Oftentimes, when clients send an inquiry, they tell me their work needs a proofread. Upon further examination, what they mean, and what they need, is a copy edit. So what’s the difference?
A proofread comes at the very end of the editing process, right before a book goes to print. The proofreader looks for last-minute formatting errors, punctuation errors, or tiny typos. If the people before the proofreader have done their job, then the proofreader shouldn’t have to do much. They are the last check before a work is released to the world.
A proofreader must have an eagle eye so as to be able to catch small errors that the copy editor may have missed or that were accidentally added in during a subsequent edit. Proofreaders don’t do any editing of the text itself unless there is an obvious mistake.
Copy editors, on the other hand, come before the proofread. The copy editor is also looking through a document and fixing any typos or clear errors. They can also do the first pass at formatting for a publisher or journal. However, the big difference between proofreaders and copy editors is that the copy editor is looking at the bigger picture.
A copy editor is not just going to fix errors, but they’re also going to get into the prose and find ways to make it clearer. This can include restructuring sentences, suggesting word substitutions, or noting issues with the flow of the narrative or argument. I like to make any suggestions in a comment, with an explanation of what I’m noticing as a reader. Some copy editors like to just dive in and make the change, but as my clients tend to skew toward the literary, I always want to note why I’m making a change or suggestion so that they can choose whether to accept or reject it.
A copy editor is more of a collaborator than a proofreader is. A copy editor is looking at your prose and thinking critically about how to make it express what you want to say most clearly.
Here’s a sample excerpt (downloaded from this website):
Not every writer (or reader) likes the word ‘genre’ — but there is no denying that definite genres exist in fiction writing. We are all drawn to particular kinds of stories that resonate with us, and when we develop a useful understanding of the elements of different writing genres and how these elements slot together, we can use genre to our own benefit as storytellers.
Every genre has its own conventions and expectations, and a well-developed understanding of these can help a writer captivate and keep readers. If we think back on novels that have made a deep impression on us, the chances are good that they were of a strongly distinctive genre. Let’s have a look at some of the tips and tricks you can use when writing thrillers, romance, science fiction, or fantasy.
Technically, there is very little wrong with this excerpt. It’s formatted in UK style, which I would change for American specs, but otherwise it’s mostly fine. A proofreader would have very little to do here.
Here’s how I would copy edit the same excerpt:
The highlighted sections are comments that I inserted. The first notes that I shortened the sentence for clarity; the second suggests that the author define the word “genre,” before jumping into the paragraph; and the third (at the end) notes that I changed the meaning of the sentence slightly, and asks the author to review it. Depending on the context of the article, I might also ask why the author chose to talk about those genres specifically, and if it’s worth mentioning that.
Here, the author jumps right into talking about “genre” without fully defining what it is. They jump from “genre” to “particular kinds of stories,” and “elements of genres” without providing the reader with a logical bridge that leads them from one concept to the other. While the reader can infer what the author means, clear writing shouldn’t require that. Every step of the author’s logical sequence should be spelled out neatly and clearly. Since this is the start of the essay, it is even more important that the author be extremely clear about what they mean by “genre” and “kinds of stories,” to avoid confusion later on: can these two terms be conflated? What does a genre consist of, exactly? What is an element that makes up a genre? My suggestion is to add a sentence bridging the logical gap.
These are the kinds of things that your copy editor is going to look out for. A proofreader gets the text after the copy edit has already been done and it’s time to publish, while the copy editor gets into the words themselves and looks for how they hinder or enhance what the author is trying to say.
I hope this helps, and clears up the difference between a copy editor and proofreader. This is why I always like to take a look at documents before I sign on to an editing project–because I want to make sure the work I’m doing is appropriate to the stage that it’s in. Sometimes all it needs is a proofread, which is great! But if the author wants some more feedback and in-depth editing, then a copy edit is more appropriate. At the end of the day, I will always work with my authors so that they get the right kind of edit for them and their manuscript.