Can Authors Proofread their own Work?

The short answer is 'yes'.

But ...

It is very difficult to proofread our own work. As the author, we are so familiar with the piece that our eyes tend to skip what is actually there and to read what we expect to be there.

Editing and Proofreading can be too expensive for struggling indie authors so what should we do?

There are a number of things that will help us to catch  most errors:

• Put the document away for a few weeks and don't look at it
• Use the writing programme's spell-check function
• Print off the piece and check the formatting and the 'look' of the piece
• Read the document out loud
• Get a pencil and read again, this time, one word at a time
• Correct all the errors you have found and run the spell-check function again.

Be aware of some of the most common errors:

• Incorrect or changing verb tenses (if writing in the past, use the past tense etc.)
• Subject and verb not agreeing (The club is meeting today)
• Words spelled correctly but not the intended word (from - form etc.)
• Incorrect use of the apostrophe or comma (It's, its etc.).

If in doubt, correct as many of the errors as you can find and then if you are still unsure, get a quote from a Proofreader for the final review. As you have already done a lot of the work, it may not be as expensive as you think!

Remember, a first impression is only made once. Make sure your first impressions are the best you can make them.

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What is Proofreading?

Contact Kim at info@kimoshea.com