Proofreading Nonfiction Books: How Much Does It Cost? Should You Hire A Proofreader? How to Find a Proofreader, and More
Proofreading. Does that word—or the mere thought of proofreading your book—give nail-biting, pen-chewing, foot-tapping anxiety? Do you dread it like paying taxes or having your in-laws over?
You’re not the only one. For most authors, especially the perfectionists out there, proofreading is awful.
Because you’re never sure if you’re missing something. You don’t want an embarrassing or avoidable oopsie in your opus.
Because it seems like you’re always, when proofreading, up against a deadline.
And that’s true whether those deadlines are a self-publishing pre-order or promise or a traditional publisher’s request to “get it done in two weeks” (or less).
Even if that’s not the case, you’re probably mentally “done” with your book and ready to get on to the next item on your to-do list. As the young’uns say, you’re “over it.” But you can’t throw in the towel just yet. Arrgh! (Did you catch the typo?)
So, to help my NONFICTION author clients, who are in the US, since that’s who I work with and that’s the publishing industry I know, I give you this:
1. A quick definition of proofreading and what proofreading is
2. An answer to the question, “How much does proofreading cost?” (For nonfiction)
3. How to know if you need to hire a proofreader or not.
4. How to find a proofreader
5. Tips on proofreading/how to proofread a book
All that and more below. . . .
But first, if you’re an American nonfiction author and you’re about to self-publish,
Do you have your ducks in a row?
Get organized, save time, and ensure that the process goes sooo much more smoothly.
1. The definition of proofreading
Proofreading is the word-level editing that takes place AFTER a book has already been completed, designed, and laid out as it will appear in final ebook or print book form.
Proofreading, by definition, is the act of looking for errors that slipped by the author or any previous editors or that were introduced in the design process, and it happens right before the book goes live or goes to press.
From Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., page 995: The definition of proofread / proofreading and proofreader.
Proofreading means looking for things like typos, double words, things that spellchecker might not catch, errant capitalization, weird white space, inconsistent paragraph indentation, and layout issues.
There’s very little gray area in proofreading. It’s either right or wrong, as intended or not.
Most traditional publishers make proofreading the author’s responsibility. I know; tell me about it.
2. “Should I hire a proofreader?”
You might need to hire a proofreader if/when
you don’t have the time or patience . . .
the cost and the experience of a pro is worth it to you . . .
you DIDN’T have your book professionally copyedited (because a good copy editor will get most of the mechanical errors) . . .
If any of the above are true, then you ought to seriously consider hiring a proofreader.
Read on to learn more about proofreading rates and see how much proofreading will set you back.
3. If you want to ask how much does proofreading cost? / what are proofreading rates for nonfiction books?
For a 60,000-word book, you can expect to pay anywhere from $600 to $1,500 for professional proofreading.
2024 median proofreading rates, according to Reedsy (more on that later), are, for nonfiction books, $0.021 per word. So for a 60,000-word book, that’s $1,260, on average.
2024 median proofreading rates according to the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA) are about $38 to $47/hr for nonfiction (with 7–10) pages per hour being typical, or $.020 to $.039/word. So for a 60,000-word book, that’s $1,260.
(I know, I know; it seems high to me; but given that those rates come from data from the most experienced of proofreaders, somewhere on the lower end of that range should be reasonable.)
The book Writer’s Market 100th Edition: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published, readily available on Amazon and in most public library systems, tells us that median proofreading rates vary widely.
I think this was a 2020 figure, but Writer’s Market says you’ll pay $31/hr on average, or $3.25/page for proofreading. The $31/hr sounds low (it’s from 2020, factors in fiction, too). But for a 60,000-word book, Writer’s Market suggests, you would pay $600 to $650. Adjusted for inflation, let’s call it $750 to $800.
A few things to note:
Most proofreaders charge by the finished page. But they may charge by the word or by the hour.
Your quote may depend on the subject matter. Nonfiction costs more than fiction—up to 20 percent more expensive.
4. Advice on where to find a proofreader
First of all, it’s a good idea to line up a proofreader before you need them the next day.
A proofreader might catch mistakes like this one, which appeared in a published book’s table of contents. I saw it while browsing Amazon.com.
The Reedsy marketplace is the best place to hire a proofreader.
If you’re unfamiliar, Reedsy is a platform where highly-vetted, highly-experienced publishing industry professionals offer (mainly) editing services. Yours truly is on Reedsy as well.
You can find proofreaders by word of mouth, LinkedIn, Google searches, and other methods. Author organizations also maintain listings of recommended proofreaders.
It’s a must that any prospective proofreader be familiar with your book’s subject matter and have worked on books like yours before.
It’s a bonus (but not a must) if they have a certification, or a professional membership in a group like the Editorial Freelancers Association.
It’s best to hire someone who is a fluent, native speaker of the language of the area in which you’re publishing. For example, if you’re publishing in the UK, a proofreader from the US who only knows American English wouldn’t be the best fit for your book.
Proofreading for self-published authors
For the “indie” authors out there, here are some considerations:
Many self-published authors ask fellow authors to help them proofread.
Many others utilize beta readers to help with the proofreading. (Here’s what I wrote about how to use beta readers.)
A beta reader is an avid reader/fan of yours who reads a lot of books like yours and who, in exchange for a free book, can be an extra set of eyes for you.
Some self-published authors use Reedsy, a highly-vetted freelance platform where experienced book publishing experts (mainly editors) offer their services. Highly recommended.
Proofreading for traditionally published authors
If you’re traditionally published, as alluded to earlier, most publishers expect you to do the proofreading and will give you a very tight window to complete it.
Some traditional publishers hire out proofreaders, but that’s the exception to the rule.
You’ll be sent “page proofs” of your book and asked to provide any corrections. Proofreading may (or can) involve physically marking a digital or printed page and emailing or mailing it back to the designer.
Once they send your page proofs, traditional publishers ask you to do one of the following:
leave comments on a PDF of the pages of your soon-to-be-published book
handwrite comments on a PDF
print, mark up, scan, and send pages that need corrections
You may be asked to fill out a log in which you clearly indicate any significant errors that absolutely have to be changed.
Here is an actual example of a proofreading log used by a publisher. The author would fill out the log (and, ideally, handwrite changes on a PDF to accompany it).
In any case, a traditional publisher will give you a very short window to complete proofreading and will tell you not to make any discretionary or excessive changes.
In my experience, while they rarely do, they reserve the right to bill you for any excessive changes. Those changes are typically made by the designer or publisher.
Bottom line: The proofreading phase is NOT the time to revise your book. It’s to correct anything egregious, especially typos or formatting errors that are unambiguous.
Proofreading is your last chance to make sure that everything looks exactly the way it’s supposed to look on the page.
5. Tips on proofreading a nonfiction book
I’ve already given several suggestions.
If you’d like further tips on proofreading,
➡️See my popular article, Proofread Better with These Proofreading Tips for Authors.
It will walk you through how to proofread a book.
If you don’t hire a proofreader, whether or not you use beta readers to help you catch typos and mistakes, don’t proofread alone.
Get a friend or fellow author to work with you while you use my checklist to proofread your own final, designed, laid out, and almost-ready-to-publish book.
You might also like
Book publishing coach Daniel Tortora’s Proofreading Checklist for US Nonfiction Authors
Writer’s Market 100th Edition: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published, readily available on Amazon and in most public library systems,
My book editing and publishing coaching services for US nonfiction authors
You got this!