Copy editing & proofreading
What's the difference?
Proofreading
Proofreading is done after a text has been written and edited, and is a last-minute check for any small typographical errors (e.g. spelling and punctuation mistakes, omissions, etc). Historically, it was a check of ‘proofs’, the final copy of a text about to be printed.
Copy editing
Copy editing involves proofreading but also revising the text: correcting grammar, finding more apt vocabulary, rewriting a sentence or paragraph to make it understandable or read better, getting rid of wordiness or jargon, using a superior level of English, changing style to suit the publication the text is for, and checking information where necessary (e.g. the correct name of an organisation) – all of which involves more time and effort.
Note: Please remember that proofreading involves only minor corrections – any document requiring more extensive work is classed as copy editing, and this is usually what customers want. ‘More extensive work’ means having to spend more thinking time on a document (because of greater effort needed to both understand and rewrite it) – it doesn’t refer to how many actual corrections are made! I always assume that a customer wants copy editing unless they actually state they want proofreading.
Quote
Please send me a message using my Contact form, telling me what you need and attaching your finished document in MS Word format. I can then calculate how much it will cost to copy edit or proofread. I charge per word, according to the table in the Charges section below.
The price I give you is for the WHOLE text you send me. If you don’t want me to copy edit or proofread any part of your original text, please remove it first – I don’t delete anything myself, even if it’s highlighted. Remember to send me the text as a Word document, not pdf or other format.
In the case of academic work (essays, theses, dissertations, etc) for tertiary institutions (universities, polytechnics, colleges, etc), I follow University of Essex guidelines on proofreading services (https://www1.essex.ac.uk/proofreading/policy.aspx/). This does not apply to work such as academic articles for journals, etc.
Note: I don’t begin copy editing or proofreading any piece unless my quoted price has been accepted by a customer in an email.
Your document
I use ‘Track Changes’ in Microsoft Word documents to record all the changes I make to your text. When I return the document, all you have to do is right click on each change and decide whether to ‘Accept Insertion’ or ‘Reject Insertion’ － in other words, to keep my change or go back to your original version. I use (and correct texts to) Standard English spelling – please tell me before editing if you require American English spelling instead.
Charges
Standard charges*
Copy editing
1-4 pages: €0.052 pw**
5+ pages: €0.042 pw
Proofreading
1-4 pages: €0.043 pw
5+ pages: €0.034 pw
Within 72 hours
Copy editing
1-4 pages: €0.060 pw
5+ pages: €0.048 pw
Proofreading
1-4 pages: €0.049 pw
5+ pages: €0.039 pw
Within 24 hours
Copy editing
1-4 pages: €0.063 pw
5+ pages: €0.050 pw
Proofreading
1-4 pages:€0.051 pw
5+ pages: €0.041 pw
* Deadline confirmed individually with customer
** Per word
My minimum charge is €23 for a single MS Word page or less. By law I am required to add 23% VAT to the above charges – an extra cost that goes to the tax office, not to me!
Payment
After returning your edited document, I invoice you through a Polish organisation called Fundacja Rozwoju Przedsiębiorczości „Twój StartUp”. For this I first need your full address, and if you are a business in Poland, your NIP. Please supply this information when you confirm your order. Remember: you will receive your invoice from Twój StartUp, not me! Payment details (bank account number, etc) are on the invoice.
Note: if you are a new customer and the cost of your copy editing/proofreading is over €100, I ask for half the payment after I have done half the work and sent it to you. Once this is paid I will complete the second half of your work and invoice you for that separately.