My writing coach client, Jeff Hutcheson, had finished his second book, a cozy mystery called Going Blue that brings back all the characters in his first novel, Going Barefoot. After a line edit followed by a copy edit and a proofread, we had the interior pages designed. Then, since we already had the gorgeous cover, the book was uploaded to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) and we ordered a printed book proof, which was due to arrive the day Jeff and I had our weekly writing coach session.
“I’m not re-reading the book, am I?” Jeff asked.
At first, I said no. This manuscript had been reviewed at least eight times by five people. “You’re just making sure that nothing got skewed during the electronic transfer process,” I said.
But then I thought about the fact that I always see things better on paper than I do on a computer screen. So, I decided to check online to see what others had to say about reviewing a book proof and found Self-Publishing Lab’s author checklist for a book proof.
After pointing out that errors can sneak in at every stage of the book publishing process–from writing to cover design–the post titled “How to Check Your Book Proof: Author Checklist” provides a terrific guide to what to look for. I’ll give you the highlights, but I urge you to check it out for yourself.
Start with the cover. One of my clients recently noticed super faint type on the spine of his book cover that wasn’t supposed to be there. The designer had goofed and no one caught the mistake because of the bright colors that the extra type overlay. In addition to examining the visuals on your book’s front and back covers, you’ll want to double-check everything from the title and the back cover text to the barcode and price.
Contrary to what I’ve always done, Self-Publishing Lab recommends that you read your entire book yet again, looking for typos and layout issues. You’ll want to make sure the pages are correct and in the right order, and that you got all the URLs right. You’ll also want to check your title and copyright pages, along with the front and back pages including your biography, acknowledgment, and dedication.
Before you even start reading, carefully scrutinize each page. Check that chapter titles and drop caps, if you have any in your interior design, headers, fonts, letter spacing, indents, and anything else you see on the page look right and are consistent. Those details are much harder to spot once you get immersed in the text.
I know this sounds like a lot, especially at a time when you’re ready to finally birth your book. But after all the effort you put into writing it, you want to make sure it’s as perfect as it can be.
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