Christian Fiction Proofreader Services
Proofreading services for
Christian fiction authors
Publish your words with polish.
Looking for a Christian fiction proofreader?
My name is Jayna Baas, and I’m here to help you!
I offer multiple types of editing, but Christian fiction proofreading and copyediting are my specialties—especially Christian historical fiction proofreading, along with a few other genres like Christian adventure or suspense fiction and clean Christian romance.
As a Christian fiction copyeditor, I’ve studied with The PEN Institute and am the director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network.
And as an award-winning independent author, I have a special passion for helping Christian authors publish their words with polish.
What can a Christian fiction proofreader do for your book?
Proofreading is the final step before publication and comes after developmental editing (“big picture” editing) and copyediting or line editing (“deep clean” editing). Proofreading checks for errors that slip through in these areas:
- Typographical errors
- Grammar, spelling, and punctuation
- Formatting consistency
- Compliance with style and usage guidelines
For historical fiction, if an author requests it, I’ll also flag any blatant anachronisms.
Proofreading can be done either on the unformatted manuscript after all the other rounds of editing are finished or on the fully formatted PDF proof just before publication.
Traditional proofreading on a fully formatted PDF also includes these checks:
- Consistent headers and footers
- Widows and orphans
- Stacked hyphens or other unattractive formatting glitches
- Correct hyphenation and word division across lines or pages
Since any corrections on a fully formatted PDF can require reformatting or cause problems elsewhere in the manuscript, it’s important to make sure the manuscript is as clean as possible before submitting it for a traditional PDF proofread.
Am I the right Christian fiction proofreader for you?
That depends. My goal as a Christian fiction proofreader is to provide my full support for your project. If I can’t do that, you’ll be better served by a different proofreader. (For Christian books, check out Christian Editor Connection or the member listings at The Christian PEN. For secular books, try Editorial Freelancers Association or Reedsy.)
I proofread multiple genres of Christian fiction. Here are my specialties:
- Historical fiction (my favorite!)
- Light suspense or adventure fiction
- Clean, sweet romance
- Contemporary fiction
- Cozy mystery
- Nonmagical fantasy
I’m not the right proofreader for heavy speculative fiction genres, suspense or thrillers with graphic violence, horror genres, or anything rated higher than PG-13. I also reserve the right to decline any project that promotes beliefs opposite my own for the simple reason that I can’t give such projects my best work.
Fiction genres I do work with:
- Historical fiction
- Contemporary fiction
- Light suspense or adventure fiction (no graphic violence)
- Clean or sweet romance (some exceptions)
- Nonmagical fantasy
- Cozy mystery
Fiction genres I don’t work with:
- Hardcore speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, etc.)
- Suspense or thrillers with significant or graphic violence
- Horror
- Anything that’s not PG-13 or cleaner
My standard rate for Christian fiction proofreading is $0.01 per word. This includes all the corrections listed above and applies to either pre-formatted proofreading or traditional galley proofreading.
These are my standard rates, but I estimate rates on a per-client basis and love to help writers at all stages of their journeys. Please don’t hesitate to contact me even if you’re on a tight budget.
I offer free samples of my Christian fiction proofreader services. If you’re ready to get started, or if you have any questions, please contact me here and I’ll be in touch as soon as I can!
I can’t say enough nice things about Jayna. From her kind and helpful suggestions to her uncanny ability to spot grammatical and typographical errors, I remain forever in her debt for helping me cross the finish line with a highly polished manuscript. She is thorough, detailed-oriented, and a trustworthy professional. In a world with so many options for authors, she’s at the top of my list. I can only hope she’s available when I complete my next project.
—Joy Cleveland, author of Lucy in Bloom (proofreading services)
Working with Jayna on my project was a delight! Her editing was precise but kind, and her knowledge helped give my book the final polish it needed. She went above my expectations with her fact checking and attention to the message behind my words. By the last page, I felt confident that my book was ready to share with the world thanks to her thoroughness.
—Alena Mentink, author of A Time of Proving (proofreading services)
✎ Pro Tip
More about Jayna Baas
Jayna Baas (pronounced as in “baa, baa, black sheep”) is the award-winning author of the For Liberty & Conscience series and serves as director of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network. She writes and edits from beautiful northern Michigan, where she strives to give readers faith-filled adventures bursting with courageous characters and biblical truth.
In between writing her own books and editing other people’s books, Jayna seeks out new adventures on the screen, on the page, and in the kitchen. She also loves to spend time with her great family of real people and the family of pretend people who live in her head. (Yes, she does know her characters are not real. No, she does not want you to tell them she said so.)
Although her love of words extends to multiple genres, Jayna’s favorite story is this: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
Jayna is a Christian copyeditor and proofreader who specializes in Christian fiction genres, particularly Christian historical fiction, clean romance, and light suspense fiction or adventure fiction (no graphic violence or explicit language or content, please). Her copyediting focuses on creating a smooth reading experience through clarity and accuracy, vivid word choice, consistent style, and attention to narrative technique like point of view and character voice. Her proofreading focuses on presenting a polished product through correction of typos, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and word usage, along with checks for formatting consistency if your book has already been typeset. For both copyediting and proofreading, Jayna pays special attention to the faith elements of authors’ books to ensure their beliefs are accurately stated in a way readers will understand.
Her services are best suited to books that have already undergone developmental editing, or “big picture” editing to assess structure, character development, etc. Jayna doesn’t offer developmental editing, but she does offer a project guidance service to help you figure out what your book needs and where to start. This is a great fit for independent authors who would like a little extra advice on the editing and publishing process. She also offers evaluations or critiques for a select number of manuscripts, assessing the story’s strengths and weaknesses and providing suggestions for improvement.
Jayna’s editing work on her own Christian historical fiction series in conjunction with another professional proofreader resulted in the 2025 Editors’ Choice Award for her novel Patriot at the River, which was also a 2025 Carol Award finalist. Testimonials from clients describe her editing as thoughtful, knowledgeable, professional, and easy to work with. Her proofreading and copyediting rates range from $0.01–0.04 per word depending on the service you request, and she offers project guidance for $30–50 per project. Evaluation/critique rates are based on project length, typically $200–$500 per project. These rates are comparable to industry standards, but Jayna is always willing to discuss rates based on individual budgets.
If you have a Christian fiction book in need of copyediting or proofreading, Jayna would be happy to hear from you. Contact her by filling out her editing services request form.
