The Publishing Industry
The Publishing Industry
Proofreaders play a very specific role in the publishing process. While editors come in at all stages of the publishing process, proofreaders are only called in when something needs to be finalized. There are, of course, exceptions to this, but they are fairly limited.
In this lesson, we're going to take a look at how proofreading fits into the publishing process. We'll introduce you to some terms that everyone involved in the publishing industry should be familiar with, and then we'll talk about some legal and ethical concerns that you may face when proofreading.
Here is the general process for publishing a book. The timeline varies greatly depending on the type of text being published, but the industry average is about a year.
The author submits a manuscript to a printer or publishing house.
If approved, negotiations on rights begin and suggestions for revisions are provided to the author.
The manuscript is passed on to production.
Cover art (and any other art) is chosen or created.
Editing and copyediting begins.
The manuscript is given back to the author for approval.
Proofs are created.
Proofreading begins.
The author reviews the galleys and suggests any changes he or she sees necessary.
Marketing begins.
The book is printed based on the number of orders the publishing house receives from booksellers.
The book is distributed.
The author gets rich. Well, this one may not happen, at least not at first.
Note: Steps five through eight might be repeated several times until editing and proofreading are completed.
Depending upon the publisher, there may be more or fewer steps to this process. Some publishers do very little editing or proofreading in-house and want only manuscripts that are as close to finished as possible. Requirements are often different for fiction and nonfiction publishers.
Let's now turn to the proofreader's role and responsibilities. Then we'll look at some of the terminology that you frequently run into in the publishing world.
In the very first lesson of this training, we defined the role of a proofreader, but the topic is worth returning to, however briefly. We feel it's important to underscore a couple of key elements of proofreading. First, we want to remind you again that the proofreader may be one of the last people to see the text before it goes to print.
It's easy for this fact to weigh heavily on a proofreader. After all, if there are mistakes, with whom will the responsibility lie? Well, proofreaders don't have to correct everything. Remember that any problems with the text that go beyond the scope of a proofreader's responsibilities should be sent back to an editor or sent to the author for further examination. The document a proofreader sees should be, for all intents and purposes, "ready" to print. The role of a proofreader is a little more clearly defined if you picture the proofreader as a sort of quality control, rather than someone who will "fix" problems.
For this reason, there aren't as many types of proofreaders as there are types of editors. In fact, it's pretty hard to define proofreading in many more ways than one. Luckily, we've met that challenge and come up with two different types of proofreading you, as a proofreader, may be called upon to do.
We're going to break down proofreading into two categories: comprehensive proofreading and surface proofreading (or traditional proofreading). What do these two things involve? Let's take a closer look.
Comprehensive proofreading means proofreading everything in a document. When comprehensively proofreading, you will proofread for formatting problems (including headings, margins, tables of contents, lists of figures and tables, line spacing, font size, font type, figures, captions, bibliographies, appendices, and everything else you can think of that can be formatted), you will proofread for internal consistency, you will proofread formulas and equations, and you will perform surface proofreading as well. This brings us to . . .
Surface proofreading is the kind of proofreading you most likely think of when someone says the word proofread. You will look for spelling errors, punctuation errors, and simple grammar errors. You will make sure that acronyms are used consistently and that numbers are spelled out in a consistent way. Last, you will make sure that the layout of the proofs themselves will transfer easily to print (i.e., you'll make sure that single lines from paragraphs aren't left hanging alone at the tops and bottoms of pages).
We should say at the outset that individual fields may have more advanced categorizations for proofreading. If a document has been translated from another language, the document may require one or two additional proofreading steps to ensure that it is translated as accurately as possible. While authors typically don't work very closely with proofreaders, translated documents often require intense communication between authors, editors, and proofreaders. If a document has an inordinate number of mathematical equations, one proofreader may be called in to proofread only the equations themselves, while another proofreader will be called in to make sure the text is orderly and clean.
So when does a proofreader come into the picture? Well, that all depends upon the type of document. But you want answers here, right? Not this wishy-washy "it depends" talk? Fortunately, we can provide some pretty concrete answers for this one.
Proofreaders are called in whenever a document turns some kind of major corner. Ideally, proofreading is the last stage of preparing a document for print. After the editor and author have finalized major structural changes and have solidified the content of a document, a proofreader will be called in to check that document. This is pretty straightforward. However, if the proofreader identifies any major structural problems or problems with the accuracy of the content, the document must be sent back to the editor or author. Once the changes have been made, the document must go through a fresh proofread.
And this is where the "it depends" part comes into play. Every single time a proofreader must send a document back to an editor or author, the entire document must be proofread again to ensure that no errors are introduced to the text. What if the editor or author was resting his or her hands on the home keys of the keyboard and inserted a random "e" or "f" into the text somewhere? What if the editor or author made a change in another part of the text and forgot to pass a note along to the proofreader? Nothing can be left to chance during that final pass.
Now that we've examined the proofreader's role in the publishing process, let's look at some general terms that everyone in the publishing industry should be familiar with.
AA/AC: Author's alteration or author's correction.
Abstract: A synopsis of a work that appears before the main body of text.
Contact proof: Not to be confused with CONTRACT proof, contact proofs are generally monochrome (one color) and are used to view the layout and design of the manuscript.
Contract proof: These are typically full-color proofs. They are considered to be the final proof of a manuscript before it goes to print and should accurately reflect what the manuscript will look like after it has been printed.
Copy: This term refers to a manuscript that is past the editing stage and is ready to be typeset.
Copyright: Whoever owns the copyright to a work is able to use that work in any way he or she (or it, in the case of a company) sees fit without paying any royalties. Generally speaking, copyrights are respected internationally, although some countries either do not recognize copyrights from other countries or do not enforce them very strictly. These countries generally have a large black market of pirated material.
Galley proof: This term is becoming obsolete, and now publishers most often just use the word proof. Historically, the galley was the tray into which lines of type were set when type was still set by hand (or by mechanical operation). Computers and modern printers have obviously eradicated the need for this kind of typesetting. Despite the fact that terms related to the galley are no longer accurate, people in the publishing industry still refer to things going "to the galley." This simply means that the proofs are being made for a manuscript. ISBN: This is an abbreviation for International Standard Book Number, a thirteen-digit number given to each book published. It is used for the purpose of cataloging.
ISSN: This is an abbreviation for International Standard Series Number, a number given to journals and magazines when they are published. This is the equivalent of the ISBN.
Manuscript: The manuscript is the initial text that is submitted to a publisher. This is abbreviated as MS.
Orphan: The first line of a paragraph that appears at the bottom of a page and is separated from the rest of the text.
PE: This is an abbreviation for printer's error.
Pass: A read-through of a manuscript is called a pass (e.g., first pass, second pass, etc.).
Prelims: The prelims include the publication information, table of contents, preface, acknowledgements, and anything else that occurs before the main body of text. Also known as front matter.
Proofreading: This term literally means reading proofs. Proofreading occurs after all major editing has been completed and the manuscript is ostensibly ready for print. Proofreading ensures that the proofs match the final manuscript and that there have been no errors in transcription.
Query: Editors' questions are called queries. Style sheet: These sheets are indispensable for editors and proofreaders. Editors make up a style sheet for every document they edit to keep track of editorial decisions specific to that document, and the sheet is passed on to everyone who works with the document from there on out, including the proofreader.
Typo: This term is short for typographical error. This is a misprint and should be distinguished from an actual mistake made by an editor or author.
UC/lc: These terms are abbreviations for uppercase and lowercase, respectively.
Widow: The last line of a paragraph that appears at the top of a page and is separated from the rest of the text.
Confidentiality is your first priority. The most basic rule is that no one who works on a document or text should share information about that document or text if that information could undermine the ability of the author to publish his or her manuscript. No one wants spoilers for a possible blockbuster novel ruined before the novel has even reached the printing stage.
This is important not just for ethical reasons. If anyone violates the confidentiality of an author, that person runs the risk of violating copyright laws (depending on the way in which they broke their confidentiality agreement). A work is protected by copyright as soon as it is put into a format that people can consume either directly or through the use of some machine (a computer, a DVD player, a VCR, or even a tablet or cell phone). The work doesn't need to be "finished" for a copyright to be binding. In fact, it doesn't even have to be approved for copyright by the government. If someone has written it down, and there is solid proof of when that thing was written down, it is protected by copyright.
Let's look at a few other issues proofreaders have to take into consideration.
Plagiarism is probably the most egregious ethical charge that can be levied at a writer. While copyright infringement, a rather serious charge in and of itself, involves copying something that belongs to someone else for profit without compensating the copyright owner, plagiarism involves stealing a work created by someone else and presenting it as your own.
A document should ostensibly be plagiarism free by the time it comes across a proofreader's desk. However, that does not absolve the proofreader of the responsibility of reporting plagiarism when it is discovered during the proofreading process. Luckily, it's fairly easy to help a client avoid plagiarism.
When proofreading, flag any passages that appear to be plagiarized. If you work for a larger organization, report the issue to the appropriate person within your organization. Include information on what exactly needs to be fixed. Explain whether the problem can be fixed by adding a citation or a few quotation marks or if large chunks of text need to be replaced. If you are a freelance proofreader and are therefore in direct contact with the client, the process is a little different. DO NOT accuse the author of plagiarizing. Instead, simply indicate that the problematic passage is too similar to something written by someone else. Include the same kind of information someone working for a larger organization would report. Offer to edit and proofread the passage again AFTER the client has fixed the passage. DO NOT offer to rewrite the passage for the client.
Libel is a written statement, almost always false, intended to cause unjustifiable harm to someone's reputation. Defamation laws vary from country to country, and determining whether someone libeled someone else can often be a lengthy legal process. However, the process for avoiding committing libel is very simple: never print information that could damage someone's reputation if you know that information is false or unsubstantiated.
Like issues related to plagiarism, issues related to libel don't normally arise at the proofreading stage. However, if they do, simply follow the guidelines we laid out for plagiarism. If you work in a larger organization, report the issue to the appropriate person within your organization. If you are doing freelance work, and therefore have direct contact with the client, DO NOT accuse the client of libel. Instead, simply indicate that the information is either false or unsubstantiated and that the client should consider removing the passage to avoid any legal problems.
The publishing industry is a strange and interesting place. While a proofreader's role is fairly limited, it is nonetheless extremely important. In this lesson, we've covered the points in the publishing process at which a proofreader's talents are required, and we've examined the various types of proofreading that are required. We've also looked at the various terms that everyone in the industry should be familiar with. We ended by looking at a couple of the ethical and legal issues that proofreaders may face from time to time.
Last Updated: 09/09/2022