The proof is the stage when a manuscript finally looks like a book: the cover has a physical size, the pages have margins, chapter headings start off in a pleasing pattern, and text is no longer an unstructured document. The excitement of the stage is good, but it can lead beginners to read too hastily. A proof is not yet a copy for a party. The proof is a prop, and must be examined carefully.
The purpose of the proof stage is primarily to make sure the approved text and design has been correctly applied to the printed pages. It is not the time to revisit the book as a whole or to make major structural changes. Large changes could disrupt the pagination, change the placement of headings, the table of contents, and introduce new errors, making it more prudent to examine the proof as a complete layout and only flag what truly needs to be changed.
If the proof is hard copy, look at the outside of the book first: check the cover, the title, subtitle, author name, the text of the spine, back cover and any cover copy text, as well as the barcode and the imprint text. Ensure that the cover text is not too close to the trim edge and that any critical text is not in the bleed. If there is a spine, verify that it is centered and the spine text is legible. A typo on the cover is much easier to spot than the same error buried somewhere in a paragraph of text.
Next, check the inside of the book, but before diving into the body of the book itself, check the front matter. The title page, copyright page, contents page, dedication, acknowledgements, foreword, introduction, and so on, should all be checked for correct page numbers and chapter titles that match the contents. Errors in this front matter are sometimes missed, since many beginners are focused on correcting the rest of the book.
Check that all margins, the gutter, headers, footers, chapter opens, line spacing and paragraph breaks. Check for any widows and orphans, short broken lines, chapter headings at the end of a page, and images that overlap or appear too close to the text. Check all tables, illustrations, captions, footnotes, and exercises, since these elements are often the subject of changes during typesetting and may need more attention than the paragraphs.
An effective strategy for reviewing a proof is to do three separate passes instead of trying to review it in one go. The first pass, you check navigation: check the contents, page numbers, headers, chapter titles, and so forth. The second pass is for the layout: margins, line spacing, image position, layout. Then you do the text review. You check for any typos that were missed, repeated words, typos, punctuation errors, and inconsistency of spelling and grammar. By reviewing each element at the same time, you can review the proof copy without being sloppy and careful at the same time.
Before approving the proof, make sure all the changes and corrections are verified against a list of items that need to be checked. Verify that all metadata is correct, the ISBN and any other relevant information match the title and version, the cover copy is final, and that the print file is compatible with the trim size and binding method. It’s at the proof stage that you are likely to find minor problems that were difficult to spot earlier. The more care and time you spend on this step, the fewer mistakes will make their way into the final version and to your audience.