4 options for proofreading

Your book is nearly finished and there’re only a few things left to do – one of which is proofreading. It can be all too easy to overlook proofreading, or to rush it, but it’s definitely something that’s worth taking your time over. Even the smallest mistake in your book can give a reader a negative impression.

So what are your options when it comes to proofreading?

Rely on yourself

One option is to just do it all yourself. With any luck, as a writer, your grasp of spelling and grammar will be pretty decent, so you should be able to pick up on any mistakes as you go through the text. Also, even if you decide to go for a different proofreading option, it’s always worth having a read through yourself before finally declaring your book done.

Ask someone you know

If you know someone who’s good at spotting errors, you could ask them to proofread your novel for you. This is a cost effective option (friends and family can usually be bought off with booze and/or chocolate), and simply having a second pair of eyes reading through your work can help to detect mistakes you might have missed.

Back to the writers’ group

Just as writers’ groups are hugely useful in terms of getting feedback, they can also be very helpful when it comes to proofreading work. They’ll know the kind of mistakes writers tend to make, and the fact that they’re several steps removed from your work will help. Getting a few different writers to go over your work can also be good; they can give you different ideas and suggestions, enabling you to pick the option you think will work best.

Invest in proofreading services

You could choose to use the same professional who edited your book or go for someone different, but either way, professional proofreading services can be a good option. Making sure everything about your novel is as good as it can possibly be is always worth the investment, and a thorough proofread is certainly a part of that.

How do you go about proofreading your novels?