Have You Ever Read The Wise Man’s Rear? Typographical Errors Can Change Everything

[#1]

Oi, could not agree more. It'd be like selling a beautifully crafted wooden chair without sanding the dang thing. Simple editing and/or proofing may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but those little rough spots in a book can add up for the reader...in the worst way.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts (again! ^_^) on this issue.

[#2]

I nearly killed myself laughing, Paul (being of Dutch ancestry, I can't help cacking myself with lavatory humor) - I did noticed you seemed to be biased toward bodily functions - a Dutch ancestor somewhere?.

I can't agree more regarding SPAG. I am the Chief Editor of a small trad publishing house - only producing a dozen or so titles a year, and I can honestly say that the biggest effort is the editing/proofing iterations, and that is also what differentiates what we produce from what TENS OF THOUSANDS of self publisher publish. Some get it right, a s**tload don't. I despair over some friends' efforts and the let down that occurs.

Thanks for your insight, as well as you keen sense of humor.

Gerry

[#3]

I don't know, I might just make it all the way through "A Game of Thongs", which is more than I managed with the original. And I think Hunter S. Thompson's got that whole "Baked Lunch" idea covered.

[#4]

I have read bad stories to the end, just because I can't leave a book unfinished once I start it.

However I have abandoned badly written (spelling, typos, grammar) stories after the first few pages.

[#5]

Well said, Larry – and although this is meant to be a fun post, ultimately I wrote this blog because I do read so many self-published releases with so much potential. If the SPAG issues could be addressed, many of these books that are being put down because of the aforementioned problems would be actually read and enjoyed.

[#6]

Errors slip in sometimes via larger publishers.

In A Dance with Dragons, when reading about a fearsome warrior named Tormund Giantsbane, it's quite comical in the ebook to read his opposition, the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, say “You're a good man, Tormund Giantsbabe. For a wildling." (To which the 'Giantsbabe' replies “Better than most, might be. Not so good as some.")

[#7]

Very good Paul, and I agree with you about self published authors, although I must disclose that I rarely read a work that's not an arc and so am not really too disturbed by a he that should be a she. But as far as a published work goes it shouldn't matter if it's self published or published by a gargantuan brick and mortar house a consumer deserves a good product and I know that mistakes will happen and things get by even the best editor but I've talked to people who won't give any self-pubbed author a look because of the inferior product he's been subjected to in the past so it's the old a few bad apples all over again happening.

thanks for the article Paul as always it's great

deb

[#8]

I agree it is hard to work through a good book when you keep seeing problems that are easy to find and fix. And Paul I really like the way you presented this problem. Great article!

[#9]

I bought a Nookbook of Alien Influences by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. Whoever transcribed the book had left notes on every typo she corrected, in a different typeface, apparently assuming that the editor would review the changes to make sure they were appropriate. Seems that there actually was no editor.