Nine test readers read and checked my latest book, Grand Stand. Some of them take a broad brush approach and comment on the plot, characterisation etc., but a few are really forensic proofreaders. I proofed the draft several times as well, and between us all, I thought we would have caught most of the typos. However, I wanted to be absolutely sure, so I decided to try something new.
I spotted a function called Readaloud in Microsoft Word and set myself the (admittedly tedious) task of listening to 114,000 words being spoken in a monotonous, computerised voice. You can adjust the speed of the voice to align with your own reading speed.
Suffice to say, I was blown away by how many errors I ironed out using this technique. I found I could ‘hear’ cut and paste errors; the cadence of the voice changed and alerted me to them, even when I wasn’t looking too closely at the screen. I would definitely recommend using Readaloud in addition to your normal proofreading techniques!
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