As writers, more often than not, we pour our heart and soul into our work, so it can be hard to step back and let someone else act as our second set of eyes. But besides the obvious benefits – catching unwitting typos and grammatical errors – a proofreader and editor can play a crucial role in the success of your business.
Below, we’ll discuss three benefits of a proofreader and editor on your team.
Proofreading vs editing – which one do you need?
A lot of proofreaders offer editing and vice versa, and while these terms are often used interchangeably, there are some key differences between the two services, so it’s important to know what you’re asking for when you send that enquiry email.
Proofreading
Proofreading is the final check of a document before you press send or go to print. Its importance is often overlooked because we all tend to proofread our work a few times before we send it on.
However, it can often be hard for us to spot our own mistakes – we tend to skip over them because we ‘know’ what we’re reading and our brains don’t pick up typos, spelling errors or a missing full stop.
As a fresh set of eyes on your work, your proofreader will do a thorough review of your piece to ensure the Ts are crossed and the Is are dotted.
Proofreading includes identifying and correcting:
- spelling errors and typos
- punctuation errors
- grammatical errors
- missing words or double ups
- document formatting or spacing issues.
Copy editing
Copy editing is a more substantial service and is ideal if you need assistance with sentence structure and flow, or would like some help fixing any inconsistencies in tone across your work.
Having a professional copy edit your work will generally result in a few more red pen marks on your piece, but it’ll all be worth it for the final result.
Copy editing includes identifying and correcting:
- awkward sentence structure and flow
- style and tone inconsistencies
- spelling errors and typos
- punctuation errors
- grammatical errors
- missing words or double ups
- document formatting or spacing issues.
Transforming your business with a proofreader and editor
So, how can having a proofreader and editor on your team make a big difference to your business?
1. You get to play to your strengths
We all have parts of our jobs that we don’t like, so we end up either procrastinating or spiralling about how long something is taking us to do.
If you’re an ideas person who loves getting lost in the flow of writing, then chances are, the idea of going through your work with a fine-tooth comb looking for small errors fills you with dread.
When you’re working to a deadline, there’s nothing worse than being pulled out of your flow to check whether you’ve used the right word or to confirm your punctuation is correct. It can be easy to get bogged down and lose momentum, which can be frustrating on a personal level and impact your productivity and in turn, your business.
The solution? Give that job to a proofreader and editor.
While you might thrive looking at the big picture, a proofreader and editor is comfortable in the details. They can spot a homonym or a stray comma, offer you feedback about what’s working and put the finishing touches on your piece, so you can get back to the part you love: writing.
2. Build your reputation
When trying to grow or maintain a business, nothing is more important than a good reputation. And nothing says ‘unprofessional’ faster than a spelling error or a poorly structured paragraph in your written correspondence.
Your writing is often your foot-in-the-door introduction to clients – it’s important it reflects the quality and standard of work you intend to continue delivering. A proofreader and editor can ensure that first impression is a good one — so you get the opportunity to make a second and third.
3. Grow your business
Having a proofreader and editor on board means you get time and energy back you can invest in growing your business.
With a reputation for delivering quality, error-free work, you’ll be trusted by clients and able to take on more projects, knowing you have a team member on board who’s got the proofing and editing sorted.
You’ll also have time to take those upskilling courses you’ve been planning, streamline your processes, or spend some time recruiting and training new team members.
To learn more about how a professional proofreader and editor can help your business thrive, contact us to get started.