Many books I read today have errors in them. Some are grammatical. Some are misspelled words and some have misplaced modifiers.
Granted most of the better publishers have copy editors that correct this kind of problem, but I wonder why we still find so many books that seem like the writer refused to let a good editor make changes in the work.
For some reason, when I pick up a book with obvious errors, I don't want to buy it. I don't want to go any further. It gives me the impression that the writer, the editor, and the publisher don't have much pride in the product.
I have been told that is the reason book stores don't like to carry self-published books -- they just don't measure up to the books on the shelves. And book store owners don't want to put a book on the shelf when the writing is mediocre and the errors slow down the reader.
How do you feel about buying a book and finding errors on every other page?
Even if the book is touching, humorous, and filled with a story that grabs me, I turn off on the errors.
How about you? What do you think about producing a book filled with errors.?Leave a comment and give us your opinion on this matter. It is not hard to do. If you don't want to leave an email address, just click on anonymous.
I am also turned off by repeated grammatical, spelling, and editorial errors. Like a bad paint job, it lowers my rating level of the work itself.
ReplyDeleteyes,Glenda, can relate to that ...to your premise. however, I can rememeber a time when I shopped my book of poems around for a fundamentals check, dashes, commas in line syntax and basically the form I used time and again for poems and several said they didn't understand the line breaks so it must be poet on poet and fiction writer on fiction writer evidently for a fundamentals check. and just a good going over. the author is unlikely to catch everything in a proof read. my editor basically walked on my plank and didn't edit. so... what to do, deadline was past for pub. so had to go with it. the final edits: that's where friends trade services and that is beneficial to all especially in a close knit group which I have now.
ReplyDeleteHaving self-published a book, I can appreciate the work that self-editing takes. It is definitely a turn off to see editing that is not up to par.
ReplyDeleteIt breaks my heart when I see errors in a book. And I've seen them in self-published AND large publishing house books....one must be very, very intentional in having a great editor and/or readers.
ReplyDeleteIt is basically impossible for an author to edit his/her own work to perfection. In the case of a self-published book, if there are mistakes it's entirely on the author. I have assisted several hundred writers in self-publishing their work, and I always encourage them to have several people review their work or pay to have it professionally edited. In all the writers I have worked with in self-publishing, only one was able to edit it all himself and have the end product error free. Tom Davis, Publisher, OMP
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