Are you a self-publishing author?
Have you written a nonfiction book sharing your expertise on a topic? Maybe you want to help people with your knowledge, but you don’t want them to be distracted by misplaced commas and spelling mistakes. I can help you with that! My job is to smooth and polish your writing so that there are as few errors as humanly possible while still retaining your voice.
Are you a blogger?
Maybe you’re a blogger or online entrepreneur who needs to put out content on a regular basis? Whether you’re looking for someone to weed out typos before you publish or someone to write engaging, SEO-optimized blog posts for you, I can help.
WHAT IS PROOFREADING?
Proofreading is the last step in the editorial process—the final quality check.
Proofreading is typically done after a manuscript has been copyedited. I will focus on catching any errors that slipped through the editing stage.
When proofreading I check for the following:
- Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Consistency of capitalization and hyphenation
- Correct word usage (e.g., homophones and homonyms)
- Repeated or missing words
- Formatting issues with font size and style
- Consistency of layout
- Cross-references errors
- Broken links
- American or British English
If I’m proofreading an already typeset document, I check for the following:
- If necessary, I compare the proof against the copyeditor’s copy to ensure all the copyeditor’s changes were made.
- I check that word breaks are appropriate.
- I ensure that the design specifications have been carried out.
- I will not make unnecessary changes. At this stage in the process, changes cost money!
- I mark up using the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) proofreading symbols.
WHAT GENRES DO I WORK ON?
The genres I specialize in are true crime, entrepreneurship, marketing, online business, travel, pet care, and self-help.
I have particular experience in the areas of nonfiction books, online course material, website content, blogs and email newsletters, and economic publications. I have a bachelor’s degree in business studies, specializing in economics and finance and a career-based knowledge of the finance sector as well as eight years’ experience of working in the public sector.
HOW IT WORKS
FILE FORMAT
My preference is to edit in Microsoft Word. For files under 5K words, I will happily accept a Google Docs file.
I use the track changes function in Microsoft Word, allowing you to review my edits and accept or reject them as you see fit.
REFERENCE BOOKS
I use The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.
If you have your own style sheet or would like me to use a different reference manual (e.g., for British English), please let me know.
DELIVERY
At the end of the project, you’ll receive
*A tracked changes file with all edits and comments showing
*A comments-only file with all edits accepted for ease of reading
Catherine is the ultimate professional!
I’ve had the privilege of working with Catherine Turner in the past few years and am so thankful she is now part of my go-to team whenever a client needs copyediting or proofreading of their book. Catherine is the ultimate professional, always providing insightful comments and critical edits. Her eagle eyes are able to spot any grammar inconsistencies and misspellings. To top it off, she’s reliable and affordable. I highly recommend her services!
Corrine Casanova, President, Daily House, LLC
A true pleasure to work with!
I hired Catherine to proofread my new general proofreading course. (Yes, even a course on proofreading needs proofreaders!) Catherine’s eagle eye for tricky typos combined with her professionalism and excellent communication skills made her a true pleasure to work with. I will keep her in mind for future projects myself, and I definitely recommend Catherine to content creators who need any general proofreading work done.
Caitlin Pyle, President, BCP Media, Inc.
HOW MUCH DOES PROOFREADING COST?
For projects of 5,000 words or more: $0.022 per word (includes one round of proofreading)
For projects with fewer than 5,000 words, contact me for a quote.
Prices are quoted in USD.
Turnaround time: Approximately 20,000 words per week