“I need a proofreader!” cries the self-publishing author! But what is proofreading?
Category Archives: Proofreading
Fact in fiction
Just because the characters and the story have come from your imagination, there is still a place for fact in fiction. Getting that right is key – and is also just one of a number of things that your editor will be checking.
Emails, tweets, texts …
Emails, texts, tweets and status updates. They are everywhere in our lives and so, increasingly, they are finding their way into novels.
But exactly how do you show this emails, texts, tweets and the like in your own writing?
Money makes the world go round
Not many editors will publicly discuss their rates. That’s not to be secretive or because we want to hide extortionate fees. It’s because there isn’t a one-budget-fits-all approach to pricing an editing or proofreading job.
Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook 2021
I’ve blogged before about some of the essential tools of the trade. And this is another vital book for any writer, editor or anybody else who regularly works with words.
Watch your tail
We are not going to look at apostrophes for possession today, perhaps I’ll cover that soon. Instead, we are going to look at apostrophes that are used for contractions: the shortening of words.
It depends…
Often, as an editor, I’m asked about what’s right. People assume that there are rules, after all, language can’t be completely random can it?
Well, very often there is no right answer. It depends!
Going italic for Italian
Let’s not get laissez-faire over this. There are rules! So, settle down with your café noir, if that’s your preference, and let’s discuss italics.
A day in the life
As a child, I used to love reading about the day in the life of different professions. Those books were great and gave you a real insight, albeit in a child friendly way, about those professions.
Don’t cause a distraction
Every time I walk into a branch of a, well-known, discount chain, I am distracted by the massive sign they have above one of the aisles. It tells me that I can buy “DVD’s” there.
