Copyediting vs. Proofreading: What’s the Difference?

If you’re new to publishing, the scope of copyediting vs. proofreading can be confusing. The terms are often used interchangeably, leaving many to assume they are synonyms for the same service. But in publishing, copyediting and proofreading are very different services that take place at different stages of book production.

In this post, we will go over the similarities and differences between the two services. We’ll look at what you can expect from each service, where each one fits into your overall publishing plan. Finally—spoiler alert—we’ll explain why both copyediting and proofreading are essential for a successful publication.

Topics Covered in “Copyediting vs. Proofreading”

Copyediting and Proofreading: An Overview
     What Is Copyediting?
     What Is Proofreading?
Copyediting vs. Proofreading: Two Services Compared
     Stage of the Publishing Process
     Scope and Focus
     Process
     Technology
Copyediting vs. Proofreading: Independent Authors Need Both!

Copyediting and Proofreading: An Overview

If you look around the internet, you’ll find that the terms “copyediting” and “proofreading” are often used interchangeably. This can lead to the common belief that they are the same service and have the same goals.

But as you’re about to learn, while there is some overlap between the two, the services have different purposes. This leads to important differences in scope, timing, process, and even the underlying technology each service relies on.

What Is Copyediting?

After all the beta readers and revisions, after the manuscript development and the rewrites, and, once you’re just about as happy as with the manuscript as you can possibly be, it’s for the final round of editing: copyediting.

Copyediting will typically happen at the very end of your editing journey. Ideally, by this stage, you have already addressed the overall structure of your manuscript and how your ideas are presented and supported (developmental editing). You have also done the work of fine-tuning at the sentence and paragraph level to enhance your voice, tighten up language, and adjust for engagement, flow, and reader comprehension (substantive editing).

By the time you reach copyediting, those more subjective tasks have been completed. At this stage, you’re left with the task of polishing your manuscript. Because of the challenges involved in making changes after the interior has been designed—more on that later—it is important to enter book design with the cleanest possible manuscript.

What Is Proofreading?

After your manuscript has been copyedited and fully laid out by the designer, it’s time for proofreading. It’s an important quality control measure before the content is “locked in” and ready for publication.

Proofreading is the very last check of your fully laid out interior before it goes to print or digital distribution. Unlike copyediting, proofreading takes place in the final formatted version of your book, typically a PDF exported from InDesign (a common program used by book designers). 

By this point in the process, the structure, language, and flow of the book are already set. The proofreader’s job is to catch any remaining issues that might distract readers. This includes minor errors that might have slipped through the cracks during the previous rounds of editing, as well as formatting or design issues that may have crept in along the way.

Copyediting vs. Proofreading: Two Services Compared

Copyediting and proofreading share a lot of the same goals: they are both intended to give you the cleanest, most professional manuscript possible. But because each service is so specialized, it’s important to understand the differences before you finalize your editing plan.

Stage of the Publishing Process

Copyediting is typically the very last editing step before a manuscript goes to book design. By this stage, all structural and stylistic revisions should already be complete.

Proofreading takes place after the interior has been fully laid out. While much of a proofreader’s work is editorial in nature, because of where it occurs in the publishing process, it is considered the very last step of book design. 

Note: Depending on manuscript complexity, project budget, and other factors, some publishers require an initial round of proofreading before book design. If you have concerns about a copyeditor’s ability to fully prepare a manuscript—for example, if you’re writing in a language that isn’t your first, you’ve undergone major revisions, or your content is very technical—consider having your manuscript proofread twice: once in Microsoft Word before design and again in PDF form after the layout is complete.

Scope and Focus

The key elements of copyediting can be summed up in the following trifecta:

• Grammar and Syntax—Ensuring that sentences are grammatically correct and clear to readers.
• Style and Consistency—Maintaining tone, spelling variations, and other choices and adhering to a style guide, such as the Chicago Manual of Style
• Clarity and Flow—Smoothing out awkward phrasing and transitions between topics so ideas are communicated effectively.

Copyediting often includes light fact-checking, though rigorous research is generally not part of the service.

Proofreading, on the other hand, is much more targeted. It has its own trifecta of focus:

• Spelling and Typographical Errors—Catching any last-minute typos or spelling mistakes.
• Punctuation—Ensuring that commas, periods, and other punctuation marks are used correctly.
• Formatting Issues—Checking for inconsistent font use, spacing, alignment, and other potential concerns.

Proofreading shares the editorial goal of removing errors and other reader distractions, but it is not the time to make the deeper revisions and editorial decisions involved in a copyedit.

Process

Copyediting typically happens in a word processing program like Microsoft Word, well before the interior layout takes shape. That means your copyeditor can adjust words, sentences, punctuation, and even paragraphs as needed without having to worry about causing any formatting issues. And because Word provides such robust collaborative tools, all communication and updates can happen seamlessly right inside Word.

Unlike copyediting, proofreading takes place after the interior has been fully designed. This happens outside of a word processor, typically in a design program called InDesign. (The PDF you’ll review has been exported from that design program; it isn’t where the actual magic happens.)

As you can imagine, making changes at this point is more complicated because the author or proofreader can’t just add a missing comma or remove a duplicated word. Each requested change has to go back to the designer, which adds extra steps, and there’s always the risk that a change might be missed or misinterpreted.

Technology

You’ve probably heard that it’s crucial for a manuscript to be as polished as possible before it goes to the designer. But why is this so important? The answer lies in the technology behind each stage of publication.

Remember, copyediting takes place in Word, which is built for reflowable text. That means text can easily shift as changes are made without affecting the overall structure or layout. However, proofreading takes place after your manuscript has been visually arranged on the page. InDesign and other design programs are built for precise visual layouts, not reflowable text. This means that every change made during proofreading has the potential to disrupt the book’s carefully balanced layout.

For example, if a duplicated or missing word isn’t caught until proofreading, fixing it might add or remove a line of text, which could throw off the alignment of the entire spread. This leads to cascading issues, where a small change can trigger a series of adjustments that ripple through the layout.

By the time the design is in place, the goal is to avoid any major edits that could upset this delicate balance. Copyediting helps prevent these problems by ensuring the manuscript is as clean as possible before it ever reaches the designer.

Copyediting vs. Proofreading: Independent Authors Need Both!

It should be no surprise by now that both copyediting and proofreading are essential for any professional book, Here’s a quick recap of why both of these tasks are so important:

One final note: It’s common for new authors to feel overwhelmed by the idea of managing copyediting, book design, and proofreading—not to mention all the other steps that go into publishing a book. If you’re staring down a long list of tasks and wondering whether self-publishing is even worth it, it’s time to schedule a free author consultation with our lead editor. She will walk you through the steps, help you decide whether self-publishing is right for you, and explain how Spoonbridge Press can help take the stress out of your independent publishing journey.

Have you ever tried to combine copyediting and proofreading in one round? What was your experience like? We’d love to hear from you! Please share your experience in the comments below.