What do you do?
A field of speciality is a funny thing. People often have a preconception of what it is they think you do. In fact, recently, there was a proliferation of the meme ‘What people think I do’ which showed several different stereotypes for a career. All of which have been correct in AN instance of that career.
When I first thought about entering this field, I thought I knew I wanted to be an editor. I wanted to help people remove any mistakes, of which we are all capable, from their work. To allow their readers to be fully immersed in the world that they were creating, without being distracted by irritating typos, inconsistencies, or grammatical errors. However, after a few questions and conversations with people in the industry, it turned out that what I wanted to be was a mix between a proofreader and a copyeditor – a proof-editor, if you will.
But really, what is the difference? It is subtle, I’ll grant you that, but it is important and there are distinctions between the various roles. I’ll also explain the role of a copy writer, just to further illuminate the process. Every time I’ve been asked to explain, I usually find it easiest to give a brief overview of the life of a text, from conception to publication. So, let’s begin.
Initially, the idea for a text will be formed. Whether that’s in creating a brief for an advertising project, blog post or members email, or the first few nuggets of a story in an author’s mind, it all starts somewhere. For most of those examples, the brief will be given to a copy writer, who will then put their talented mind to work fleshing it out and making it something that is worth reading.
After they are happy with it, the text will get handed over to a copyeditor. A copyeditor will review the text and the brief, ensuring that the brief was hit, that any company standards for tone of voice or house style are met and that there are no glaring inconsistencies, spelling or grammatical errors – as well as a few other things (can’t give away ALL the trade secrets!).
The text is then given back to the author/copy writer or given to a printer, who will integrate the suggested changes and getting it to that final draft stage, almost ready for publication. At this stage, a proofreader is called in to give it that final once over. Their attention to detail must be microscopic, as they not only check that the document presented to them is good, but also that the changes suggested and taken on board have also actually been correctly amalgamated. Only after the proofreader has fine-tuned everything, is the manuscript ready to print.
If you’re interested in a more comprehensive breakdown of the what proofreading and copyediting are, please check out this helpful factsheet from my professional body (the Chartered Institute of Editors and Proofreaders): factsheet. So, as you can see, it’s a multi-faceted process and each of those three roles – although all under the same roof – are distinctly different. You will find that many companies, maybe even your own, has one person doing all three tasks, or a team of people who are all doing all three tasks. While this isn’t impossible, indeed, I can do it if needed, a fresh eye is always welcome for such a detailed job. At the very least, splitting the task in two and allowing writers to write and editors/proofreaders to fine tune would give your work every chance of being published to the highest standard. Why not reach out and we can discuss your project?
