Proofreading fiction for trade publishers

Find out more about proofreading for trade fiction publishers, including fees, scope and getting work.

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Update from Louise

This article was written in 2012. While I now line edit exclusively for indie authors, I'm confident that what I share below about my experience back in the day still stands.

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Trade proofreading experience

​My trade fiction proofreads include Pulitzer Prize-winning Jennifer Egan’s A Visit from the Goon Squad, The Mammoth Book of SF Wars (edited by Ian Watson and Ian Whates), two novels by crime novelist Diane Janes, The Pull of the Moon and Why Don’t You Come for Me?, the new edition of Donn Pearce’s Cool Hand Luke, and Christopher Buckley’s satirical gem Little Green Men. 

Pan Books asked me to work on a new edition of The Rats. The first edition had been published way back in 1974 and it was James Herbert’s debut novel. It was an immediate hit that would sell millions in the nearly four decades that followed. The author died in 2013 and the new edition, with a foreword by Neil Gaiman, was published a year later.

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The medium in which I’m working

When working for trade publishers, the pages I'm checking at proof stage have usually been typeset and are just about ready for press.

All the developmental work has been carried out; and the book has been copy-edited.

My job is to focus on any final inconsistencies, spelling, grammar and punctuation errors that were missed at copy-editing stage, as well as layout problems that crept in during the typesetting process.

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Getting work with trade publishers

Unless you have prior experience with this genre, either in-house or as a freelance, this can be a difficult field to access at the beginning of your career.

It’s very competitive and most publishers tend to stick to proofreaders who have a background in the field and who don’t need hand-holding.

​Recommendation can play a huge part, as can luck. Nevertheless, perseverance might pay off so if this is something you really want to do, then you should have a go. The worst thing a prospective client can say is "no", but at least you'll have tried.

Make sure you have a website
Make sure you have a website and are advertising your fiction proofreading services. Even publishers want to be able to verify a freelance proofreader's credentials and business legitimacy.

Get experience with small, independent presses
If you don't have any experience, consider offering to do some gratis work for small, independent presses who can't afford to buy in editorial services.

Target publishers who publish fiction and non-fiction
If you already have some professional proofreading experience and want to target paying publisher clients, consider focusing on those who publish both fiction and non-fiction.

You may find it easier to get work on their non-fiction lists first. Then, once you have in-house contacts, the transition to fiction will be easier.

Be sure to check on their websites first to ensure you have the necessary qualifications. Some publishers’ sites make it clear that it’s a waste of time contacting them as they have an established bank of freelancers. Others have particular requirements in terms of experience and training. 

Who to contact
The titles of the people you need to contact vary from publisher to publisher but include:

• editorial production editor
• editorial production manager
• editorial production controller
  
• desk editor
  
• managing editor
  
• project editor.
  

A quick telephone call to the company should clarify who you need to target for each of your prospective clients.

My strategy (with any publisher, trade or otherwise) is to contact this person with an initial email and then follow up with a covering letter and CV (so that they have something to hold on file).

Get transferable experience and testimonials with indie authors
You might find it easier to get fiction proofreading work with indie authors if you're prepared to make market yourself and build your visibility.

That can lead to testimonials that provide social proof, and a more interesting portfolio, both of which will make a stronger impression on any trade publisher who visits your website.

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Tackling some of the peculiarities of fiction proofreading

I find fiction proofreading much harder than social sciences academic proofreading – all the rules of grammar, punctuation and spelling can go out of the window and the layout of the text might appear unconventional.

If you're used to working on professional or academic projects, the work may seem daunting and, in my experience, generates more head-scratching moments.

Embracing breaks in convention
Sometimes a writer will decide to do away with a particular convention. A good, though rare, example the omission of quotation marks – this decision may be, for example, because the author wants to keep their reader guessing as to whether their character is thinking something or is actually saying it.

You may also come across the following:

• incomplete sentences (sentence fragments)
  
• phonetically spelled words that indicate a character’s accent
  
• unfamiliar syntax and terminology when characters are speaking in dialect.
  

Before you start the job, make sure you've understood whether there's anything unconventional about the fiction title you’re working on, and be prepared to leave well enough alone ... or make a temporary mark.

Your publisher will be able to guide you on the decisions that have already been made as to how these elements should be treated.

Author style
Care needs to be taken when proofreading a fiction title so as not to interfere with the author’s style. This relates back to the issue of convention breaking.

Yes, your author uses split infinitives and comma splices. You may not like them; you may think the sentences are clunky to read. But that may be their way, and it’s not necessarily the proofreader’s job to correct this – a judgement may have already been made by a copy-editor and in-house desk editor in discussion with the author.

Again, you should leave well enough alone unless you're sure of what you are doing. Don’t spend too much time with your head in your hands, wondering whether to mark up. It's always better to query.

If you see a similar problem cropping up repeatedly and you’re not comfortable with putting it down to "author style", call up the project manager.

The brief
Working for any publisher client (trade or otherwise) requires that you stick to the brief.

Ask your in-house editor what they expect from you and how far they want you to intervene.

You’ll probably be working on page proofs (more likely PDFs these days) so the degree to which you intervene will be determined by your client. Some want minimal correction at page-proof stage; others may wish you to be pedantic.

Read first; proof later
One tactic I find useful when I proofread fiction is simply to read two or three chapters before I do anything else.

I’m not looking for problems; I’m simply getting a feel for the plot, the author’s voice, which characters are being introduced, and taking note of any unconventional styles I come across. This helps prevent the "head in hands" scenario.

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What to watch out for

Enjoying the job too much
One of the dangers of proofreading fiction is getting so wrapped up in the story that you end up reading the book rather than proofreading it.

Force yourself to keep your pace steady rather than rushing ahead in an effort "to see what happens".

Inconsistency
Make a style sheet so that you’re clear about things you need to be checking.

Characters’ names, and consistency in how they are spelled, are particularly important. Mistakes not only make the work look sloppy but also render the story confusing to the reader.

One tactic if you're marking up a PDF is to strip the content into a text file and run word-frequency/concordance software or macros to generate a word list. You can scan the list for all proper names and see if there are inconsistencies.

Style
As with any proofreading project, regardless of genre, take care to adhere to the publisher’s preferences, for example:

• -ise/-ize endings
  
• US/UK spelling (grey/gray; colour/color)
  
• terminology (elevator/lift; sidewalk/path)
  
• punctuation style.

Missing line spaces and other layout issues
Watch out for changes of scene that are not indicated by line spaces.

These breaks can easily get lost in the typesetting process and can make things very confusing for the reader.

You may also be confronted with other aspects of unconventional layout, such as the way dialogue is displayed, some of which would ordinarily be considered non-standard.

Always check with the client or mark up with a query. And don't forget to consider any implications for pagination.

Dialogue
Particular care needs to be given to the management of dialogue in fiction proofreads.

One of the most common errors is missing closing speech marks around dialogue; another is misunderstanding how punctuation within speech marks is to be treated – this varies according to publisher style.

Treatment of different types of speech
Most clients will prefer to treat memories, dreams and thoughts differently from speech.

Use of italics and the omission of speech marks are common in these cases, so be sure that you understand the conventions being used and mark up accordingly and consistently.

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A word of warning – Are you proofreading or editing?

​One of the trickiest things you may come across is that of being commissioned to “proofread” when actually you’re being expected to edit.

Some trade publishers are doing away with the copy-editing stage of the process, or doing the editing in-house to save on the cost of a professional freelancer.

The proofreader is not always aware of this. The result is that some proofs could arrive on your desk that are not of a standard you are used to working with.

This presents potential problems from several angles.

Perception of your role
If you haven’t been told explicitly that the proof pages have not been copy-edited, you may end up making false assumptions about what's required of you.

This can lead to under-marking in the belief that such a level of intervention is inappropriate at proofreading stage. Your client is expecting one level of service, while you're providing something different.

Practical issues
Proofreading badly written and unedited manuscripts that have already been typeset is a difficult task. There's less space on typeset pages in which to mark up.

Where the proofs need heavy intervention, this can be problematic – while the focus should be on amending each problem as you find it, instead you could be drawn towards concentrating too much on how to manage the spatial issues.

Take care not to miss obvious small errors because your attention's being pulled in another direction.

Skillset
Unless you're a trained copy-editor you may not have the skills to do the work the client wants – copy-editing and proofreading are different jobs and you may not feel you're up to the task.

Fairness
Even if you are a trained copy-editor, you may feel that you're being expected to do the job of an editor but for proofreading rates.

If you find yourself in such a situation, contact the desk editor immediately and ask about the copy-editing work that was done on the manuscript.

Try to get as much detail as you can on what's required at proofreading stage. Then make your decision as to whether you feel comfortable dealing with the work.

This puts you in control and will prevent problems further down the line.

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What’s the pay like?

Trade publishers tend to pay lower rates than their academic counterparts. The higher rates tend to be offered by science, technical and medical publishers, who often commission editors and proofreaders with relevant qualifications in the field.

Fiction rarely requires the same degree of specialist knowledge at proofreading stage, aside from fiction conventions. Additionally, there are lots of people who want to proofread fiction. 

Trade publishing business models often make for slim margins, and the editorial service budgets reflect this. 

Having said this, I found the work hugely rewarding – it was a genuine pleasure to get up in the morning, knowing that you're being paid to proofread something you’d enjoy reading in your leisure time!

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About Louise Harnby

Louise Harnby is a line editor, copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in working with crime, mystery, suspense and thriller writers.

She is an Advanced Professional Member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP) and co-hosts The Editing Podcast.

• Get in touch: Louise Harnby | Crime Fiction & Thriller Editor
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