How many typos or grammar errors can your published book have? One? Five? Ten? When does it get to be too many?
In my early years of editing I believed in perfectionism. My own. I was the editor with the super eye that would catch every typo ever made. I kept on believing that falsehood until I was hired to proofread a friend’s book (Sojourn by Jana Oliver). I got so caught up in the story that I would forget to proofread. Pages went by before I remembered I was doing a job, not just reading the story. So I backtracked, diligently perused what I had missed, marked corrections, and moved on. But within minutes I got caught up again. I thought I’d done a good job. Jana sent me a copy of the published book in thanks and I read it again, and there were more than just a few errors. Imagine my dismay.
When I write I edit. And when I’m done writing, I edit again. Then I read it over and edit again. No matter how many times I look at something before it’s printed, when I read the proof copy I always find mistakes. Hundreds of them.
I’m currently reading a book I was given for review and finding a number of grammar errors. Yes, the author had a proofreader. But not everyone has the qualifications to be a good proofreader. Proofreading is a skill.
It’s a great thrill to publish a book. Not every writer finishes the race. So take pride in completing a huge milestone. Then make sure you have a professional editor/proofreader to take your finished project to the highest level possible.
In my early years of editing I believed in perfectionism. My own. I was the editor with the super eye that would catch every typo ever made. I kept on believing that falsehood until I was hired to proofread a friend’s book (Sojourn by Jana Oliver). I got so caught up in the story that I would forget to proofread. Pages went by before I remembered I was doing a job, not just reading the story. So I backtracked, diligently perused what I had missed, marked corrections, and moved on. But within minutes I got caught up again. I thought I’d done a good job. Jana sent me a copy of the published book in thanks and I read it again, and there were more than just a few errors. Imagine my dismay.
When I write I edit. And when I’m done writing, I edit again. Then I read it over and edit again. No matter how many times I look at something before it’s printed, when I read the proof copy I always find mistakes. Hundreds of them.
I’m currently reading a book I was given for review and finding a number of grammar errors. Yes, the author had a proofreader. But not everyone has the qualifications to be a good proofreader. Proofreading is a skill.
It’s a great thrill to publish a book. Not every writer finishes the race. So take pride in completing a huge milestone. Then make sure you have a professional editor/proofreader to take your finished project to the highest level possible.
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