Form a Mastermind with your Proofreader

Introduction

"By definition, a mastermind alliance is two or more people working together for a common purpose."

Napoleon Hill: Yesterday and Today

I take this a step further by eliminating the word 'alliance.' I also eliminate words like group, etc. Why? Because an effective Mastermind transcends individuality. Two people become as if they are in one mind where there can be no conflict. Questions? Yes. Disagreements? Yes. Hurt feelings? No. 

How do I form a Mastermind with my clients? How would you form a Mastermind with your proofreader? What might the Mastermind look like? Zip on to the next section for one opinion.

Define the Common Purpose

When the writer joins with the proofreader, it helps to have a common purpose. What is the common purpose? This is the crucial question.

The writer must step away from their reasons for writing their book. The book is finished, so those reasons are no longer important. The proofreader must step away from their reasons for proofreading, as those reasons are no longer important.

After walking for a couple hours this morning while pondering the common purpose, I settled on:

Reader Experience

When these words came to me, I asked myself: "What about reader experience? Doesn't this require some adjectives? Will my clients know what it means? My Inner Coach said "No, do you see why it two words are enough?"  My cheeks were turning numb as it was only seven degrees out. How could I agree with my Inner Coach? Then it hit me!

The word "reader" takes me out of the role of a proofreader and into the mind of the reader. The word "reader" takes the writer out of the role of a writer and into the mind of the reader. 

Now, we are on the same side of the table. We are two readers working together as one to... to do what?

Now it's time for the adjective. "Aha!," I exclaimed to my inner Coach. "We can use 'Enhance Reader Experience.'" 

"Nope," he said. "'reader experience.' Think about it for another mile and get back to me."

Finally, as my fingers were turning numb from the cold, I got it. When the proofreader and the writer consider a change, they can use "reader experience" in the communication. 

"Does this passage detract from the reader's experience? Will the change enhance the reader's experience?" 

For minor errors,there is no need for this discussion. However, as a proofreader, I often stray into editing. What if I am confused by a sentence that is grammatically correct? What if I see an entire chapter should be rewritten to enhance the reader's experience?  This is where the words "reader's experience" are handy.

"Do you think rewriting this sentence would enhance the reader's experience? Perhaps, as a suggestion, we can word it this way: ________"

The final decision rests with the writer, as it's their book. 

Communication

Tell me what you want and I'll give it to you. Tell me what you don't want, and I won't give it to you. Please, give me feedback as I proofread.

We are working together with the common goal of: "Reader Experience." We must communicate to work efficiently. So, how can we do that?

We change the process from the way many proofreaders work. I only proofread  3,000 words a day. I send the suggestions to the writer as early in the day as I can. Ideally, they make the changes they accept to their master file, and then tell me if my method of proofreading works for them. It's my job to do what works best for the writer, and I can only do this if the writer tells me what they like and don't like about the process.

Levels of Proofreading

There is no clear definition of proofreading, editing, copywriting, etc., as the boundaries overlap. It helps to delineate the boundaries at the start.

When I wrote "Sales Team One," I asked my proofreader to highlight any obvious typos, but to ignore everything else. Why? Sales Team One is historical fiction set in 1904, so, I had to write as if the book was written in 1904 by the well-known characters in the book. (Notice the unusual comma usage and the longer sentence structure.) The narrator is 14 years old, so I had to write like a 14 year old boy would write in 1904. 

An experienced writer might ask me to ONLY highlight extra spaces, punctuation errors, spelling errors and obvious grammar errors. They are happy with their writing style and don't want any suggestions. 

Meanwhile, a new writer wanting to improve might ask me to highlight every extraneous word. They may ask me to suggest alternative words such as "bellowed" instead of "said," "raced" instead of "ran quickly," etc. 

Other writers might have what I call "evaluation anxiety," and only want spelling, punctuation, and grammar suggestions.

I'm happy to cross-over into editing if that's what my client wants. I'm happy to stick with stereotypical proofreading if that's what my client wants. All it takes is open communication.

How I get to Know my Clients

Confession time: I'm learning from a mistake. I received a final draft, and I started proofreading with a magnifying glass. To make it worse, I started to suggest changes based MY style and not my CLIENT'S STYLE. So, what is the solution?

Be a Reader First

One of my programs converts any file to an audio book. In the future, the first step will be listening to the entire book while I walk -- listening as a READER, not a proofreader. Remember, the goal is READER experience. 

Many styles are used by writers. As in the previous sentence, and in this one I might add, the passive tense is used effectively by many writers.

Other writers use an action packed active voice. They write in shorter sentences. They get to the point. They write in shorter sentences and they get to the point. 

Any style can work, and I can adapt to the writer's style. 

Conclusion

When we work together as one mind, working with a common purpose, we can enhance the reader's experience. To do so, open communication is essential. It's my job to match what my clients want.

Good News/Bad News

Yesterday, a writer gave me six books to proofread. He has a flexible timeline. I agreed to schedule one book every other week for 11 weeks so I can leave the open weeks for new clients. Eleven weeks, or sooner, is my commitment. If I have open days, I will slide his project earlier.

Meanwhile, I still have openings for new clients, but they can slam shut if you don't contact me early!

Please contact me even if you haven't started writing your book. We can reserve a date to start proofreading. To maintain top quality, I proofread one book at a time. 

Gary Thaller

gershon_ben_franja@yahoo.com