Printed proof copy: what to check in a translated book before release

A printed proof copy is your book in your hands before it goes live, and it's where you catch the mistakes you can't see on a computer. In a translated book this matters even more, because some of the problems come from the language itself: letters that don't show up, a reversed direction, or a word left in the original language. Here's how to order a copy like that, and a checklist of what to look for in it.

How to order a printed proof copy

On KDP (Amazon's self-publishing platform) it's part of the normal process. According to KDP's help page, this is how it works:

1. On your Bookshelf, find the paperback or hardcover.
2. In the three-dot menu, choose Request Printed Proofs.
3. Choose a quantity. You can order up to five copies at a time.
4. Choose the Amazon marketplace for the country the copy will ship to.

Two conditions. You first need to approve the book in the print previewer, and after the request you get an email with a link to complete the order. If you don't complete it within 24 hours of the email, the copies drop out of your cart.

According to the help page on proof copies, a copy like this is printed with the words "Not for Resale" and a unique barcode with no ISBN (the number that identifies a book). It's for checking only. If you want copies to sell or give away, you order author copies of the published book later.

Checklist: the cover

Start on the outside. It's the first thing a reader sees.

• The title and your name. Spelled correctly in the new language? Including special letters, like é in French or ñ in Spanish?
• The spine. Is the text centered? Not spilling onto the front or the back? Does it read the right way when the book stands on a shelf?
• The back. Is the back cover text the final version in the new language, and not a draft or text from the original?
• The barcode. Is it covering any important text?

Checklist: the direction and the first pages

• Does the book open from the right side? A book that went from Hebrew into English should open from the left. We wrote about this in when a book changes reading direction.
• The title page and the copyright page updated for the new language? Is the translator's name where you agreed it would be?
• The table of contents matches the actual page numbers? Open three chapters and check.

We wrote about what belongs on these pages in front and back matter explained.

Checklist: the text on the page

There's no need to read the whole book again. The text is checked before this. In the proof copy you flip through and look for things that have to do with printing:

• Missing letters. An empty box or a question mark in place of a letter means the font doesn't support it. It happens mostly with accented letters, like ç or ü.
• Words left in the original language. A chapter title, a caption under a picture, or a sentence in Hebrew forgotten inside English text.
• Word breaks at the end of a line. Some languages split long words with a hyphen. A wrong break, or huge gaps between words, stands out badly on paper.
• Inside margins. Does the text disappear into the binding when you open the book?
• Running heads and page numbers. On the correct side? Not showing up on blank pages?
• Images and captions. Translated? Not cut off?

Checklist: the last pages

They're easy to forget, because everyone checks the beginning.

• "About the author" translated and up to date?
• The list of other books points to the versions in the new language, if there are any?
• The acknowledgments still make sense to the new reader?

After the check

Mark every problem with a sticky note, fix it in the file, and upload it again. If the fixes were big, like a new font or a change to the cover, order another proof copy. It's more waiting, but it's cheaper than a book that came out with a mistake on the spine.

And if you don't read the new language yourself, ask someone who does to flip through it with you, at least the cover and the first pages. We wrote about this in do I need a native speaker to proofread the translation. More questions are collected in our frequently asked questions.