When publishing a book, the
moment of truth is simply inevitable. After all, it is the moment that you have
anxiously awaited and probably even dreamed about. The printed proof copy of
your book has finally arrived on your doorstep! That just happened to me…the
one for my next photographic travel journal
One RV and Three People at DenaliNational Park showed up in the post box just last week. I was just giddy with
excitement.
Up until now, my book had only
existed in computer files, hard-copy printouts I’ve used for editing purposes,
and as an online digital proof on my computer screen. But now I could see my book
with my own eyes, and I could hold a physical copy of it in my hands. Moments
like these definitely have the power to move people, and rightly so. When you
are almost ready to publish, and you are anything like me or so many other
writers, you now feel both excited and even a little frightened at the same
time. But don’t hit that “Approve” button just yet!
But why would you even want to
bother reviewing a physical copy of your book, when digital review copies are
readily available? Putting a book together is a complicated process. It
involves writing a manuscript, adding photos, lots of editing, page design,
cover creation, and many other things just to get to this point. The point of
the proof is to prove that you’ve done everything correctly. Errors that were
invisible on your computer screen or even in printouts seem to jump suddenly
out at you. All sorts of errors can creep into our files…misalignments, extra spaces where there were none before, typographical errors, etc. And this is when a hard copy of your book
can make a huge difference.
How to Check Your Book:
This is the last stage in the
publishing process before your book goes public, so spend some time on this step
and to do it right. Books can last a very long time, and so do the errors contained
within them. Take this your opportunity to make your book as error-free as
possible. I like to apply the following
three step process:
1. Read your book
- Read the entire book, and
while doing so I like to check for inconsistencies and typographical errors.
- Is the text complete? Did a paragraph get left out
somewhere?
- Or did part of a sentence
get cut off at the bottom of a page?
- Are the fonts consistent
throughout the book?
- Do you have paragraphs where
the word spacing is much looser or much tighter than others?
- If possible, have someone
else who also read through it. Two sets of eyes usually see more than just one
set. It is quite surprising how many errors can be uncovered this way.
2. Take a close look at the
book
I try to ignore the text and
instead concentrate on everything else. I have a hard time with this step
because I am automatically drawn to the writing. Here are the things I like to look for:
- Those pesky orphans/widows;
the single lines at the bottom of a page or parts of lines at the top of a
page. If I can get rid of them, I will do so.
- Running headers should be consistent
and should show the proper information, such as the book title or chapter
titles. Those sorts of mistakes can easily sneak up on you, so it pays to check
for them thoroughly.
- Does each chapter start in
the same spot on the page and contain the same elements in the same order?
- Blank pages should have
nothing at all on them, not even a header.
- Page references can be
another problem. If you referred to something “on page 213″ or “in Chapter 4″
is said reference still there or has it shifted somehow? Or perhaps it has disappeared altogether.
- Paragraph indents ought to
be consistent throughout the book, no matter what style you used.
3. Double-check the cover
The front and the back of your
book cover play a significant role when marketing your writing. People do judge
a book by its cover, so make it the best you can. Here are elements I like
to check on:
- Does the overall design meet
your expectations?
- Are the book title and the
name of the author clearly visible?
- Make sure that the ISBN on
your copyright page matches the one on the back cover.
- Is the price reflected correctly?
- Proofread
the text on the back cover!
Don’t be too surprised if you
need to upload revised versions of your book interior and cover several times.
That’s actually part of the normal process. Of course even after proofing your
book mistakes can still sneak by (it can happen to the best of us), but there
will definitely be a lot less of them. It pays to check your proof, and
correcting your files before uploading the revised version. When it’s time to
publish your book, you can be confident that you have done everything to bring
the best product you can on the market.
Now I’m just keeping my
fingers crossed that I won’t find too many errors in my proof copy! =)
Do you review a printed copy of your book, before it is published? What do you like to double-check? Add your tips and tricks in the comments section below!
Piper is the author of military lifestyle books and RV travel journals. When she isn't busy typing away on her computer, she can be found chasing after her furry children or holding on tightly to a good cup of coffee. Follow her on LinkedIn, Facebook, Goodreads and Google+.
