What It Means When You Find Editing Errors in a Self-Published Book
When writers complain they found errors in a supposedly edited book, here's more than likely what actually happened.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one.
Setting: Facebook writers’ group
Writer A “leans over” to Writer B and says: “I once read a self-published book that was riddled with errors! I’m talking, like, fifty—no, a hundred!—on every page. So, I flipped to the back, and the writer thanked his editor! Like, that must have been the worst editor in the WORLD. I’m never hiring that person.”
Writer B replies: “Yeah! I mean, like, why even hire an editor. They’re not worth the money if there’s still mistakes in the book. Total waste of moolah.”
Writer A: “Like . . . YEAH. Charlatans.”
Writer B: “Word.”
Sigh. Then usually someone else chimes in about reading a traditionally published book that also, gasp, cOnTAinEd ErRorS, and the whole thread devolves into a an editor bashfest that leaves a stain on the whole industry—and writers with a defeatist and defeating attitude that only serves to harm the reputation of self-published authors everywhere when they release yet another poorly edited and unprofessional book.
So, since I plan to never wade into those shark-infested writers like chum on a stick with the intent to provide much-needed context or explanation, here’s what it actually means when you find errors in a self-published book.
THE AUTHOR REJECTED THE EDITS
The nail-biting truth for every editor who works with indie authors is once the book leaves our hands, it’s up to the author to accept or reject the suggestions we make.
Despite our training, education, or experience, an author is still the final judge of what changes to make to their book (rightfully so). So if he or she or they doesn’t/don’t like an Oxford comma, or think that (absolutely correct) apostrophe on the plural possessive looks weird, or become upset that an editor corrected all their tense shifting from past to present back to past within one paragraph because they ruined my creative avant-garde style, dammit—well, there’s not much an editor can do about it if the author flat-out clicks Reject in that case and marches straight ahead to Publishlandia.
THE AUTHOR PUBLISHED AN UNEDITED DRAFT
It does happen. An author is all ready to publish, excitedly uploads their formatted manuscript with the awesome cover to KDP—and when the poor reviews pointing out the mistakes and inconsistencies come rolling in realize with horror they formatted and uploaded the wrong manuscript draft.
Yeah, the one that wasn’t worked over by their professional editor.
But: damage done. Readers have left reviews, other writers have scurried to their Facebook groups to tattle, and the cycle perpetuates itself.
THE AUTHOR DIDN’T HIRE AN ACTUAL EDITOR
Just because a name is mentioned in the back of a self-published book as the book’s “editor” does not, in fact, mean that person is an actual editor with the proper training in Chicago style (or any style), grammar, or book conventions.
Self-published authors sometimes hire friends, family, or strangers simply based on the belief he or she is “good with grammar.” Or they hire someone who was an English teacher (totally different skillset). Or maybe the author fell prey to a rando they met on said Facebook group and hired said rando for a low, low rate, patting themselves on the back the whole way to Amazon over the deal they got.
(Pssst. It’s never a good deal when bad reviews prevent sales. Just saying.)
READERS ARE APPLYING INCORRECT “RULES”
One day, I’d love to sit down with one of those complaining about all the errors they’ve found in a self-published book and make them take a grammar and spelling test of their own.
Or give them one of The Chicago Manual of Style’s workout quizzes.
It might be quite enlightening.
THE EDITOR DID, IN FACT, MAKE MISTAKES
Editors are not machines (bwahahaha, until they are—looking at you, Chat-GPT, sigh), and they do make mistakes from time to time. The chestnut goes that a trained, experienced editor usually has a catch rate of 85-95%, which could mean a few mistakes stubbornly remain in the book.
But one on every page? Hundreds and hundreds? Unlikely. In that case, may I refer you to Point 3 above? Or Point 1? Maybe even Point 2? Heck, just read the whole post again.
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Okay, rant over. Now, go read this.