Difference between Proofreading and Editing? What do you need?
The writing part is the major task but so is the editing part as well. There are a lot of things that are needed to be looked at after the writing part.
Manuscript/story editing is one of the most important steps before you publish your book.
Read: How to self publish a book for free?
What is editing?
Editing is the process which helps the writer revise their content, plot, structure, grammar, settings, and rewriting if needed. Editing focuses on everything from the minor to major detail that needs to change.
What is proofreading?
After when the editing is done rigorously depending on the need of the manuscript – proofreading is done to make sure no errors are left and it is all grammatically perfect.
Basic difference between proofreading and editing:
Proofreading | Editing | |
1. | Performed on the document’s final version | Performed on the document’s first draught and continues until the manuscript is finalised |
2. | Surface-level concerns are addressed. | focuses on the essential aspects of writing |
3. | A universally recognised and consistent definition | The scope of editing determines the definition. |
4. | Misspellings, grammatical and punctuation errors, inconsistencies, formatting issues, and so on are all eliminated. | Changes the wording to improve clarity, readability, and smooth narrative. |
5. | Word count decrease is not included. | If necessary, word reduction is included. |
6. | Makes already excellent writing error-free | The overall writing quality has improved. |
7. | Does not necessitate extensive consultation with the author; a shorter turnaround time | Collaborative because the editor must collaborate with the author Slightly longer turnaround time (as the amount of work required is more) |
8. | Surface-level concerns are addressed. | Performed on the document’s first draught and continues until the manuscript is finalised |
Few pointers to keep in mind while editing or proofreading –
- Remove all noise and other distractions. If you concentrate, you will catch more errors.
- Do not revise your paper in the same session in which you wrote it. Leave it alone for a bit, even a few days, and then return to it. This will provide you with fresh eyes and enable you to detect more faults.
- When you’ve gone over it as thoroughly as you can, have someone else read it. The second set of eyes can see twice as much as one.
- Don’t rely solely on spell and grammar checks. They, too, make mistakes.
- Determine if editing on a computer or a printed page is more convenient for you.
- Keep your resources nearby so you can immediately look up anything you’re unsure of. Some useful resources are dictionaries, Thesaurus, Handbooks, Handouts, etc..
Editing or Proofreading – which one do you really need?
A manuscript has different versions – as you edit it each draft becomes a newer version.
Editing is more thorough and has chances to improve a manuscript from better to best; it is what defines the story, plot, characters, structure etc.. Whether the book is fiction, non-fiction, or poetry – the editing process depends on the subject matter too.
Proofreading is a bit more like winding up the manuscript. It clears up the edges and smoothens the missing mistakes. It’s like plating the food that you’ve prepared.
To decide what you need to do with your manuscript is as easy as cooking maggie.
Whether you write well or not – everyone needs editing. After writing the entire story, take a break from your story and get back to it in a few days. Read it as a reader – if you think that it needs a lot of rephrasing, then it needs editing layers.
If it seems that it needs a few grammar tweaks then it needs proofreading.
Even though a layer of proofreading is of utmost necessity after editing layers.
EDITOR – PROOFREADER – Careers
Jobs in the area of Editing are getting popular a lot. There are a lot of freelancing opportunities as well as job opportunities that would refine you and your editing skills.
In India, an average salary of an editor is 30K per month and in the USA, the average salary is 54k$ per month.
Hope you enjoyed these blog and found it informative. Also, feel free to comment what do you want from us in upcoming blogs.
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