Page proofs are the designed and typeset pages of your manuscript in the trim size and layout you decided upon with your book designer. First-pass page proofs are your initial look at how your book will appear in its printed form prior to publication.
Traditionally, the author and a professional proofreader read the pages word for word and mark the page proofs with corrections. Ideally, the author’s and proofreader’s corrections are combined into a single set for the typesetter. These first-pass page proofs are then submitted back to the typesetter for a round of corrections.
Following these corrections, the author and/or their proofreader check the first-pass proofs against the second pass to make sure all the corrections have been made to their satisfaction. It’s not uncommon for there to be some lingering errors, at which point a third pass is generated and checked again. When the final pass proofs are approved by the author, the pages are ready for printing.
What are you looking for? Well, as an author, this is your first opportunity to read your book in this format. Because it is a fresh perspective, you may discover that you want to make a few tweaks to the language you used. Of course, you want to keep these changes to a minimum, as modifications to the first-pass proofs are generally invoiced at an hourly rate. Try not to look at this as an opportunity to do any heavy rewriting, but if you feel this is necessary, speak to your typesetter first about how best to go about making extensive changes.
The proofreader should flag anything that’s unclear, and you will want to address their queries as you deem necessary. You will also want to make note of any actual errors and not rely solely on the proofreader to catch them. If you see them, mark them. Everyone has blind spots, including proofreaders. The proofreader’s main function is to mark any spelling and grammatical errors and point out any inconsistencies or missing information. They also check cross-references. An experienced proofreader will also point out widows, orphans, and stacks, although steps are taken in the process of typesetting to avoid such typographical artifacts.
Also, be sure that there is no missing information. For example, check the copyright page carefully to be certain that all required information, such as your publishing imprint and the copyright year and copyright holder’s name, are accurate. While it’s generally a proofreader’s job to fill in page numbers to their proper cross-references, be sure to verify all cross-references, including references to other chapters, to make sure they point the reader to the correct pages.
Along with reading the words, give each page of your book a visual once-over to make certain everything’s in order. Your book designer will do the same.
Here are three ways to communicate your changes to the typesetter:
Option 1: Using the traditional method, print out the pdf and physically mark your changes on the pages. You should be at least somewhat familiar with basic proofreading symbols and use them consistently to avoid confusion. If you are changing whole paragraphs of text (or larger portions of the typeset manuscript), supply this text as a Word file to accompany the marked-up corrections. This set of marked-up page proofs will need to be either shipped to the typesetter or scanned into a pdf and emailed. Scanning the file ensures you will always have a backup in case the shipment is lost. Additionally, the proofreader or author will have a copy of the changes to verify the next pdf.
Option 2: Keep track of your changes in a Word document. Indicate the printed page number of the book (not the PDF page number) and the paragraph and line where the change appears—for example, page 2, paragraph 3, line 1. If sentences or paragraphs need to be reworded, put them directly into the Word file (make sure you double-check that the supplied text is grammatically sound and without typos). This Word file can then be emailed to the typesetter.
Option 3: Use Acrobat’s comments feature to mark your changes. Newer versions of Acrobat Reader have an editing component that enables you to insert proofer’s marks and comments that instruct the typesetter to make specific changes. The added benefit of this method is that a proofer can supply their version to the author for corroboration prior to the typesetter making the changes in the typeset file. (The PDF file is not the working file, so although some versions of Acrobat allow you to make actual text changes, these will not be reflected in the typeset document.)
If you have any questions about the proof-checking process, please don’t hesitate to ask for clarification.
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