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Whether you’re an author based near Midnight Publishing’s headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, or writing elsewhere in the U.S. or internationally, our staff of writers and editors have devoted our careers to assisting authors to revise and publish the best versions of their books possible. Trusted with over five million words since 2007, our staff has honed our editing packages over the years to provide just the right services required for each unique author and their book, and we’re always looking to tailor them further based on individual needs.

Midnight Publishing offers three distinct packages currently, with our first tier, proofreading, as the perfect option for an experienced author desiring a final cleanup of their manuscript before publication or querying to agents/publishing houses. (Find details on additional tiers in upcoming blog posts this month or our editorial pricing page here.)

An overview of Midnight Publishing’s editing tiers:

  • Tier 1: Proofreading, starts at $0.025/word
  • Tier 2: Copyediting (a developmental editing/line editing hybrid), starts at $0.04/word
  • Tier 3: Developmental editing, starts at $0.05/word
A quick look at how #proofreading works for @MidnightWriting's #editing services. Click To Tweet

What is Proofreading?

As mentioned above, the first Midnight Publishing editing tier of proofreading is the best selection for a manuscript that has already been revised and edited several times for developmental/storyline structure, as well as copyediting for sentence structure and flow, and a majority of grammatical and syntax revisions. A Midnight Publishing proofread includes:

  1. Instigation of a style guide in accordance with industry standards for fiction/nonfiction books, and/or based on author’s preferences. A style guide is a particular set of rules regarding capitalization, the spelling of numbers, etc.
    *Midnight Publishing utilizes two well-known style guides for a majority of manuscripts unless requested otherwise: Chicago Manual of Style for book-length manuscripts, and AP Style for other forms of content such as website material, etc.**
  1. A final read-through of all content to look for misspelled words, missing words or spelling/capitalization inconsistencies.
  2. Analysis of punctuation usage, and limited revision if needed for better flow.
  3. Limited corrections of a manuscript’s indentations/formatting in accordance with the requested style guide, as well as chapter headings and section breaks.
  4. Limited feedback and direction on verbiage—i.e. if certain words or phrases are used too frequently, your proofreader will mention this and encourage variation.

Tips and Tricks For a Foolproof Midnight Publishing Proofread

1. Proofreads are completed with the intent to eliminate any remaining grammatical errors or misspellings in a manuscript. While this can be a momentous task when working with a manuscript that’s 85,000 words long or more (the more words, the more opportunity for error!), the best way to ensure your Midnight Publishing proofreader delivers an error-free manuscript is by providing a manuscript that has been combed through by other beta readers, critique partners and/or a copyeditor already to locate errors. The best candidate for a proofread is a manuscript that is near completion, with the main intention being a final comb-through from an outside, professional pair of eyes.

2. Provide your proofreader with a personalized style guide that coincides with particular and/or unique capitalization choices for ease and continuity. (If you’ve named a fictional location “the Briar Field” as opposed to the grammatically correct common noun version of being “the briar field,” then sharing this special instruction with your proofreader can avoid confusion and streamline the proofreading process.)

3. Equip your proofreader with particular errors to watch out for. If it’s come to your attention that you often misspell a certain word, forget certain words, etc., notify them ahead of time. We are here to make sure you are unequivocally satisfied with your finished product—please tell us what to pay special attention to, and we will do so!

Midnight Publishing’s numerous editing tiers have been designed over the years to ensure they address the needs of every manuscript, but if you aren’t sure what your book needs or feel it’s a combination of several packages, do not hesitate to call us with questions! Our professional editors and writers will be glad to provide our expert advice on the most appropriate steps for your path to publication.