An author writes a book, story or other work.
Before the author publishes her work it is important to have the work edited and corrections made.
Copy editing and proofreading are two activities that can make or break the author's work.
It makes the piece work because there are no longer any errors or inconsistencies.
It can break the author's reputation and credibility if it is not done and the published work has many obvious errors or incorrectly spelled words.
The author herself may do these two jobs, but it is usually better to hire a professional to go over the work.
Many people confuse these two editorial skills.
They are very different and it is important to recognize how they differ.
Copy editing comes before the manuscript is proofread.
It is often done by making marks and writing revisions on a typed manuscript.
But it is also done by using a word-processing program.
A copy of the finished product is proofread.
It is usually completed with a pen or pencil but can also be done electronically using a mark-up ready PDF (Portable Document Format).
Those are the basic differences but there are many other fine points that encompass both skills.
The copy editor's job is to make sure that the piece conforms to all the conventions of good writing, including syntax, grammar, and proper wording.
He may also suggest changes to titles, or sequential slip-ups.
He will also help the author shape their writing logically.
The copy editor will check that the project conforms to a style sheet, or editorial policy.
He will check that all spelling and capitalization is consistent throughout the work.
He will check for consistency in the spelling out of numbers or numerical form throughout the work.
He will also check for superfluous words and redundant pairs.
He will suggest ways to keep the writing tight, concise and consistent, without changing the author's intents.
After the copy editor competes his job and the author has made the recommended changes, if she agrees with them, the work is then printed out and presented to a proofreader.
The proofreader's job is correction and not revision.
It is the proofreader's duty to make sure that there are no typographical errors.
She also checks that the manuscript is visually appealing, not having too many end of line hyphens, orphaned words, or words that are simply broken at the end of a line.
A proofreader is also expected to check recurring copy at the top or bottom of a page as well page numeration and that the captions fit the photograph or chart.
A proofreader does not have the liberty of substantially changing the manuscript because that may interfere with the artistic appeal of the work, which the copy editor completed.
The two skills work together to showcase the author's masterpiece and they are as important as the original writing itself.