Proofreading after a copyedit?

[Sulaiman]

I'd be willing to do the proof reading and editing :) Let me know.

[Tom]

Speaking as Preston's editor, my advice was that using a proofreader is never a bad thing—so long as there is some measure of value added to the manuscript. This is a business, after all. If the proofreader is less effective than the editor, for instance, then mistakes may still escape notice at greater cost to the author.

I've proofread books that were professionally edited, even written by editors, and still found mistakes both obvious and obscure. There is something to be said for having an extra set of eyes on your manuscript, no matter how prepared you might feel. If those credible readers come back and say, "Hey, this is ready to publish", then you're probably in a good place.

My suggestion was to move on to interested beta readers who are regular consumers of the genre. If they find the book enjoyable and want it to become popular, they will most likely point out any remaining errors—not because that's their job, but because they want the author to succeed. They are not a substitute for proofreaders or editors, nor they shouldn't be abused as such. But if you feel a book is ready for publication, then it doesn't hurt to let a few early readers look it over to check for any last hiccups.

This discussion has been interesting to read so far, and I hope some authors are drawing helpful advice from it.

[Al "Tank"]

Preston wrote: "I used Thomas Shutt. Awesome copyeditor, he went above and beyond in my 95,000-word manuscript. I will be using him in the future, and his prices are great. Mine only cost $450.
-end shameless plu..."

That's a good price for an editor who's making his living that way.

Once in a while, you can find an old fart (like me), who's just supplementing his retirement income, who'll do it at a lower price, For instance, I charge for my time, rather than for words. I recently knocked down a 100,000 word novel for $263, including formatting it as an eBook; the ms was fairly clean and there wasn't a lot of email exchanged over problems. I'd worked with this author before and we trusted each other.

In any case, once you find a copy editor you like, such as Mr. Shutt, stick with him/her. Your interactions will go faster as you get used to each other and that saves the editor TIME (and might get you a better rate as a result). If nothing else, the level of trust you have in your editor will go a long way towards your peace of mind and make your life easier.