Why a Proofreader is Important
It seems to me that proofreaders are very undervalued in today's society. They are not paid very much, but more than that, people do not seem to respect what they do. It occurred to me, however, that perhaps people do not KNOW what proofreaders really do. It is more than just checking for grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. Proofreaders are the last people to see a manuscript before it goes to print. They are responsible for making sure that absolutely nothing was missed. That means they are checking grammar, spelling, bad breaks, and continuity. Proofreaders have to make sure that a door is not closed twice, or that a character whose eyes are green in one chapter does not all of a sudden have brown eyes in another chapter, or that a name is not spelled two different ways. These are things that readers notice, so it is extremely important for these mistakes to be corrected.
Another responsibility of a proofreader is to enter any author alterations. At my place of employment, the author will send any changes they wish to make after receiving the edited version of the book. Since these changes need to be inputed into the manuscript file, it is the proofreader's job to make sure that all changes are made, and that they are grammatically correct, and fit into an appropriate place in the story.
Proofreaders are also responsible for checking ancilliary material such as the back cover copy, the copyright pages, author information pages, and covers. ISBNs have to be checked so that the correct book is being scanned out of bookstores when a story is purchased. Copyright pages have to have the right author name, the correct year, and all the pertinent information. About the Author pages need to be checked to make sure all previous titles are listed and correct. Finally, covers need to be examined to confirm that there are no missing limbs, that there is no white space, and that the cover matches the story. Of course, the title also has to be checked!
Needless to say, there is a lot more to proofreading than just checking for spelling and grammar. Proofreaders are so much more important to the process than many people realize. They are the ones that make sure the final product is perfect. They are the ones that make sure the author's changes have all been made. They are the ones that confirm the ISBN is correct so that the company makes the profit it is supposed to. For these reasons, proofreaders deserve a lot more respect then they are often given.
