“John is a consummate professional with an eye for detail. His proofreading is both thorough and thoughtful. As such, I would highly recommend his services for the works of any writer.”—A. E. LaMalfa, Dabbler in Weird Fiction and Affiliate Member of the Horror Writers Association
I’m a freelance proofreader. My job is to check for errors in grammar, syntax, formatting, and spelling.
What is proofreading?
Proofreading is the last step in the editorial process. I am only checking for technical flaws in text. My goal is to make sure that your document is free of errors and polished to a high standard. I am not a copy editor. As a proofreader, I will check for the following:
- Proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Consistency of capitalization and hyphenation
- Correct word usage
- Layout consistency
- Formatting issues
- Repeated or missing words
- Numbers written properly and consistently
- Sentence structure
What tools do I use?
Unless you specify a preference, I will use the Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word to highlight errors I find. That will allow you to easily review all changes I make, and to accept or reject them as you like. I can also work with Google Docs or PDF files, if you prefer.
My preferred reference manuals are The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, but I will also take your preferences into account. If you have your own style sheet or would like me to use a different reference manual, please let me know.
I’ve also completed a proofreading course called General Proofreading: Theory and Practice that’s helped me hone my skills.
What will you receive from me?
When I have completed the project, I will email you the following documents:
- A tracked changes file showing all amendments and comments
- Where necessary, a short document explaining decisions I made regarding grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc.