As I’ve been looking for freelance projects, I’ve noticed something: Proofreader jobs that are actually copy editor jobs when you get into the expectations of what tasks you are being asked to perform. While these two jobs are very similar, with a lot of skill overlap, they are also very different.
A copy edit is an intense read and edit to ensure accuracy and consistency in a work of writing. It includes correcting spelling, grammar, syntax, verb tense, point of view, clarity, verb choice, and that descriptions are consistent (i.e., how names are spelled, capitalizations, eye color, etc.). It follows a specified style guide and checks that the piece meets the standards for that style guide. A copy edit can help the author refine dialogue and narrator voice (although most of that should have been done in the developmental edit.)
A proofread is a final read to check spelling, grammar, syntax, and verb tense are correct. It is like running spellcheck in Word, but far more accurate when it comes to prefixes and hyphens, and should catch all those from/form mistakes. It also includes checking grammar (I find Word misses a lot of grammar issues) and that a paragraph doesn’t switch from present to past tense when it shouldn’t.
The copy edit should already have been accomplished before the proofread and any changes that needed to be made from that edit should have been made. A proofreader should not be checking for point of view shifts or that a characters eye color has changed half way through a manuscript, although if it happens, they will likely catch and correct it. The manuscript should be in a 95% ready-to-publish state for a proofread. A copy edit simply needs developmental edit and those correction made to the manuscript (making it about 80% ready for publication.) Any sensitivity reads should also be accomplished prior to a copy edit.
A proofreader should never be expected to provide feedback to an author, except to let them know a copy edit ( or developmental edit) was ineffective. They certainly should not be tasked with assessing the story conflict or if a character arc works. The output from a proofread should basically be a marked up Word document (or Google Doc, etc.) that has very few questions for the author. If you have a lot of questions from your proofreader, you need to evaluate your copy editor.
This distinction is important because what I’ve seen is a proofread job masked as a copy edit, likely for the express purpose of paying less for the job. The Editorial Freelancers Association rate chart (https://www.the-efa.org/rates/) lists a copy edit as 2 to 3 cents per word for fiction, and a proofread as 1.5 to 2 cents per word for fiction (other types of writing have similar differences in per-word rate.) Expecting a copy edit for the price of a proofread is not fair to the editor/proofreader; they deserve being paid appropriately for the work they are expected to do.
Tara Moeller - Editing 