Every so often I receive an email like this:

Subject: quick proofread

Hi Deborah,

I’ve written a book about my gap year travelling through South Africa. It’s almost ready for publishing. Can you give it a quick read for typos? It’s 362 pages and my budget is $350.

Thanks,

John

Upon reading such an email, three thoughts go through my head. First is, Wow, gap year in South Africa? Rad! 

My second thought is, I need way more info before I can think about saying yes to this project.

Third, a quick read for typos is never a quick read for typos.

Let’s break down my thoughts further and see what I need to know as John’s potential future editor/proofreader. Time to switch numbering systems.

1. I need to know the word count. For editors, page counts mean nothing. I don’t know what John’s set his font to! 12pt Times New Roman at 1.5 line spacing? 14 pt Arial at 0 line spacing?? Word counts are objective.
2. I need to see the manuscript before I quote. John may have asked for a quick read for typos, but what does his gap-year memoir actually need? Lots of people ask for proofreading, but what they mean is editing. I get it, the work I do is behind the scenes and not always obvious, so one person’s proofreading is another person’s editing (but I hope that these newsletters are demystifying the process!).
3. Unless the word count for John’s book is 3,000 words, he’s going to need a way bigger budget (and a much longer book).
4. If it’s actually a proofread John needs, great. I will definitely do a proofread. But even when I’m proofreading, I’m still not doing a quick read for typos. I’m doing a careful, attentive read for typos. And factual errors. And wonky formatting.

But I’m going to give John the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he’s emailing a few different editors. Maybe he doesn’t know just how much time (and therefore money) goes into editing or proofreading a manuscript. Maybe he’s a new writer who doesn’t know what he doesn’t know but damn is he excited to share his story with the world! I love that!

Time to reply to John.

Kia ora John,

Congratulations on writing your book! That’s a huge achievement. Love that you spent your gap year in South Africa. I’m keen to hear more about your time there.

Could we get together on a call and talk more about your story? You can book a time here. A chat will let me learn more about you, your adventures, where you are in the writing process, and what your publishing goals are.

Once we’ve talked, I can complete a free sample edit so you can see how I work and the types of changes I make. It’s important that we’re a good fit because we’ll be working together closely. The sample edit also helps me work out my quote.

In the meantime, check out my adventure edit. I go into a lot more detail about my editing process and costs and your publishing goals.

Congratulations again on completing your story! Looking forward to learning more.

Cheers,

Deborah

I’m always up for a chat. Talking, by email or voice, is the best first step for us to find out where you are in the writing process, what you goals are, and what your timeline is. Once I know all that, I’m in a better position to say “Yes, let’s go with a manuscript evaluation and get the structure nailed down.” Or, “Let me get into the weeds and work the story at a sentence level.” Or even, “I might not be the best editor for you. So-and-so could be a better fit.”

A quick read for typos is just not something I do. Close, careful reading with your voice and the reader’s experience in mind is what I do.

So, be like John: check out my adventure edit or book a call with me.

Trust the process. We’ll get there.