- When you put your book out into the world,
you want it to be as perfect as possible.
Every word spelled correctly,
every comment in the right spot,
every sentence sounding superb.
These days, computers promise that they can proofread
and perfect your book for you.
But is proofreading software the way to go?
If you're asking yourself that same question,
stick around because this video is for you.
(upbeat music)
Hey, there I'm Julie the book Broad of Book Launchers,
your expert self-publishing services team.
Let's face it, proofreading
and polishing your manuscript is tough work.
It takes precious time,
it's hard to make sure every little mistake is pinpointed
and well, hiring a proofreader to do the job costs money.
So who wouldn't prefer to pop the pages of their book
into some proofreading software,
save that effort and money, and call it a day?
Well, these editing apps apply artificial intelligence
to go beyond spell check and they check grammar,
style, sentence, structure, clarity, repetition,
and picky details like spacing.
Essentially, it's all the technical tasks
of a human proofreader put into a program or app,
sped up and simplified.
Sounds a little bit like a dream come true, doesn't it?
Well, sort of.
Like most dreams, there's also reality.
And the most popular software out there right now
is Grammarly, which comes in three different versions,
basic, which is free, premium, or business.
There's a reason it's a well loved tool
for a lot of writers out there,
'cause it has some of the smartest AI
on the market right now,
which means many of the suggestions actually make sense.
Its interface is easy to use
across all its various formats,
whether you use it as a browser extension,
a desktop app, an online app, or a Microsoft Windows app.
(giggles)
Grammarly also can catch plagiarism plunders.
We use it at Book Launchers to check on our writers'
and our authors' material,
because plagiarism isn't cool,
whether intentional or unintentional,
and your book can't be called a #noboringbook
if you plagiarize.
So Grammarly is a great way to make sure
that you're not accidentally copying another work out there
without proper credit.
Grammarly might be the one we use at Book Launches
for spotting plagiarism and reducing the number of typos
in the bi-weekly launch letter,
which you can get your copy at
by heading to booklaunches.com/7steps, linked below,
which by the way, we don't send you a ton of emails,
just a couple of high value tips and updates a month.
But Grammarly isn't the only other software out there.
You have other options.
Hemingway is another popular one
that promises to make your writing bold and clear,
a la the style of Hemingway. (giggles)
But Hemingway doesn't really give proofreading fixes
the way that Grammarly does, more like writing suggestions.
It may help you to get a general idea
of your writing mistakes,
but it's not really going to polish up your book
the way you might want.
Another program that we like is ProWritingAid.
And it really stands the test against heavyweight Grammarly,
because like Grammarly, it's available in different forms,
like a desktop app and extension for Chrome,
Google Docs, Microsoft, Scrivener,
(giggles) all of those places,
and ProWritingAid's interface is good,
but maybe not quite as slick and intuitive as Grammarly,
but it's a solid choice and also does plagiarism checks.
ProWritingAid recommends improvements to content
that is either vague or incorrect.
It checks for sentence length variation, repetition,
over complicated sentence constructions,
passive voice usage, and a lot more.
On the fly, it also gives users contextual thesaurus,
a contextual (blabbering) (beeping)
On the fly, it also gives users a contextual thesaurus.
Got it. (stars twinkling)
And word explorer so that you can try using
some different words other than your usual repertoire.
Just like Grammarly, it's a great way to start to spot
some of your most common writing errors.
But, and this is a big one,
now that you've gone and downloaded your software,
you're probably thinking
you can skip the proofreader, right?
Did you say no?
Hit that thumbs up button if you said no,
because you're right. (giggles)
Proofreading software,
whether you roll with Grammarly or ProWritingAid,
definitely can provide benefits for your writing.
It can help you clean up the work
before you send it to an editor,
but you're still going to need humans to edit
and proofread your work.
Here's why.
Robots brains rely on rules, not context.
And language doesn't always play by rules.
Grammatical errors, clarity,
sentence structure, overall word meaning,
all of these things change depending on the meaning
and intention behind the sentence.
Context is key and the human brain is not simply better
at comprehending the complexities of writing.
It's better at grasping language and all the ways we use it.
If you skip out on hiring a skilled human
or any other human editors for that matter,
you may find yourself getting
some low-star reviews on Amazon
criticizing that editor in charge.
So sure, run your book through some proofreading software.
It'll make your book a little smoother
and possibly faster for your humans to work on
when you hire them.
Keep your ProWritingAid or Grammarly plugin on
for sending your emails to your book army,
or your pitches to your media,
to help save yourself from embarrassing typos.
But ultimately for your book, there's no replacing
the actual humans that will do the work.
Are you still baffled by all the types of editing
your book will need?
Here is a video all about the different editors
and what they do.
Or maybe you're worried that you're over editing your book.
Learn how to rein it in and stop editing
with this video right here.
You're really rather fun,
so please do click on over to one of these.
I'll be waiting for you there.
(upbeat music)