Cover photo by Karolina of Kaboompics
Outside of the industry, confusion abounds regarding the terms copyediting and proofreading. Often they are used interchangeably, but they are two very different things.
Copyediting is the term many people unfamiliar with the nuances of the industry are thinking of when they say “proofreading.” Copyediting is the process of “polishing”—this is when the editor(s) edits copy for spelling/usage, grammar, punctuation, basic organization, formatting, and overall “correctness.” In book editing, this is what’s done after a publisher receives and accepts a manuscript for publication. When a manuscript is accepted for copyediting, that means it is in pretty good shape already: it’s organized, logical, and only needs polishing.
A manuscript that is mostly cohesive but not fully fleshed out or organized would need developmental editing, which is something entirely different. A developmental editor works in close collaboration with an author to help fully flesh out a manuscript. This type of editor is not focused on the details of grammar, punctuation, and usage in the same way a copyeditor is but instead helps with things like character and plot development and overall organization of a manuscript.
Proofreading is what’s done to a manuscript after the copyediting process is complete. When a manuscript is ready to be proofread, it has been through final editorial and is in its designed format. The proofreader reads the entire designed manuscript, looking for any egregious errors that may have been missed during the copyediting phase, but is mostly focused on formatting and layout. This is the final pass before the manuscript is deemed ready for publication, and while attention to detail is paramount, the work is less labor-intensive than copyediting and developmental editing, respectively.
The Humble Pedant 