Both proofreading and editing, when done properly, are skilled tasks that require time, experience and concentrated effort. It’s very different to normal reading. It’s also very 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 Likewise, you may have become accustomed to your own writing habits and quirks, or be relying on outdated grammar ‘rules’ that you were taught in the past.

Professional editors and proofreaders are trained to read your text with a fresh and independent eye and with your intended reader in mind. They enhance your writing quickly and efficiently to make sure your message gets communicated. Importantly, proofreading and copyediting are skilled tasks that involve much more than simply checking for spelling mistakes. A large part of copyediting, for example, is making sure that your text is consistent and coherent. If you don’t have an existing style guide to follow, a good editor can make one for you, which you’ll then be able to use for future publications.

Why not use your own time 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.

Spellcheckers and AI writing tools such as ChatGPT, Superhuman (Grammarly) and ProWritingAid are used by some authors when they are drafting their text. These tools can draw attention to basic errors and mistyped words, but beware of relying on them, and never use them as a final quality check. Despite recent advances in technology, these tools take a blunt, mechanical approach and are programmed with a particular view of grammar and good writing that may not suit your text. They also throw up lots of false positives that are not mistakes at all (I know because I’ve had to undo them). You therefore need to understand grammar in order to make sensible choices about the suggestions these tools make. They are not a substitute for real human judgement (yours or that of a human editor). And if you use AI to write or enhance your text, you risk losing your own unique voice and instead sounding like every other piece of AI-generated writing.

I often get asked something along the lines of ‘I need you to proofread my document. What will it cost?’ You’re hoping for a straight answer, yes? However, it’s not that easy.

Consider this: ‘I need you to paint my kitchen. How much will it cost?’ I could reply that kitchen painting costs £500. That’s great if I turn up on the job and find a brand new small room, the paint pots all ready and all the preparation done. On the other hand, if I find that there are holes in the wall I need to fill, there are some cupboards in the wrong place that need to be moved first, and you haven’t picked any paint yet and need help with that too, you can see my £500 is not going to go so far.

It’s the same with editing and proofreading. The price of the job will depend on what state your text is in before I start, what needs to be done to get it into shape and which bits of the job you’d like to pay me for and what you can do yourself.

If you don’t have a big budget for your publications you might be worried that a professional 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 prove to be money well spent in the long run. The actual cost will always depend on an assessment of your document and editing time needed. Some editors charge more than me, some less. If you engage editors charging much less, check carefully that they have appropriate training or experience.

Have a look at the CIEP suggested minimum rates for basic guidance, but remember these are minimums and I charge more because I have lots of experience. A professional editor’s fee depends on many things, such as the complexity and urgency of the job, the experience and expertise of the editor, and the subject matter or genre of the text.

As a rough guide, a trained editor can proofread about 3,000 words of uncomplicated text per hour and copyedit around 1,000 to 2,000 words per hour. Speed, however, depends on the complexity of the document, what needs to be done and which checks you want to pay for, which is why I’ll give you a free no-obligation estimate of time and price after assessing your draft text. I’ll let you know at the outset when I think I can fit your job into my schedule. I try to return short jobs as soon as possible but longer documents may need to wait for the next available slot.

First impressions do count. When 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 and could be put off.

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. Proofreading isn’t just for books; it’s essential for anything with words that you’re sharing with the public, your staff or your B2B contacts.

You know what you want to say, but is your message making sense to your reader and prompting the action you need buyers or clients to take? An editor who’s also skilled in rewriting or copywriting can help you clarify what you want to say and find the right words to help you write effective marketing pitches.

Ebooks are a great way for independent writers to get work published quickly or repurpose your existing content for online viewing. However, competition is fierce and readers will soon become disengaged or leave bad reviews if your book does not look good or function well. Ebook formatting has different requirements to print layout, and you need to know what you’re doing to get it right. As with many things, you can do it yourself with the right knowhow and tools, but a professional ebook formatter will help you avoid the pitfalls, make sure your files get accepted and in the end save you time and money.

If you are sending your writing to a publisher, you’ll need correctly formatted files or they might be rejected (or worse will be published containing errors). If you’re self-publishing, you’ll have to do the same before sending your document for printing or digital publication. If you’re submitting an academic journal article, you’ll probably need to format it in a particular way, such as double-spaced, all headings in a particular style, and citations and references consistently following a set format.

This all takes time, especially if you are not an expert in using your computer software. An experienced formatter applies templates, styles and formatting requirements as a matter of course and will probably do it quicker than you can.

Graphic designers make your work look great, but they’re paid to design a look and then arrange the text you give them, not to edit or correct it. They sometimes pick up obvious errors, but that’s not their job. It’s like expecting the plumber to notice if your electrical wiring is faulty. Do your homework on who is the best professional to help you with each step of the publishing process and then outsource what you can. Getting personal recommendations from others can be a good start.