Proof

I wrote a book. Here’s the proof.

The proof – also commonly referred to as proofs, or galley proofs – is the preliminary version of a publication. The proofs come after the primary editing and copy-editing stages have been completed. This is one of the final steps before the book finally goes to print.

This is my last chance to carefully read the text and make notes wherever a change is necessary. I’m talking little mini changes – as in a mistake with a character’s name, or the wrong word in the wrong place. This is not an opportunity for rewriting - I’ve been informed - That stage is past.

Okayfinethenwhatever. It’s for the best – it’s expensive to make changes at this point, and chances are I’d find a million things to fix if I let myself.

The proofs will also be used to produce a limited number of ARCs. ARCs are Advance Review Copies. These will be sent out to reviewers in the months leading up to the book’s release in April. I’ll be receiving a few ARCs that I’ll be giving away as prizes in the lead up to the launch, so keep your eyes peeled for details!

By this point, the production editor and layout team have completed their magic, and the marked up MS Word document that my editor and I have been slinging back and forth for months has been transformed into something that looks like a real book. The typeface has been chosen, the pages are numbered and the text is properly justified, and the biography and acknowledgments are neatly arranged.

Even the copyright page is in there. You know, that page inside the front cover that nobody ever reads, with dates and library numbers and all that other good bookish stuff written out in tiny text. I have an ISBN number! I have a Library of Congress Control number!