We specialize in removing errors and typos from books, more importantly, self-published books.

I'm betting that you have read and re-read your book countless times. I'm also betting that each time you read your book you still find errors and typos.

How many times have you read over your writing, convinced it was ready to go, only to have a close friend spot a glaring mistake in what seems like seconds of reading your book?

Now imagine the horror of self-publishing only to have reviewers and readers pick up your mistakes. How can you present a picture as a professional writer if you are publishing error ridden books?

We CAN help you to avoid this pain.

To be honest, what a lot of writers never talk about is going 'error blind' for their own book. You can look at a manuscript so many times that eventually you just stop seeing the mistakes. That's when you need professional help (so to speak).

Let me keep it simple. Our proofreaders will check over your book reading each word and sentence and correct all the errors, mistakes and typos they find. They will leave you with a book that you can publish with confidence.

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What You Get

Our professional editors correct grammatical errors, including punctuation, capitalization, verb tense, spelling, and sentence structure. Your document is also checked for clarity.

We use 'tracked changes' proofing tools. These tools are built into all major word processing software and allow you to see the changes we are suggesting you make. But don't worry if you have never used these tools before, we will set up the proofread so the changes show automatically, as if by magic. The result is that you remain in control and you are able to either accept/reject each change individually or accept/reject the whole lot.

We are often asked how we know if something is correct or incorrect. The answer is that we use style manuals. These are big books that lay out all of the correct grammatical usage. The manual we use will be based on your country of publication, but the most common by far is the Chicago Manual of Style. When you submit we will suggest a manual we feel best suits your readers.

Below is a screen shot of an actual proofread, as you will see it contains tracked changes, allowing you to stay in control at all times.

Cost of Proofreading

Our prices are all inclusive, with no hidden extras. They include the proofread, plus all support emails, phone calls etc.

Since we provide our service to any writer, no matter where they are based in the world, we can bill in three separate currencies.

US Dollars: $10 per 1000 words.

GB Pounds: £7 per 1000 words.

Euros: E9 per 1000 words.

To work out the cost of your proofread, first divide your word count by 1000 and then multiply by your currency. For example, a 50,000 word novel would be (50/1000 * 10) $500.

Example Proofreading Costs

Word Count	$ (US)	£ (UK)	Euro (Europe)
10,000 words	$100	£70	E90
50,000 words	$500	£350	E450
100,000 words	$1000	£700	E900

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So what happens?

Let's say you are ready to go, what can you expect to happen?

1 - You fill out the form below.

2 - We send you an email invoice. You pay either using your card or PayPal.

3 - We proofread your book and return within 21 working days.

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Commonly asked questions about editing

How long will the proofread take?

We aim to return your manuscript within 21 working days. However, it all depends on your proofreader. We pick the best proofreader for each job and their workload will dictate the turnaround time. What we will do is provide you with a target delivery date.

Will you correct ALL spelling and grammar mistakes?

In short the answer is yes. A traditionally published document would go through six or seven edits and proofreads before it hits the shelves. However, self-publishing writers often can't afford to pay a professional for so many edits. We therefore strongly suggest that you have had at least a couple of 'non-professional' readers proofread your book before you send it to us. If a book has a lot of errors then, occasionally, some may slip through. We work hard to avoid this. In fact, we have our own internal quality control system that all proofed manuscripts must pass before being returned to the writer. We do, however, work on an industry standard of 95%. This means that if you find more than 5% of your proofed book contains errors, then you can return it to the proofreader. They will then correct these errors, free of charge. To be honest this has never happened for a book that has been checked by the writer prior to submission.

Do you accept all genres?

Yes. Proofreading is simply applying a set standard to a text. Though we do try to match genres with our proofreaders, this is not essential, it's just nice for them!

Do you accept all writers?

No. We accept about 99% of the manuscripts that are submitted. If we feel your work is not yet ready for a proofread (there are too many errors), we will say no.

Do you keep the copyright?

NO! We are simply a service. You pay us, we make your book better. At no point do we take ANY rights. ALL rights remain yours at all times.

I have a question, what should I do?

Go to the contact page and fire us an email.

What people are saying about our editing

Very many thanks for your report.

I feel encouraged to rewrite and you have given me much to think about. Your comments are consistently constructive.

May Bubblecow thrive!

Marshall Coombs, author of Morris Malarky

Thank you for your efforts. Having never done anything like this before I didn’t know what to expect, but I must say I am pleased with the results. I feel your review was well balanced, offering criticism and suggestions where necessary and praise when you felt it was warranted.

Grant Williams, author of If At First

Thank you for your spot-on advice. You found critical gaps in character development and plot that I had a hard time seeing with my author lenses. The novel shines much better now. I also appreciated your willingness to work with my financial situation. By breaking it up I was able to afford your desperately needed services. I am excited to self publish Origins.

Steve Tandberg, author of Origins

I didn’t like the thought of some stranger interfering with my book, I was, I admit, a bit precious. However, the process was massively useful – problems were highlighted that I didn’t know existed and insightful and creative solutions were offered. I even got praise for the good bits!

Nik Jones, author of 9987, published by Tonto Books.

Your edit has allowed me to refine the writing of Brilliant Water further than I could have ever imagined. I can only say, “Thank you. I knew you were the guy for me!” Just amazing, all of your points…”

Jennifer Arfa, author of Brilliant Water

I was very pleased with your edits. I think the following were the biggest pluses for me:

Firstly, the ‘mechanics’; where:

1. A fresh pair of eyes sees what is actually written, rather than what the author thought he had written (and still sees, even though it isn’t there), Things I just didn’t know (formatting, capitalisation, etc.).

2. Less quantifiable, but equally important (perhaps more so for the ‘story’); the ‘critical’ perspective, which reacts to things that ‘jolt’, eg: Changes of location without adequate explanation (I know what’s happening, but forget that the reader doesn’t).

3. Inadequate character description (I have the image in my head, but, as yet, the reader doesn’t).

4. Too much explanation (I’ve already said it, so don’t labour the point, or perhaps, as you said several times, trust the reader to ‘get it’, and thereby, become more involved).

As a general comment, may I say that I was gratified that you allowed me to be myself; rather than trying to force me into someone else’s compartment/style/…. This, coupled with the encouragement your provided along the way, made the whole experience rather special.

Ian Anderson, author of Knight

BubbleCow know the fast-changing literary landscape inside out. The experience and contacts they have will improve any writer’s chances of either a first publication or improved sales and readership.

PR expert, Chris Rickaby

BubbleCow’s guidance remains the most helpful of all. They have the ability to read your work and come up with a suggestion that leaves you slapping your forehead, thinking “Of course!” Their thoughts have invariably improved my work and needless to say, I shall be Bubblecowing again very soon.

Bestselling self-published writer, Matthew Watkinson.

BubbleCow is an essential service. Every time a writer self-publishes a poorly edited book it furthers the belief that self-published books are simply amateurish, vanity books. We owe it to other members of our community to make sure that our books are the best they can possibly be.

John Gillum, author of Big Bad Dog

I have just read through her overview report (haven’t looked at the actual notes yet and will do later) and I am really encouraged. The editor tells me where I have parts which detract and which are not strong – but my main voice and, incidentally the one I was more convinced by as a writer, she is full of praise for. I think one of the main things I wanted to check by asking for an edit, was whether what I was writing was actually worth it – and whether there was potential or not. The editor really encouraged me by enthusing about one line of the story and then made the enthusing believable by being honest about the parts that didn’t work. That’s an insight I would not be able to have as the writer and I appreciate it deeply.

The editor has made me believe my writing is worth taking the time to edit and hone – which I was doubting before. I am already whirling with ideas about how I might address the weaker parts.

Kate Dibb, author of Memories of a Lost Thesaurus

I have since been fighting with my manuscript to bring it up to scratch – based on your fabulous suggestions. May I take this opportunity to thank you for the fabulous work that you have done. The report and your comments were immensely valuable. I dreaded your “absolutely brutal” feedback but to be honest, all your comments makes perfect sense and they weren’t that brutal after all.

Mike Moreking

Thank you so much for the feedback (What worked and what didn’t). That alone is so valuable to me. I’ve never had any training in writting and I’m Belgian so English is not my native language.

Kris Hermans

Gary and BubbleCow,

Thanks for helping me get my book published. I have had 20,000 downloads in 2 1/2 months and is currently #5 in the UK for sci-fi.

Secrets: The Hero Chronicles is making waves in the UK.

Amazon UK Bestsellers Rank: #188 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)

#5 in Kindle Store > Books > Fiction > Science Fiction

Tim Mettey - Secrets: The Hero Chronicles (Volume 1)