Proofread Your Masterpiece

When you read reviews of self-published books, you’ll find one of the most common complaints is that the book doesn’t feel like it was proofread. You’re asking people to give you their hard-earned money and their even more precious time. Do your very best to proofread your book.

How Can I Proofread My Own Book?

I’ve found two very effective ways to proofread.

1. Outsource it. I’ve found some fantastic people on fiverr. The trick to choosing a good one is to find someone who’s been around a while, has very high ratings, and who writes well on their own profile.
2. Read it out loud, slowly, to another person. Reading it to yourself won’t work. Reading it out loud slowly into a recorder will work pretty well. But the best way by far is to read it slowly to another person. A bonus: give that person a copy so they can follow along. Do not correct things as you read. If you find yourself stopping and starting it probably means you’re making mistakes and auto-correcting as you go along.