Proofread for proofread

Dear fellow writer,

Writing a book is far from easy. Once you’ve completed your manuscript you feel a strong sense of accomplishment…that is, until you realize that it’s only the first draft of many to follow. What is the most discouraging part about writing? For a perfectionist like me, it’s the fact that you may read your manuscript fifty times and still overlook half the typos and grammatical errors.

Proofreading is like looking in a mirror for imperfections. You’ll find more than you thought you would. But when given the chance, others will find even more. It’s simply impossible for any author to find all of their own mistakes. That’s why it’s important to have at least one proofreader other than yourself before you publish your book.

If you’re a writer on a budget like me, then you may not be able to afford to pay an experienced editor just yet. Also like me, you may have relied on the soft critiques of family and friends to avoid the high expense of a professional proofreader. How did that work out for you? If your loved ones are anything like mine, then they were probably so impressed that you even wrote a book that they held back their criticism to spare your feelings. Sweet, but not very productive.

If you can identify with any of this, then maybe you’re willing to trade services with me. I’m offering a free proofread of your manuscript in exchange for a free proofread of mine. If you’re interested, then contact me by email at rashawndaungerer@gmail.com with the subject “Proofread for Proofread.” Or you can message me on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

You should know that my book is about 150,000 words. So I’m willing to match your efforts if your word count is considerably less, perhaps by writing a review or recommending your book through social media for a given period of time. Everything is negotiable. I know as writers we don’t often have the time to read whilst working on our own books, but time is money as they say. And if you’re willing to invest the time to save money, then this partnership might work out in both of our favors.

Please be assured that this in no way an attempt to steal your work. I know how much blood, sweat, and tears goes into writing a book and how betrayed I would feel if someone were to try to take credit for my hard work. This offer is just me seeking help from our writing community in hope to save a lot of money and meet some new colleagues. Hope you consider working with me!

Yours,

Rashawnda