Proofreading checklist: How to check page proofs like a professional

4/9/2017

If you're proofreading final designed page proofs, there's more to look out for than the odd typo or double space. Professional proofreaders identify and find solutions to a range of layout problems too.

This post featured in Joel Friedlander's Carnival of the Indies #84

Who's this checklist for?
This is for anyone checking final designed page proofs, For example:

Self-publishing authors preparing for print-on-demand. Use this when working through the PDF generated by the likes of CreateSpace or Bookbaby
Business owners producing PDF or printed reports, booklets, manuals or ebooks. Use this to check your file before it's distributed to your clients or uploaded to your website
Professional proofreaders. Use this to check page proofs for your publisher clients and independent authors.

I've proofread over 500 books for the mainstream publishing industry. The checklist below is based on the house guidelines provided by the publishers I've worked for.

The titles I've proofread include social science textbooks, handbooks and monographs, and works of fiction and narrative non-fiction. And while the subject matter has varied, the requirements for checking final page proofs hasn't.

Note my use of the term 'final designed page proofs'. This checklist is not for those doing a final quality-control check in a Word document. Rather, we're dealing with a typeset PDF or hardcopy of the book as it will appear when printed or published online.

For that reason, the proofreader is tasked with ensuring that the appearance of the book is consistent and correct according to client preference. This PDF provides a summary of the required checks. Click on the image to download your free copy.

Louise Harnby is a fiction copyeditor and proofreader. She curates The Proofreader's Parlour and is the author of several books on business planning and marketing for editors and proofreaders.

Visit her business website at Louise Harnby | Proofreader & Copyeditor, say hello on Twitter at @LouiseHarnby, or connect via Facebook and LinkedIn.

If you're an author, you might like to visit Louise’s Writing Library to access my latest self-publishing resources, all of which are free and available instantly.

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7 Comments

Susan M Sparks link

5/9/2017 10:44:24 pm

Thank you for this checklist! Very generous of you.

Louise Harnby

28/10/2017 05:28:24 pm

You are so welcome, Susan! Hope you find it useful!

Sarah Mallon

19/9/2018 10:36:01 am

Thank you so much for this. I found it very helpful and informative.

20/9/2018 05:43:59 pm

Thanks, Sarah! That's great to hear.

Mia

28/11/2018 08:59:26 am

Thanks for sharing this really useful resource!

Merridy link

26/2/2019 03:52:31 am

Thanks, Louise. Your checklist gives my author an understanding of the task (and what could go wrong if she skips this step).

Luke Kendall link

10/4/2019 06:47:31 am

I'm glad to say I do all those things, bar one, as well as:
- check that all 'internal title pages', like "Book 1" or "Part 1" type things, occur on odd pages and are followed by a blank page (for the print edition only)
- check that justification (typically flush) is consistent throughout
- try to avoid pages with a single line of text at the top.
- use of open-apostrophe instead of close-apostrophe when indicating a contraction at the start of words (when reproducing speech pattern, as in: 'ow you doin', mate?)
- italicisation spread past the intended italic text
- correctness of any URLs provided

The one thing I do the opposite of, is to ensure all sentences end with two spaces. No, the argument that it crept in due to typewriters is a myth. Single spaces crept in because of a bug in early linotype machines.

Also, errors can creep in even when you think you've checked and re-checked. E.g. I suspect the repetition of the "Page depth" and "Page margins" checklist in your own checklist is a tiny error.