I was recently writing back to a prospective client who had got very confused about the different types of editing and proofreading and the process needed for publishing their book. I sent them some resources from this blog and thought it might be useful to share those here, too.
This one talks about the different kinds of editing and proofreading (it’s biased towards fiction but also works for non-fiction):
https://libroediting.com/2014/05/22/do-i-need-editing-or-proofreading/
This one sets out the processes you go through and their order:
https://libroediting.com/2016/10/19/what-questions-should-i-ask-my-beta-readers/
It’s certainly best to have different people do the edit and final proofread, as it’s not great to have the same eyes going over and over a text (that’s why we can’t proofread our own work!). If you use two people for these stages, make sure your editor provides you with a style sheet to pass on to your proofreader – more on style sheets here:
https://libroediting.com/2016/01/14/what-is-a-style-sheet-for-people-using-editors/
And when you’re ready to talk to an editor (or proofreader), here are two articles explaining that side of the process, so you and your prospective editor can experience a smooth process and happy negotiation:
How to request a quotation from an editor:
Ideas on negotiating and booking in your project:
LibroEditing proofreading, editing, transcription, localisation 