Proof pages provide the first opportunity for the author to see their words integrated with the other elements (such as running heads, page numbers, illustrations, captions etc.), in a coherent whole.

If you feel that you can proofread the manuscript yourself, follow the instructions below. It is always best to share the proof reading with someone else, (proof read your final manuscript at least twice if you are doing it alone), following the instructions religiously. The best way is to copy the proof reading instructions to paper and tick off each section as you finish the task.

To proofread you must:

1. Compare the proofs of your book pages you receive from Aachanon with the final copy of your manuscript line by line. It will help to use a ruler to expose one line at a time as you move down your proof page. This way you are more likely to read every word

2. Proofread the text “blind,” (without comparing it to the original copy), using the ruler method to stop yourself skipping words unconsciously, especially at the end of lines. The reason for two people to do the proofreading is that as the author, you can be too familiar with the text, and you tend to read-over or miss errors that a person unfamiliar with the copy will spot immediately

3. Check that the page numbers are consecutive, and running headings are correct. Right hand pages must always have odd numbers

4. Identify errors for change making sure your marks are readable and clear

5. Do not re-edit the work at this stage. Acceptable changes are corrections to typographical errors and minor adjustments to grammar, spelling and inconsistencies, but not restructuring or rewriting

6. Watch out for typographical and design inconsistencies as well as textural ones

7. Cross check chapter titles against the table of contents; check that the end matter corresponds with the text

8. Check or insert numbers in cross reference

9. Ensure that illustrations and their legends and labels correspond with each other

10. Check that each page is aesthetically pleasing and logically arranged; as a general rule, tables and figures look best at the top or bottom of a page

11. Return the marked up proof pages to Aachanon Self- Publishing for final correction and bookmaking.