Book Editing and Proofreading

Have you written a book? Or are you in the process of writing a book?

Are you looking for a friendly and reliable editor or proofreader to work with you to make your book the best it possibly could be?

We can help!

We collaborate with independent authors and small and medium-sized publishers to polish each book to perfection prior to publication.

What stage are you at?

Stage 1

Are you writing a book? Or thinking of writing a book?

Join our friendly Book Writing and Editing Facebook Group for help and encouragement.

Read our articles on writing in The Writing Cooperative:

5 Easy Steps to Becoming a Better Writer

How to Combat Self-Doubt as a Writer

How to be More Consistent as a Writer

Or ask us a specific question – we’ll be happy to help if we can.

Stage 2

Have you written a book? Are you wondering where to go from here?

Before publishing your book, it’s important to have it edited to ensure that it is as readable and engaging as it possibly can be.

Contact us now for a free edit of a sample of your book (usually the first 500-1,000 words) – this is free of charge and with any obligation. It helps you to find out about our friendly, collaborative and constructive approach to editing and to see if you would like to work with us.

We’ll also provide our recommendations for editing your book, as well as an estimate of the cost.

Stage 3

Has your book already been professionally edited? Do you need it to be proofread before publication?

If your book has already been professionally edited but you need a final proofread to catch any last-minute errors, we’d be happy to proofread your book, polishing it to perfection prior to publication.

Stage 4

Is your book ready to be published? If it has already been professionally edited and proofread, it should be ready for publication!

There are two main options: traditional publishing and self-publishing. Find out more about these options below.

If you choose to self-publish your book, RA Book Editing can guide you through the maze and make the whole process of self-publishing on Amazon KDP easy and hassle-free. Find out more about our self-publishing services and contact us for a proposal and quote.

How it works: Book Editing and Proofreading

Step 1:

Get in touch with us via the Contact Us form or the chat feature on this website.

We will answer your questions and ask you to send the first chapter of your book, as well as the total length of your book in words.

Step 2:

We will send you a sample edit or proofread of around 500 to 1,000 words of your book and a proposal and quote for editing or proofreading the whole book. The sample edit or proofread and proposal are free of charge and without any obligation.

Step 3:

If you decide to go ahead, we can edit your book on either a chapter-by-chapter or full manuscript basis.

If you haven’t yet completed your book, it can be helpful to work on a chapter-by-chapter basis – many authors find that this promotes closer collaboration and sparks new ideas.

Step 4:

If your book just needs proofreading and you are happy to go ahead, send the final draft of the full manuscript to us by email.

Step 5:

If you wish, you can pay in instalments. In this case, the work will be divided into a number of equal sections, and payment will be required before work can start on each section. Terms and conditions will be provided with your quote.

What's the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing?

Traditional publishing is where you approach publishers who may be interested in publishing your book. If they accept your book, they will offer you a publishing contract under which they are likely to take a percentage of your royalties on the sale of the book in return for their services. Self-publishing is where you publish the book yourself on a platform such as Amazon KDP. In this case, you keep all the royalties your receive. Please note that you will not receive the total retail price of the book – the platform will take a proportion of this to cover the download cost for eBooks and the printing cost for paperback and hardcover books, as well as a percentage of the rest of the retail price in return for hosting your book for sale on their platform.
How do I know when my book is ready for self-publishing?

Your book is likely to be ready for self-publishing after it has been edited by a professional editor and you have made amendments, thus creating a final draft, and the final draft has been proofread. Although you might be in a rush to publish your book, it’s important to work with an editor who will help you make your book the best book it can possibly be. For this reason, almost all of our clients use our editing and/or proofreading services before self-publishing.
Do I need to sign a publishing contract with RA Book Editing?

No, not at all. We are not a traditional book publisher, so we do not ask clients to sign a publishing contract with us. We simply help authors to self-publish their own books and charge a fee for doing so. We do not take any of your royalties on the sale of your books (please see above). Please contact us if you have any other questions or would like to receive a proposal and quote for self-publishing your book. We would be happy to help.
Will I receive all the royalties on the sale of my book?

100%. After you set up your payment details in your Amazon KDP account, you will receive all the royalties on each sale of your book directly from Amazon. Find out how Amazon calculates your royalties on eBooks, paperbacks and hardcover books. RA Book Editing doesn’t take a single penny or cent of your royalties. All we charge is the fee for our self-publishing services – and we agree this in advance with you, so there are no hidden extras or surprise fees.
Can I choose the retail price of my book on Amazon?

Of course! You are completely free to choose the price at which each format of your book (eBook, paperback and/or hardcover) is sold on Amazon in each Amazon marketplace worldwide. We will provide help and advice on the pricing of your book on worldwide markets, if you need it, but the final decision is yours.
Do I need an ISBN?

An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is required for paperback and hardcover books. eBooks can be published on Amazon KDP without an ISBN, but you may wish to have one, especially if you’re also publishing paperback and hardcover versions of your book. You can choose from the free ISBN that can be assigned to your book by Amazon KDP or you can purchase an ISBN for each version of your book. There are advantages and disadvantages to both these methods. RA Book Editing will provide you with a fact sheet on ISBNs, listing your options and the pros and cons of each option, helping you to make an informed choice. We are also available to answer your questions on ISBNs.
Do I retain all rights to my work, including copyright?

Absolutely! RA Book Editing simply self-publishes your book on Amazon KDP on your behalf. You always retain the copyright and all other rights to your work.
My book contains, photos/illustrations/graphics, can you still help me self-publish it?

Yes, indeed. However, since the formatting of books containing photos, illustrations, graphs, charts, tables, and other graphics is more complicated and takes longer, an extra charge per graphic will apply. This will be clearly shown as an optional extra in your proposal, so that you know exactly how much the total self-publishing cost will be.
Can RA Book Editing create a book cover for my book?

RA Book Editing can provide a list of book cover designers and book illustrators who our clients have worked with in the past. Each of these designers has an individual style, so one may appeal to you more than the others. You will need to contact the designers and agree on a price for the cover design directly with them. For eBooks, only a front cover design is required. If you are publishing paperback and/or hardcover version(s) of your books, you will need a combined front and back cover design. During the self-publishing process, RA Book Editing will liaise with the designer to ensure that the cover design(s) are the correct size and format.