Do I need a proofreader or an

editor for my book?

If you need someone to check over your manuscript but are unsure whether you require a proofreader or an editor, we are here to help. In this article, we explore what each role entails and which is the most appropriate option for your book.

Most people who read a book are very savvy readers and expect the highest of standards from the books that they read. Poor writing with grammatical errors can be fatal for a book, as you can see from the real snapshot of Amazon book reviews in the picture above.

Thus, the editing stage of a book is absolutely paramount, and we’d always advise you to hire a professional editor to ensure that your finished book meets the standards that readers expect.

If you need a little help with the writing and editing of your book, contact us for assistance: info@wellnessbooks.co.uk.

Your manuscript should go through several stages of development: minimally, there will be a raw draft, a second draft and a final manuscript.

Most manuscripts progress in the following order:

1.    A rough draft (produced by the author/ghostwriter);

2.    A second draft (completed by the author/ghostwriter);

3.    A round of editing (undertaken by a professional editor, often in close cooperation with the author); and

4.    A final proofread (performed by a qualified proofread/editor).

The question of whether to hire a proofreader or an editor depends upon the answer to this question: at what stage of development is your book?

Proofreading versus Editing

What does an editor do?

An editor is concerned with the readability of your book; they will look elements such as:

• Overall structure
• Sense
• Word usage
• Accuracy
• Language
• Style

It is the editor’s job to root out inconsistencies and plot holes, remove any ambiguity, and ensure that the manuscript is legible, and flows logically from beginning to end.

What does a proofreader do?

A proofreader, on the other hand, will eliminate errors such as incorrect grammar, poor usage of punctuation and typos.

However, before you send your book to a proofreader, you should be reasonably confident of its quality; it should have been reviewed several times by the author and have been spellchecked in Word or using an online spellchecking tool.

The proofreader is specially trained will pick up on any errors in the manuscript, including issues such as:

• Spelling
• Punctuation
• Grammar
• Typos
• Syntax

A good proofreader will also pick up on inconsistencies in the text, any inaccuracies that might be present and other issues; however, most of this should have been addressed at the editing stage.

Ideally, your book should go through at least three edits – one of which should be the final proofread – before it is published.

Which one do I need?

If you’re pretty happy with your book, it might just need a little proofreading to ensure it’s ready for publishing.

If it needs more work, we’ll advise you to use one of our book editors who will see that your book meets the required standard.

We will not publish anything that falls below the standard of a professionally published book. 

It takes at least two weeks to do a professional job of editing a standard-length book. You should aim to give an editor at least one month to ensure that there’s enough time to proofread and edit your book.

To find out how long it takes to self-publish a book, click here.

The best thing to do is to contact us at info@wellnessbooks.co.uk and have us take a look at your manuscript. We’ll then offer you our advice and advise you of the next steps.