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Proofs
After submission of your manuscript, Back Channel Press will provide you with two proof copies of your book, first a "galley proof" and finally a "printer's proof." Proofs are made from the same file used to print your book. It is important that you check your proofs carefully to ensure that the job is completed exactly as you planned.
At the same time that you are proofreading your galley, we perform our own proofreading, looking for any errors in formatting and file production that would be our responsibility.
Printers charge for any changes after their initial set-up of your order has been output as a printer's proof. Our goal: to work with you, through careful and thorough galley proofreading, to send a perfect file to the printer to avoid additional charges.
The galley proof
For proofreading purposes, you will be provided with an unbound laser-printed galley proof of just the text of your book, on standard 8.5" x 11" paper. It is printed on both sides of the paper, with crop marks that indicate the finished size of the trimmed book.
Good proofreading takes time. The easiest, most efficient way is to go through the galley several times, breaking your proofreading down into distinctly separate tasks for each pass through. You will be less likely to miss errors this way.
What should you look for when reviewing your galley proof?
- PASS I: Proofread just the text for grammar, spelling and general readability.
- PASS II: Review just the images to make sure they are in their proper place, cropped to your satisfaction and of pleasing contrast with crisp focus. At the same time, proofread all captions.
- PASS III: Check the "look" of the book. Make sure all pages are complete (no dropped copy or images). Make sure typefaces are consistent, check line breaks for accuracy, and be sure there are no hyphenated words at the bottom of pages. Check margins, indented margins for longer quotations, and alignment of type on facing pages.
- PASS IV: Proofread front and end matter (title page, copyright page, dedication, acknowledgments, table of contents, bibliography, index, etc.) and both the front and back cover.
How to make changes/corrections on your galley proof
Mark changes and/or corrections directly on the galley, using a red pen. To identifiy the pages with corrections turn the upper right-hand corner down or attach little strips of post-it notes extending beyound the page. Here are a few typical proofreader marks you might want to ues. Write any instructions beyond proofreader markings as clearly and legibly as possible, and include any questions you have as well. Feel free to use post-its for longer comments, but for safety's sake, tape them in place.
There are two ways to tackle corrections after you've been through the galley. One is to simply send the marked-up hard copy back to us to make the necessary changes in our files. If there are a only few changes, you can just email changes a list of page #s, including the paragraph # and the sentence(s) with a problem, ideally showing your changes in another color. Like this:
P27 p6 - He smoked a cigar cigarette.
As soon as the changes have been made, you will receive a corrected pdf for your approval. If you want a new corrected galley proof, there is a minimum charge of $7.50 varying with the size of the book for the proof, plus FedEx charges to get it to you.
The printer's proof
The printer provides a proof that is in all ways but one a finished book. It has a finished cover, it is printed on the actual paper ordered and the pages and cover are trimmed to size. The one difference: the pages may or may not be glued into the cover, depending upon the printer chosen for the project.
What should you look for when reviewing your printer's proof copy?
This proof has been printed from the final file from which your book will be printed. This is the last chance you will have to catch errors.
- Compare everything in this proof with the galley proof. Be sure that all requested changes have been incorporated.
- As with the galley proof, write any instructions directly on the printer's proof, in clear language in red ink. Turn down upper right-hand page corners on pages in question or use post-it strips.
- Corrections can be sent by email as explained above.
Financial Responsibility
Errors made by Back Channel Press will, of course, be corrected at no charge to you. Author changes to the galley proof will be charged by Back Channel Press at a rate of $50 per hour. Author changes to the printer's proof will be charged by both Back Channel Press and the printer, both at the same rate of $50 per hour.
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