After your book has gone through the editing process but before final printing, you should receive a printed copy of your book. The proof copy may or may not be bound. This is a great time to read your book yet another time and look for any typos or words that aren’t quite right. Hopefully you won’t find any. A good technique is to read it out loud. Even better is to have someone who has never read it read it for you.
Take Your Time
You may want to keep this list handy and refer back to it. Don’t get complacent and think you will simply remember everything. It’s exciting to get a solid product in your hands, and it’s easy to overlook things in your rush to get the book out. Slow down and be methodical. You will soon have many copies, and you want them error-free.
Checklist
Some other things you should be specifically looking for at this point are:
______ Trim size
______ Margins
______ Font (headers, subheaders, and text)
______ Style for first paragraph first words (ie drop case or small caps)
______ First paragraph in each chapter is not indented
______ Page numbering (layout and format—page numbers should be in the middle or on the OUTSIDE margin of each page. Odd numbers ALWAYS on the right side)
______ Blank pages should not have page numbers on them
______ Front matter with i, ii, iii, or no page numbers
______ Margins are appropriate on outside and in the gutter (words don’t get lost in the gutter)
______ Chapter headers (font and placement on page); if centered, no indent
______ Title case for chapter titles; short enough for ToC not to wrap
______ Chapter references, if used (are they still accurate?)
______ Novels indent paragraphs (except first in chapter) and no space between paragraphs
______ Nonfiction can be formatted like fiction OR no indents, with an extra space between paragraphs—NOT both!
______ Length of chapters (approximately the same or intentionally otherwise)
______ Dedication (author’s choice)
______ Table of Contents (if applicable—fiction often does not have)
______ End of book marker (many times ###### but it’s up to the publisher/author)
______ Other books by this author listed (front or back)
______ First few pages of next book in series (if applicable)
______ Author Bio (and illustrator if applicable)
______ Paragraphs are blocked (not jagged on the right side)
______ No single lines at top/bottom of pages < 2/3 the line (Widow/Orphans)
______ em dashes
______ numbers spelled out in dialogue
______ italics
______ Section break centered, no indent
______ Cover art (title, and size and placement of author name)
______ ISBN on cover and copyright page match
______ Back cover wording