The Difference Between an Editor and Proofreader

In the world of writing there’s a whole process that takes place after you’ve finished the final draft of your book. And it’s called a final draft because that’s exactly what it is, still a draft.

I still remember the first time I sent my final draft off to an editor.

I was really chuffed about it. I was pretty sure it didn’t have many typos, that it read well, that I had applied my style guide diligently and that there wasn’t really much for the editor to do.

How wrong was I!

When I opened up the document she sent back all I could see was a crammed ‘ladder’ of red track change notifications down the right hand side column. There literally wasn’t a page that didn’t have 50 plus changes on it.

My writing ego took a battering. It couldn’t have been that bad? Maybe I’d sent the wrong version? How could it be that bad.

Then I looked at the changes. Many were formatting changes, most were punctuation changes (never my strong point) and only a few on each page were comments about the structure of the sentence/paragraph or commentary about the flow of the text. Phew, I wasn’t a hopeless writing after all that would need to take a remedial writing class.

So, what’s the difference between an editor and a proofreader.

An editor makes changes and suggestions that will improve the overall quality of your writing, particularly in relation to the structure of what you have written, how you have expressed key thoughts and ideas, your language use and expression. For example:

• Have you used a passive voice? An active voice is not always appropriate, but writing that is too passive does not make for compelling reading;
• Is the tone appropriate for the audience?
• Do you use too many words? Using unnecessary and frivolous words is a common trait in many writers, and is a pet hate for editors;
• Are you making claims/statements that can’t be proven?
• Are your references relevant/appropriate or do you need some?
• Have you got some facts/information plainly wrong?
• Does the structure of your manuscript flow/make sense?

Many editors will also pick up spelling and typographical errors as they go through (as mine did on my first experience), but it’s not their main focus.

A proofreader corrects ‘surface errors’ in writing, such as grammatical, spelling, punctuation and other language mistakes. For example:

• Are there any spelling errors?
• Are full stops, commas, colons, semicolons, etc., used correctly?
• Have words that sound like one another but have different meanings, such as there, their and they’re, been used correctly?
• Have quotation marks and apostrophes been used appropriately?
• Are there any double spaces, particularly after full stops?
• Have en and em dashes been used in the appropriate way?

So, now you know the difference it’s also important to provide your editor and proofreader a clear, written brief as to what you want them to do. This is especially true with business books as you might have a specific preference for the spelling of industry-specific terminology, the application of acronyms and the use or otherwise of technical phrases.

Ideally, you would provide the Style Guide that you have developed and used for your writing. IF you didn’t create and use one, now is the time to do so. Unless you are clear about what you want the editor and proofreader will use their default preference.

One last tip. When you’re contracting an editor or proofreader it’s a good idea to give them a sample chapter or two and ask them to review it and then give you a quote. Don’t wait till they have completed the job to discuss the fee. AND, be clear about the process they will undertake and the timeframe.

Finding and selecting an editor or proofreader is often not that easy. I’ve listed some of the professionals we’ve used on The Book Adviser website and we’d recommend any of these.