So many people still rely on built-in spell checkers to “proofread” important documents – here’s proof that you should never rely on a spell checker. Instead, consider using a professional proofreader – it won’t cost as much as you think, and you’ll have peace of mind that your words are perfect! The above video is also a good …
In my role as a proofreader/editor I am always really excited to see some of the manuscripts I’ve worked on go through to the publication stage. There’s a certain thrill about seeing someone else’s words on a page or a Kindle screen after spending hours finely tuning them, and when I read reviews that praise the …
Time for a guest blogger … today Izzy Woods offers some crucial copywriting tips. If you write on a regular basis, you’ve probably found your flow – meaning that when you write, the words seem to just appear on the page. You may then simply send the writing to its final destination, assuming the job’s …
In the first guest blog post on my website, author Peter Jones explains how a misplaced hyphen can dash your hopes of ever being published. My first real literary ‘rejection’ came at the hands of an agent who we’ll called Kate Slash. On the day that Ms Slash received my manuscript she’d clearly discovered that …
It’s not often that proofreading – or lack of – becomes a front page news story, but that’s exactly what happened last week, thanks to a slip of the keyboard by Labour leader Ed Miliband. It seems everyone is on Twitter these days, even shadow PMs, and in a tweet about the death of Blockbusters’ …
There was an interesting report on the BBC website a few weeks ago that backed up what I’ve been saying for ages – typos and spelling errors really can cost you money, and using a proofreader can increase your sales. Online entrepreneur Charles Duncombe wanted see if spelling errors had any effect on website sales. …
Almost all businesses use the written word to promote themselves and most people rely on their spellchecker … but that can be a big mistake! See, spell checkers are okay, but they’re not infallible. Much of the language we use is based on context, so a spell checker will not know if you’ve used “compliment” …
Need a proofreader? No? Sure about that?? Typos are everywhere and everyone makes them. OK I’ll admit it, even I make typos – and plenty of them!! When you’ve come up with an idea and drafted an article and typed it up and edited it and checked it and checked it again you end up …
I know I probably bang on about the importance of proofreading a little too much but it really should be a vital part of the process whenever you create marketing materials – and not just an afterthought. Time and time again I find evidence that proofreading after the event can be an expensive exercise! The …
While you can learn to proofread, the vast majority of professional proofreaders would probably agree with me that the ability to spot typos and errors is actually a gift, something you’re born with, rather than a learned skill. In fact, it’s probably more like a curse – because when you are a natural proofreader you can’t just switch off the eagle eyes!
