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I’m good at spelling so I have checked the text myself
I have a computer spellchecker
Mistakes can be costly
Are you reaching your target audience?
Make best use of your time
A matter of style
I already pay a design agency
First impressions count
Money well spent
I’m good at spelling so I have checked the text myself
It’s notoriously difficult to spot mistakes or weak points in your own writing because your brain sees what you know it should say rather than what it does say. Likewise, we all get accustomed to our own bad habits and quirks. Independent editors read your text with a fresh eye and with your reader in mind. Importantly, proofreading and copy-editing are skilled tasks which involve much more than simply checking for spelling mistakes. An editor can also check, for example, grammar, punctuation, the structure of your text, whether it is suitable for your audience, consistency and style, factual accuracy, cross-references and illustration captions, and can mark up your text ready for typesetting or printing.
I have a computer spellchecker
Spellcheckers are great for drawing attention to obvious errors and mistyped words, but beware of relying on this method. Despite recent advances in technology, your computer is just a machine. It doesn’t know that you meant to write about the great sight you saw and not the great fight, or that your boss was imprudent, not impudent (all perfectly acceptable to the spellchecker). If you have a habit of confusing there and their, the spellchecker won’t recognise when you’ve used the wrong one. And grammar checkers... don’t go there!
Mistakes can be costly
You checked the flyer again and again, you’ve just had 1,000 copies printed, and... how could you have forgotten to add the contact telephone number?! Now you have to write the number on each flyer, which looks very unprofessional, or get your material printed again. Having an editor proofread your text before printing can avoid such costly mistakes.
Are you reaching your target audience?
You know what you want to say, but is your message making sense to your reader? An editor can help you clarify what you want to say and find the right words to help make your writing reader-friendly.
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Make best use of your time
You are great at what you do, but words may not be your strongest skill. Both proofreading and copy-editing, when done properly, are skilled tasks which require time, experience and concentrated effort. Professional editors are trained to do the job quickly and efficiently. Why not use your own time, or the time of your employees, for what you do best, and leave the editing to a trained professional? When the pipes burst, most of us call a plumber. When it comes to writing, it makes sense to call on the person whose job it is to work with words.
A matter of style
If you are submitting your work to a publisher or a printer you will probably need to present it in a particular way, for example, double-spaced, all headings in a particular style, references typed consistently, etc. This all takes time, especially if you are not an expert in using your computer software. A copy-editor applies these styles and rules as a matter of course and will probably do it quicker than you can. If you don’t have an existing style guide to follow, a good editor can make one for you, which you will then be able to use for future publications.
I already pay a design agency
Graphic designers make your work look great, but they’re paid to arrange the text you give them, not to edit it. They sometimes pick up obvious errors, but often don’t. It’s like expecting the plumber to notice if your electrical wiring is faulty.
First impressions count
You are looking for a service provider. Do you go to the person whose website is full of spelling mistakes and broken hyperlinks, or to the one who puts across a clear, simple and error-free message about what they can do for you? Likewise, sending out printed material that contains mistakes and inconsistencies will not inspire confidence. Marketing your services is hard enough – don’t let poor writing make it harder. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling or promoting – people will notice.
Money well spent
If you don’t have a big budget for your publications you might be worried that a professional copy-editor or proofreader will cost too much. However, it usually works out as a small proportion of your overall costs, and money spent at this stage can produce very valuable rewards. The rates for proofreading and copy-editing recommended by the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP) give a rough guide to the MINIMUM hourly rates you might expect to pay a trained and experienced freelance editor. A good editor can proofread about 3,000 words of 'normal' text per hour and copy-edit up to 2,000 words per hour. Speed, however, depends on the complexity of the text and what needs to be done. So, for example, a short business brochure may cost from £15 to proofread, a 10,000-word document around £100, whereas a 100,000-word book may cost from £750 upwards. Some editors charge more than this, some less. If you engage editors charging much less than this, check carefully that they have appropriate training or experience.