Is your manuscript ready for publication?

A proofread is the final step to making your writing a pleasure to read.

It’s virtually impossible to detect all errors in your own work, and spell checks will not pick up incorrect pronouns, inconsistent capitalisation or typographical errors which result in valid words. (Even people who proofread for a living get their own work checked by others!) A proofread will remove these errors from your manuscript, so your readers can focus on enjoying the story without getting distracted by typos.

Whether you are aiming to self-publish or are seeking commercial publication, make sure your work says professional, through and through.

The proofreading process

Your proofreader will read through your manuscript and fix those niggly errors and inconsistencies that often go unnoticed until printing is complete. Proofreading will make sure your capitalisation is consistent, your commas and apostrophes are in the right place, and your spellings are correct. At the end you will be able to savour (not saviour) your story.

How to get the best value from your proofread

The purpose of a proofread is to correct typographical or spelling errors. We want you to get the best value from this process. Before booking a proofread, please ensure that your manuscript is polished in terms of sentence structure, word choice, and factual accuracy.

If your proofreader notices consistent structural problems or inconsistencies, they will stop proofreading and recommend you proceed with a copy edit or a manuscript assessment as appropriate. (You will receive the proofread pages and be charged only for the time used.)

Outcome

You will receive a marked-up version of your manuscript with corrections, ready for you to go through and accept each correction.

How to book

The cost of your proofread will depend on the length of your manuscript and the degree of corrections required. Standard price ranges are provided on this page.

To request a quote, please email a copy of your manuscript as a Word or pdf document to info@writerscafe.nz, and we will confirm the cost and the timeframe for completion.

In your email, include the word count of your manuscript, a synopsis (for works greater than 30,000 words), an outline of your goals with this piece of writing, and a summary of the previous edits completed.

We appreciate that a proofread represents a significant investment into your writing, and we want you to feel confident that it offers value for money. If you would like a free sample proofread of around 2% of your work (up to a maximum of 2,000 words) before committing to the fee, please request this when sending in your manuscript for a quote.

If you have any questions about our proofreading services, please get in touch.

Proofreading guide prices

Standard prices for proofreading range from 0.6 cents per word to 1 cent per word.