Why Proof Copies Matter

 “Proofreading is a safety net — a final check for errors before publication.”

— Martin, Head of Content at Reedsy
Two proof copies of books stacked on a dark surface. On top is “Shelved” with a red library shelf cover design, and underneath is “Bye-Bye, Boobies” featuring an illustrated toddler and butterflies. Large red text across the image reads “PROOF COPIES NOT FOR SALE.”



There’s nothing quite like opening a box and holding a proof copy of your book for the first time. It feels so close to being finished, like the last step before it goes out into the world. But as I’ve learned, those proof copies aren’t just for the excitement they’re needed for catching things that somehow sneak past no matter how many times you’ve read the manuscript or how many editors have reviewed things.

When I received my proof copy of Shelved, I thought I knew what to expect. I had gone over every page carefully in LibreOffice, everything looked right in the file, and I uploaded with confidence to IngramSpark. But when the proof arrived, I discovered the page layout had mirrored incorrectly! The page numbers and margins were flipped after the table of contents. Something I hadn’t noticed on screen became glaringly obvious in print.

An open proof copy of the book “Shelved.” The left page shows text under the heading “PLR Payment Calculation Example,” while the right page begins with “Who Benefits the Most from the PLR Program?” At the bottom, the page numbers are misaligned: 25 on the left and 26 on the right, but the margins and placement are mirrored incorrectly. The numbers are circled in red to highlight the error.



Then came Bye-Bye, Boobies. This book had been read by so many people before I ordered the proof. I felt sure it was polished. But there it was, on the printed page: a tense mistake. “Begin” instead of “began.” It’s a tiny word, yet it jumped off the page when I saw it in print.
An illustrated book spread from “Bye-Bye, Boobies.” The page shows a child cuddling with their mother at bedtime, surrounded by toys and butterflies. In the rhyme text, the word “begin” is circled in red to highlight a tense error that should read “began.”



That’s the thing about proof copies, they show you the book in the form the way your readers will experience it. A mistake that hides in a digital draft has nowhere to hide once it’s bound and in your hands.

For me, these little surprises were a reminder that publishing is a process, not a straight line. Proofs aren’t just a box to tick; they’re the safety net that keeps those last details from slipping through.

Both of my books are moving forward now, and I’m so grateful I caught these issues before release. Proof copies gave me the chance to fix them, and that peace of mind is worth every extra step.

Looking for more? You can find Bye-Bye, Boobies, Shelved, and all of our titles on our Books page.
Location: Canada

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