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Rachel Rowlands, Editor & Author
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Rachel Rowlands, Editor & Author

Proofreading

the final polish
ready for one last check of your book before you publish?

How proofreading can help:

  • A careful, meticulous, and slowed-down read-through to spot any lingering errors that may have slipped through during a copy or line edit.
  • Can be done in a Microsoft Word file, or on a fully laid-out and designed PDF file with all design elements in place.
  • Ensures you have a professional, publication-ready book and covers everything from minor corrections to page numbers, headings, contents and copyright pages, and maps.
  • Checks that nothing has been left out of your book before you hit publish.
how i proofread

My approach

I only proofread books that have already been copy/line edited. If you had a copy/line edit with me, however, I always suggest hiring a separate proofreader, as having fresh eyes for this final step is so important. As much as I would love to continue working on the books I edit, I get too close to a project after copy or line editing, and may miss things.

I can work in Microsoft Word, using the Track Changes feature, or, alternatively, in Adobe Acrobat on a PDF of the designed book if needed.

A shiny red pen gripped in a hand over a notebook
what you get

Service includes…


A fully proofread manuscript, marked up in Microsoft Word using the Track Changes feature. This is the easiest way for you to see and understand my changes and comments, as everything is tracked in red. I can work on laid-out PDFs by request.

A proofread may also include a separate set of proofreading notes highlighting any wider queries (such as broad continuity errors or notes on missing content).

Let’s get your book publication ready!

still unsure?

Here’s what writers and publishers say!

  • Professional and conscientious

    I’ve been lucky enough to count Rachel among Black Library’s pool of freelance editors and proofreaders since 2018, and since then she has lent her talents to a variety of products across our range, including work on our fantasy, science-fiction and horror genres. Rachel is a professional and conscientious editor, taking the time to provide in-depth queries where necessary. She is extremely thorough in her work, always hits deadlines, and is seemingly never phased by the amount of unusual terms to be found in our fiction! She has worked on both short and long-form stories, and seems eager to tackle any task. I would not hesitate to recommend her services.
    Darkness in the Blood by Guy Haley
    Karen miksza, desk editor
    Black Library (Games Workshop)
    Website
  • Attention to detail

    Rachel has a great attention to detail and is always punctual and communicative.
    Alexandra holmes
    Bookouture (Hachette UK)
    Website
  • Extremely proficient

    After working particularly closely on a line-editing project, I suggested to the author that she use another person for proofreading. Rachel matched my requirements perfectly and to my delight, I discovered she’s a great colleague to work with. My client, the author, also thinks she’s great, so it’s a win-win-win for us all. Since I first became acquainted with Rachel, we have worked on two books together. She has gone from strength to strength and I would look for opportunities to work with her again. Rachel is professional in her approach, kind and generous in both her attitudes and sharing her knowledge, and is extremely proficient with the work she does.
    Katherine swailes, PHD., DIP.EDIT
    Write or Wrong? – editing and proofreading
    Website
book your proofread
Member of the Editorial Freelancers Association

Finding my books on the shelves out and about will Finding my books on the shelves out and about will never get old and is always a pinch-me moment! ❄️🥰 I'm super excited that Snowed In at the Cat Café is in The Works for the festive season. I found these copies in a small local store today! And I signed all of them with a sparkly pink pen of course. The staff were so lovely. 

These are the moments I once dreamed about when I was continuously getting rejected – manuscript after manuscript – for seven years. So I feel incredibly blessed to be at this point. 🙏🐈💕

#snowedinatthecatcafe #snowedinatthecatcafè
We've been married for six years today! And togeth We've been married for six years today! And together for almost sixteen. When I say he's the inspiration behind so many of my love stories, I mean it x1000 and then some. He is the reason I write about good men. ❤️
Snowed In at the Cat Café is now on the shelves i Snowed In at the Cat Café is now on the shelves in The Works, all ready for winter and Christmas! ❄️🐱 My editor snapped this photo for me – I am just so excited to be on the shelves next to some of these other amazing authors! 💕 Hope to see this one in the wild myself soon!

I also just saw something VERY exciting for the next book in the series, which I'll be sharing with you shortly... 

#snowedinatthecatcafe #snowedinatthecatcafé
I love collecting images when I'm writing, and mak I love collecting images when I'm writing, and making mood boards. It really helps me get into the flow and visualise everything. Whenever I'm stuck on a particular description or a setting, I go gather pictures to find some inspiration. I recently bought a book of forest photography (50p at a car boot sale!) for this exact reason.

Here's a mood board I made recently for First Dates at the Cat Cafe. Any wild guesses on the details of the story based on these images? 😻💕

#firstdatesatthecatcafe
As promised, today I have some really exciting new As promised, today I have some really exciting news to share with you all…

✨ Two more cat café books are coming out with Hodder next year! ✨

Originally, the third book in the series was going to be The Cat Café Book Club. Some of you dear eagle-eyed readers may have seen a preorder option for that on your Kindles, and you might have already ordered it, even before it was officially announced, which I so appreciate!

But – plot twist – Book Club turned out to be so much bigger and more intricate than I was expecting. Alongside the romance, it has a bit of a mystery thread. Then, in the midst of wrangling the story in the summer, I needed to have surgery and recover from that, which slowed me down.

The exciting part of this reshuffle is that next year you’ll actually be getting two books from me! Here’s the timeline:

📚Book 3: First Dates at the Cat Café ❤️ 🐈 – May 28, 2026
📚Book 4: The Cat Café Book Club 📖 🐈‍⬛ – 20 August, 2026

Even though there’s an “official” order, the books in this series can be read in any order – so you can dive into them whenever and wherever you like. Even if you haven’t read the first two!

You can preorder them both right now. 😊

Want a sneak peek into the premise of each one? Read my latest newsletter over on Substack: rachelrowlands.substack.com (the link is also in my bio).

I can’t wait to share both of these stories with you next year! ✨ 

And stay tuned because I’ll have some other exciting updates for you on the cat café books in October! ☺️

#catcafeseries #firstdatesatthecatcafe #thecatcafebookclub #rachelrowlands

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