Final Checks
The proof copy is in my hands!
It’s always an exciting moment when I get to actually hold my story in book form even if it is a proof copy. But now what?
Another Edit
After I’ve admired it and and commented on it and found some things to fix (the synopsis was way too large, but it was hard to see that when I was designing the cover), I decide who would read it. When I first started publishing, I didn’t think I needed to reread the proof copies because I’d already had the other copies read, but I realized that you see different things when you read the same book in a different format.
Jim Wood went first to a friend at church who has done a lot of English/grammar studies. She returned the book with some marks. Next my sister got to read it. She marked things with a purple pen. (I like each person editing my book to use a different colored pen or pencil when marking as it makes it easier to tell who marked what.) My sister not only looks for typos, but also for those formatting things that slip by. Like one dot in an ellipsis being on the next line. Or one word on the left side of a page at the end of a chapter. (Yes, I have rewritten or reworded a sentence just to fix that problem.) And other things of that sort.
Once they were finished reading, I made the corrections.
Sometimes during this time I’ll send my books out to beta readers. When I get beta readers, I am looking for readers to mark typos and grammar errors. But with Jim Wood I decided not to give it to anyone else. (It was my Secret Project after all.)
Our final stop next week will bring our book to publication. Same time, same place . . .
Have you ever gotten to be a beta-reader? Do you use beta-readers if you are an author? Do you mark up your proof copies?
Yes, I’ve been a beta-reader several times, and it’s fun! 🙂 With our book, we had our mom and some friends read it before publication, but no official “beta-readers”. And yes, we did mark up our proof copy. 🙂
It is fun to be a beta-reader. 🙂
That sounds like a good group to have.
I have been a beta reader multiple times!it’s so much fun!
🙂 Yep, it sure can be fun.
I’ve alpha-read before, but have not yet been given a beta copy to review. 🙂 It’s super fun, and a great honor. I love encouraging/reading work from budding young authors. 🙂
Yes, that is fun to encourage other authors in their writing journey. 😀
I’ve not beta read. I totally can’t wait to mark all over my proof copy though. I think having it in hand held book form will really help me. Even if I never publish publicly, I’d like to have a proof to re-edit and a finished, polished book.
Yes! There is nothing quite like holding your story in a bound book form! Even if it’s just for yourself. 🙂
I really can’t wait to have my books as real books in my hands. Even to edit. XD
It’s exciting! And yes, if it’s your first book, you are allowed to scream and squeal over it. Even if it is just a proof copy. 😉