens on proofs: the laid-out pages, after copy editing and typesetting. The proofreader hunts for errors introduced during setting — a word dropped in reflow, a bad word break, a widow or orphan line, a running head from the wrong chapter, page numbers that no longer match the contents, doubled words, uneven spacing, a missing italic.

It is the smallest and cheapest stage of editing, and easily the most commonly misnamed. A great many writers ask for a proofread when what they need is a copy edit or a line edit. The plain test: if there are still sentences in the manuscript you would like someone to make better, you do not want a proofread yet.

For self-publishers, one practical note that saves real embarrassment. Proofread the final formatted file — the actual EPUB or print PDF — and not the Word document it came from. Conversion introduces its own errors, and the file the reader buys is the only one that counts.