Book Sanctuary

Book Sanctuary Proofreading Service

Terms and Conditions

 

These are terms of reference between our proofreading service and the client. By using our service, you agree to accept these terms and conditions prior to work being carried out.

• We reserve the right not to accept work submitted that may be of an offensive or prejudicial nature. We also reserve the right to refuse to accept an order from a client without giving a reason to the client. 

• Plagiarism and/or breach of copyright are serious and we assume no responsibility or liability for infringement of third party copyright of content supplied to us for the use of this service. 

• Clients will retain full copyright and intellectual property ownership over all material submitted for this service, and any materials developed by us in providing this service on your submitted work. This will not change any obligations upon clients under this agreement. 

• Clients must provide accurate contact and payment details. All client information is treated with absolute confidentiality. The client assumes all responsibility for any problems, errors, issues, and legal liability resulting from the supply of false information. We are not liable for fraudulent use of any payment method to purchase this service.

• We are committed to maintaining a strict privacy policy. For details please see: http://www.booksanctuary.co.uk/privacypolicy.html

• Payment terms will be agreed at the outset. On receipt and clearing of full cost, or agreed percentage of payment, the service will be provided on half of the work, or less as agreed, with the remainder of the work completed upon receipt of any cost outstanding.

• We will endeavour to meet agreed deadlines; however, we are not responsible for delays in service as a result of technical problems or other unforeseen circumstances. We are not responsible or liable for any damage to computer hardware or software arising from the distribution of a computer virus.

• We reserve the right to terminate the service or contractual obligations should a client not adhere to these terms and conditions. Furthermore, we reserve the right to discontinue or terminate operation of our proofreading service at any time and for any reason.

Book Sanctuary Proofreading Service

Benefits of our service: We offer a ‘fresh pair of eyes’ to look at your work because computer spell checkers cannot be relied upon to pick up all errors or deal with certain style specifications, such as Scots dialect. We aim to meet your individual requirements and preserve your unique ‘author’s voice’, and will follow a style guide provided by you, or alternatively will compile our own, to ensure accuracy and consistency. We will liaise with you at all times to highlight and resolve any ambiguities or queries which may arise.

The tasks we will undertake:

Proofreading:

• Ensure consistency of hyphenation; use of capital letters; punctuation; and spelling - particularly the use of homophones (words which sound the same or similar but have different spelling or meanings).

• Clarify ambiguous grammar, mixed tenses, et cetera.

• Highlight and amend typographical errors/inconsistencies.

• Cross-check page numbering, titles, chapter headings, table of contents, appendices, et cetera.

• Ensure any photographs, illustrations, captions, labels, et cetera correspond with each other and corresponding text.

• Check general formatting: ie spacing of sentences, paragraphs, and page breaks.

Copy-editing: Our proofreading service does not involve restructuring or re-writing. However, a level of copy-editing is available which involves the above proofreading tasks with additional changes made to correct grammar, punctuation, repetitions, suggest alternative ways of structuring sentences and advise on word usage to improve phrasing. We are able to provide these additional services, if required, but this level of more substantive editing would need to be discussed and agreed beforehand as it may take longer to complete. In addition we can offer a level of

Editorial proofreading: This higher level would carry out all the tasks highlighted for proofreading and copy-editing plus any changes required to correct word choice and ensure clarity of writing.

Audio-transcription: A member of our team is a very experienced audio-transcriber able to provide verbatim transcript of your work to allow you to get on with your writing. Also available is cost-effective ‘intelligent’ verbatim transcription– simply all ehm, um, er, and other such hesitations are removed; otherwise unfinished sentences, contractions, incorrect grammar et cetera remain verbatim to maintain the overall style of your writing. As part of the audio-transcription service, your work would be transcribed, listened through a second time, research carried out, as necessary, to identify any terminology, and proofread. It is envisaged that this service would be charged per audio minute. If you are interested, please enquire and we will be pleased to provide a quote based on your individual requirements.

Sample proofreading request: If you are interested in our service, we will be pleased to send you a free-of charge edited sample on a representative sample of your work (5 to 10 pages) to see if the service meets your requirements and to help decide the level of editing that you want. If you have any queries or wish to discuss your individual requirements, please email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sending your work: The preferred method is by Microsoft Word document (.doc or .rtf), or equivalent, by email attachment to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please include your name and the name of your work when sending your document. It will be helpful if you could also provide details of your specified deadline; style specification, such as UK or US English, or Scots dialect; or any other information on the type of text.

Sample proofreading: On receipt of your electronic copy, 2-3 pages will be edited using Microsoft Word’s tracking tool with any corrections highlighted in red and comments in the margin with suggestions or queries. You will be sent a ‘clean’ fully edited sample with the changes and all tracking removed once suggested changes have been agreed or rejected. Using Microsoft Word’s tracking tool allows you to easily accept or reject any suggested tracked changes within Word. If you have any questions regarding the use of the tracking tool, or any other queries, we will be happy to help.

We are also happy to work on a hard copy of your work. If you are interested in this option, please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further details.

Quote: We will discuss your requirements with you beforehand and liaise with you effectively at all stages to ensure these requirements continue to be met. A fixed quote for your full work will be provided based on the level of service needed or requested by you; however, a quote for the total work can only be given if you are able to provide details of the complete work, such as number of words/pages, otherwise it will be based to reflect generally a 12-point font-sized document with an average of 300 words per page.

Rates: We aim to provide a high quality service with a fair, competitive rate on an individual basis. Quotes will generally be based on the number of words; however, where in some circumstances it is thought this may be excessive a fairer rate may be achieved by providing the work based on an hourly rate of payment rather than by wordage, but this will be discussed fully with you and agreed before work goes ahead.

Discounts: A 10% discount is available for registered users of www.booksanctuary.co.uk on the proofreading service.

Payment: Payment terms will be agreed at the outset. Work will commence upon clearing of full cost or agreed percentage of payment, generally 50% of quoted cost. At this stage, half of your work, or less as agreed, will be edited and returned to you. The remainder of the work will be completed upon receipt of any outstanding cost. We are happy to discuss and agree to a different percentage to be paid up front. Please ask if you have a preferred option.

Method of Payment: At the present time, payment is requested by cheque. However, we are looking into the option of offering a secure method of paying online using credit or debit cards.

Deadline: If we are unable to meet your deadline request due to time constraints, we will not accept the work but will offer an alternative date, where possible, to see if this is acceptable to you. As payment has to be cleared before work can be started, please bear this in mind with your specified deadline.

Satisfaction of completed work: We aim to provide a quality service at a competitive rate. However, should you have any issues after completion of the work, please contact us and we will work to resolve them satisfactorily with you.

Please feel free to contact us on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you have any questions or queries not answered here.

I’ll start this little blog post with some thoughts on the importance of libraries in the UK, simply because this is an important and, at times, emotional subject. Rightly so, libraries are pivotal in our communities; they not only give people the opportunity to read books on a variety of subjects, but they provide vital services such as internet access, advice of various kinds and a meeting place for members of the public. They also provide free access to books for children, vital in an age when young readers can be so easily distracted by apps and video games. With extensive public sector cuts taking place in the UK, libraries have been threatened with closure. As reported in the media some of these have been saved by the weight of public opinion. Moving forward though, how can libraries maintain their survival, and will eBooks become a part of the libraries of the future?

To an extent, eBooks are already a part of the library scene. In the US this influence is seen in major libraries such as the New York Central, where members can use an app on the ‘Nook’ device to lend eBooks. When the expiration date passes the book simply disappears from the device. One other development in this area was the news that HarperCollins will make library eBooks self-destruct after 26 downloads, the justification being that 26 lending periods is the average lifespan of a library paperback. In my view, applying paperback life expectancy to a digital product is unfair on the libraries that will need to pay for replacement eBooks. That said, arguments in favour of HarperCollins’ plans do have credence.

How prominent are eBooks in British libraries? In terms of University libraries, eBooks and electronic journals are becoming a major study resource. However, these are accessible through the internet, and the question is whether eBook devices such as the Kindle, iPad and Sony Reader will incorporate library services directly. This doesn’t seem to have taken off yet, but the process of eBook availability in British libraries has begun. Some libraries allow their members to log onto a website, download eBooks onto their PCs, and then onto their device of choice. The book then deletes itself after 14 days. Research suggests that this is boosting membership in participating libraries, and perhaps this boost in numbers with convince local councils that libraries play a crucial role in society.

The danger is that online lending of this nature will replace, rather than supplement, library services. It is vital for the benefit of the elderly, the young and those without disposable income, that library buildings, with their services and stacks of paperbacks, survive. As I’ve said before, equilibrium is needed. There is space for both digital and print to co-exist, and libraries are as relevant today as they have ever been.

Until next time,

Thomas

Just recently Amazon announced that, in an upcoming update to the Amazon Kindle software, books on your Kindle device will soon have page numbers. At which point thousands of students and academics around the world rejoiced. Why? Let me explain.

The Amazon Kindle, for all of its benefits and positives as a device, has included a rather baffling ‘location’ system on each page, rather than standard page numbers. When reading an eBook the zoom setting that you apply does, of course, affect the amount of pages that you have read, and Amazon clearly felt that scrapping page numbers in favour of ‘Locations’ would avoid any confusion. However, the rival eBook format, ePub, does include page numbers that, regardless of the zoom setting on your device, displays consistent page numbers at the relevant points. The question is, why does this matter, and why are Amazon now changing tack to introduce fixed page numbers?

There may be a few reasons, but the most obvious one relates to two specific demographics; students and academics. For those trying to use Kindles to read academic texts, or any books that would be cited in an essay or publication paper, it was impossible to do so. A key tenet of academic work is that your arguments must be supported, and any use of written material must be fully and accurately disclosed, allowing the reader to look up a point of reference if possible. This couldn’t be done with a Kindle book, because there was no way to cite a location of a quotation while providing an accurate reference point, a page number. Once academic citation conventions allow, the use of Kindles, following the inclusion of page number, may start to spread amongst students and academics.

Why this simple step has taken so long is confusing, but with one update Amazon will be broadening the appeal of the Kindle. Perhaps there will be long term ramifications for publishing in the Academic sector, we shall see.

Until next time, all the best.

Thomas

As posted in the ‘Latest News’ section on Book Sanctuary, The prominence of eBooks as news-worthy items is starting to increase in the UK media. The eBook industry has been a hot topic in the US for at least two years yet the sense is that, with the Kindle in particular, the general British public are becoming more aware of eBooks. The news that Booker judges will have copies of the nominated texts on a Kindle opens up some interesting questions; namely, will these eBook editions actually influence their decision on the Booker Prize winner?

How could they be influenced? Well, in my studies I was directed to read a piece titled ‘Introduction to the Paratext’ by Gérard Genette. He writes about the ‘Paratext’ in terms of the information and content that surrounds the text of a book; so if you’re reading a book right now, he’s referring to items such as Introductions, Dedications, author profile, interviews etc that are included in the publication. Although Genette doesn’t refer to them in great detail in his introduction, he also indicates that how the book ‘looks’ and ‘feels’ can impact your reception of a book and how you read it. It is the same as any other product; we are all influenced by visual and tactile indicators of goods, whether they feel well made or are presented well.

So, subconsciously, does the look and feel of a book play a part in the Booker Judge’s opinion of a book, and influence them favourably or otherwise? If so, the fact that they will now be able to read the books on a Kindle may alter their perception before they start to read the text itself. What if one of the listed titles has particularly high quality paper, non-standard typefaces or an abundance of maps and illustrations? An example is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, winner in 2009. At the start of the book there are detailed family trees of the Tudors and ‘The Yorkist Claimants’, to give the reader a sense of the interconnectedness, or otherwise, of the characters. On the Kindle these diagrams are faint and hard to read, regardless of your zoom setting. These diagrams are one of the first things you see when opening the book. In addition, the Kindle, generally, converts and displays eBooks in one standardised font. Choices made by the publisher in terms of typesets etc are, once again, impacted. The reading experience has distinct differences in the eBook format.

Of course, as part of a website promoting eBooks for new writing, I believe that eBooks offer a chance for technology to increase and encourage literary output. In the context of judging for the Booker prize it is interesting that eBooks, albeit in a subtle way, could alter the ultimate outcome. That doesn’t have to be viewed as entirely negative, but even a very slight shift in the goalposts can lead to interesting changes in how we view books.

My blog entries on the current digitization of European and US libraries are still in progress, but until then…

All the best,

Thomas

Firstly, my apologies for the tardiness of recent blog posts. I have been utterly consumed by work and University essay writing, a result of which was the lack of creative juices. The festive period always helps though, and I’m happily gearing up for a week of food and drink gluttony with the family. Tis the season!

On the Christmas theme, and to steal an idea very obviously from Charles Dickens, let’s have a short meander around the past, present and future of books. I’m in an interesting position in that I’m studying a course of the history of the book, am involved in Book Sanctuary as part of the present, and am curious about the future of the book. So, let’s get started.

The past of the book, to give a crude and academically questionable summary, truly became an item of the masses once Gutenberg print technology was established. As I have learnt in my studies, the idea of the book can be traced back as far as 2^nd and 3^rd Centuries BC. However, Gutenberg’s movable print had, by the late 15^th Century, predicated an almost unprecedented expansion of book production. Gradually, as the decades and centuries passed, the improvement of this printing technology democratised the book and made it more available to the masses. Book producers could create cheaper editions and the middle classes began to read. Progressions in society (greater literacy), and the more accessible cost of a book, contributed to the development of the book industry as a major commercial force. Our old friend Charles Dickens was a good example, utilising cheap, serial publications in Victorian times to build a large, devoted audience. Books started to become big business, which leads us to…

The present: I believe that the last 15 years in particular, the period where I’ve grown up and become an enthusiastic reader, has seen the industry of the book expand. What we now have are major book chains with large stores (eg. Waterstones, Blackwells), as well as supermarkets and department stores. Books, particularly self-defined ‘best-sellers’, can now be found almost anywhere. We have major book festivals, book awards with significant press coverage, and blockbuster Hollywood adaptations. In addition, we now have the eBook. While our goal with the eBook is to encourage fresh, new writing, the eBook is becoming a commercial industry in its own right. There are a number of e-readers and book stores selling eBooks, and we’ve all seen a number of adverts and marketing efforts from Amazon; eBooks are becoming big business.

So, the future: It is hard to predict as there is currently a major upheaval taking place in the publishing industry. I’m not going to go into details in this entry, but as long as people still receive reward for their work, and publication agreements are fair to the author, then eBooks will succeed. It’s my belief that if this principle is defended the book will continue to thrive in both print and eBook form. Much like the music industry, equilibrium will be found. There will be those who prefer to buy an eBook, and those who like to have the physical edition. Who knows, maybe publishers and retailers will be savvy enough to help both forms continue and complement each other.

Those are my thoughts, in very brief form, on the book and where it is going. It is important that we embrace the opportunities of the future, while defending and retaining the best of the past:

“I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.” (Scrooge, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens)

I read an interesting article (and subsequent discussion) this week discussing the ‘green’ merits of eBooks. Of course anything ‘green’ or ‘eco’ is all the rage right now and as an individual concerned about the environment it actually frustrates me a little. I love awareness and discussion about the environment, but recoil at commercial abduction of the subject. Some products claim to be ‘eco-friendly’, but these claims rarely bear scrutiny. We’re told to believe that a certain product is environmentally friendly and that we’re saving the rainforest or Antarctica, when in reality we probably aren’t.

Anyway, that rant is over. The question is whether eBooks are a ‘green’ alternative to print books. This is a big subject and I won’t cover it in this post, rather it is something that I’ll be exploring in the coming weeks. Some major areas of the debate centre around the sustainability of paper printing, whether production processes of electronic goods outweigh benefits of digitisation, and also the energy implications of maintaining the digital infrastructure (servers, internet cabling etc). It is a complex subject.

I would love to hear opinions about this. I’d love to discuss by email, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , and I’ve set up a new thread on the Book Sanctuary forum as well as a Facebook ‘discussion’. Comments will also be activated on the blog as soon as possible. My next post on the subject will address sustainability of print, including paper production. I will be striving to maintain a balance in the arguments, as I personally want to see print and eBooks continue and succeed. Until the next time…

All the best,

 

Thomas

I enjoy reading. There are millions of people who are the same. Reading can be a diverse business, some love fiction, romance, poetry, tabloids, broadsheets, journals, scientific theses; the list is endless. From my own perspective I am discovering that my circumstances are driving my reading habits in ever more diversifying directions. With lots to read it’s not just a question of what to read, but how am I going to read it?

I’m referring to the choice of reading a traditional printed book, or departing into the realms of eBooks, eBook readers, and online resources. This is a theme that I’m going to come back to a lot as it is an important question that governs my current career aspirations, as well as making the most out of part-time study. Future posts will tackle individual elements of this issue and will consider all of this in detail. For this post, I’m going to lay down my current reading habits for each ‘category’ of reading that I’m currently undertaking. I’ll do this regularly so that I can chart how this evolves in the coming weeks, months and years.

Fiction – Reading fiction is still my main reading pleasure, sometimes for escapism and on other occasions to satisfy an itch to challenge myself.  When it comes to fiction, I still read traditional printed books 99% of the time, as my strained book shelves and their imminent collapse testifies. I am currently flirting with the idea of buying my first Kindle eBook, so maybe the balance will shift.

Non Fiction (autobiography, history etc) – As with fiction, I’m a traditionalist (so far) and buy the physical books.

Newspapers – I do this almost exclusively online. I’m a guilty party who reads The Guardian on a daily basis online without paying a penny. How much longer The Guardian remains free (in light of their competitors’ actions) is unclear, but I only physically buy the paper very rarely. I also read a New York Times app most days, which I got for free (legally I hasten to add!)

Academic - This refers to my impending resumption of studying at university, and I think it’s going to be a split between print and electronic texts. I recently picked up some books from the library, and as a study habit that will continue. However, I’m discovering that there is a huge amount of content online, such as journals and even full texts. eBooks on portable devices don’t yet have a significant role, as I can see, in academic texts.

Journals/Magazines – I’m a subscriber to London Review of Books and Granta, and enjoy the copies coming through the post. However, the scope of online back issues and articles for these kinds of publications and others is growing exponentially. Much like with newspapers, I can see my online browsing habits including more magazines and journals, not to mention the apps and phone subscriptions that are becoming more prominent.

So, as it stands, I’m firmly on the fence. When it comes to books I’m still a bit of a traditionalist, but digital content is creeping into my other reading habits. I’ll be thinking about individual issues in future blogs, as well as keeping a track of how my habits change. The future of these industries will be driven by how the majority’s reading habits develop, and that’ll be interesting to follow.

Until next time, enjoy your reading.

Thomas
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We’ve been attending quite a few events at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in the past couple of weeks, and it has been one of the best in years. Debates over the digital revolution of publishing and book formats such as the eBook and ‘Enhanced eBook’ were dominant in various events; I tend to think that, like in the music business, equilibrium will be found and the industry will survive. Opinions are incredibly diverse on this subject, which is fantastic!

Other highlights for me personally; Andrea Levy reading in a strong Caribbean accent with real authenticity, even though her natural voice is that of North London. Alasdair Gray was also thoroughly enjoyable; I’ve admired the creativity and verve of his writing for many years. His enduring individuality and talents as author, artist and thinker leave me in awe. If you’re not familiar with his works, pick up Lanark: A Life in Four Books and prepare for a challenge. It’s a book that takes you on a journey that is definitively unique and confusing all at once.

The festival was great, though with its significant commercial success comes the usual downside, it is becoming increasingly commercialised. I’ve no problem with that, and hope it continues to grow as it is a special festival. While it thrives, perhaps a new ‘fringe’ book festival should start, focussing on free or very cheap events for lesser known, or even unknown, writers and publications. Just as the Edinburgh comedy fringe started as a reaction to commercialised events many years ago, maybe it’s time for a Book equivalent. Not to mention that the precedent has already been set at Hay-on-Wye, where an alternative book festival was setup within the town to counter the intensively commercial setup on the outskirts. Time to try this in Edinburgh?

I think so anyway…

Warmest regards,

Thomas

When Thomas said he had an idea for selling eBooks a small warning bell went off in my head. As he described it in more detail I knew my suspicions that a web site might be involved were well founded. This then quickly turned into feelings of excitement and anticipation as I realised this could be the beginning of something really good.

His idea of turning the work of new, unpublished writers (and published if they want to) into eBooks that they could then sell to the world was typical of our general outlook on life. To help people fulfill their dreams by publishing their work for them and providing a platform to build an online community area for writers and readers. 

This is an introductory page, but we intend for this area of the website to be a full eZine where the contributors are you, the Book Sanctuary community.