Proofreading by LAURIE JANEY
Professional, affordable proofreading services
IMPORTANT NOTICE:
I am currently on maternity leave and will not be accepting any new proofreading work.
Please check this page for updates. I look forward to working with you when I return! Thank you.
ABOUT ME
I learned how to proofread in-house at a publisher of non-fiction books in London. Since then, I have taken proofreading courses through the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP, formerly SfEP) to formalise my training, and expanded my proofreading experience as a freelancer.
I am comfortable working with both fiction and non-fiction, I am LGBTQ+ friendly, and I’m not at all squeamish about horror or erotica. Got a juicy book to polish? Send it my way!*
I am fully proficient in the use of the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) proofreading marks, and I can use other forms of mark-up to suit the client and the job at hand.
My experience is almost entirely in books, and my rates are set with books in mind, but I’m also happy to discuss rates for smaller proofreading jobs, such as short stories and articles.
Thanks for visiting! You can get in touch with me using the form on this page or drop me an email at lauriejaney@gmail.com. I hope I can be of proofreading assistance to you sometime soon!
Laurie
*Please note: I will not take on any work involving hateful or bigoted content.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
BA (English, Linguistics and History)
Postgraduate BA, Honours (Linguistics)
MA (Creative Writing)
In-house full-time editing and proofreading
Freelance proofreading for publishing houses and indie authors
SfEP (now CIEP) proofreading courses
MY RATES
£5 per 1,000 words *
Detailed mark-up on paper or on screen, using BSI proofreading marks, PDF commenting tools or track changes in Word, depending on your needs and the requirements of the job.
* A standard rate of £5 per 1,000 words is subject to adjustment after an initial assessment of the text. For a quote estimate, please provide your project details, word count and schedule.
PROOFREADING BASICS
What does a proofreader do?
Ideally, a proofreader should be looking at the final draft of a text, the ‘proof’, after it has been typeset or laid out and is otherwise ready to be published.
A proofreader checks for errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar and formatting, and for inconsistencies in style and content. This includes checking the layout, page numbers, cross-checking chapter titles with the contents page, inspecting end matter, etc.
A proofreader will mark up necessary corrections, on screen or on paper, with as little disruption of the text as possible, using the BSI proofreading marks or another method agreed with the author or client.
A proofreader will liaise with the author or client to resolve queries.
What does a proofreader not do?
A proofreader should not be applying a consistent format or style from scratch, only checking that it has been applied correctly throughout.
A proofreader does not make extensive editorial changes, and cannot take responsibility for the quality of a writer’s or editor’s work.
In addition to not being an editor, a proofreader is not a typesetter, a designer, an indexer or a fact-checker, though fact-checking may be negotiated into the rates in some instances.
In practice, people may find that they desire the input of a ‘proof-editor’, which is a proofreader who goes beyond correcting errors and has the liberty to make slightly more extensive stylistic changes to the text. If you think a proof-edit might be what you need, I’m open to discussing options and appropriate rates for this service.
The CIEP has some great resources for anyone looking to find out more about what proofreading is... and what it isn’t!