The final proof of fiction and non-fiction publications is the last hurdle that stands between every author and his publication. Let it be a research paper, journal or book – careful and professional editing is one major factor that decides its acceptance and success.
What is Author proofing?
The page proof format is obtained as an output after typesetting and is sent to the author for correction and checking. This is called author proofing. A similar copy would be received by the publisher as well to check it simultaneously.
In this process of author proofing for fiction and non-fiction publishers, two sets of proof will be received by the author;
First proof – The first clean proof sent to the author for checking, after editing and typesetting.
Final proof – The final version of the manuscript sent to the author before being published.
However, due to recent technological developments, these days’ authors do not receive hard copies but they receive in soft copies as PDFs.
Checking proofs:
Author proofing for fiction and non-fiction publications is the final step in which the production team would send the final script to the author. It is the last stage where the final version is sent for approval after the typesetting had been done by the publisher.
After editing, the production team will attach notes to the final script that would contain the queries and doubts of the editing staff. The changes and edits made in the script in terms of language and content will be highlighted for the authors’ reference. The authors of fiction and non-fiction publications have to go through these notes/edits and have to finalize the changes. After review the authors can accept or reject the changes made by the editorial team and has to reply to the doubts and queries mentioned in the notes.
However, author proofing for fiction and non-fiction publishers is one lengthy process and is time consuming as it is not a process that is carried out only once. It involves a number of rounds where the author revises the publication again and again after every set of editing.
Publishing companies that do author proofing for fiction and non-fiction publications work in the process of improving the quality of proof by editing the manuscripts and answering the queries of the author. They also provide the authors with edited versions immediately at once the changes are made.
