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Will a few misspelled words, missed or extra commas, or run-on sentences really affect your image as a writer and your book reviews? Are readers really that picky or even that knowledgeable on proper grammar?
The answer is a resounding—Yes! Readers are in fact that picky, and way more of them than you realize are that knowledgeable on proper grammar. Readers can be highly critical, especially of books written by new authors. Why do you think it’s so difficult to get a publishing contract with traditional publishers? As an editor and grammar nerd, I see mistakes all the time on websites, social media, and published books. It’s very unfortunate, because these mistakes can ruin an author’s or website’s credibility. Think about it. Would you put your trust in a medical or news website if the content was riddled with misspelled words and grammar mistakes? Likely not. Likewise, book readers do not want to be overwhelmed by a huge flux of books filled with mistakes because the author either didn’t proofread before publishing or put too much faith in their own ability to find their mistakes. If authors could separate themselves enough from their own work to do a truly proficient job of proofreading, then the big name publishers would save money by having the authors do it themselves instead of paying high salaries to highly educated and experienced proofreaders and editors. The truth is, authors are too emotionally and mentally attached to their own work to look at it objectively the way an unfamiliar reader can and will. Indie and self-published authors, it's very important to remember that mistakes found in your books will reflect in your reviews. These reviews can make a huge difference in your career. But it's also imperative to keep in mind that those reviews do not just affect you. They affect every self-published/indie author! The publishing world has seen an astronomical boom in self-publishing over the last decade. With so many writers doing their own publishing, it is beginning to reshape the quality level of books for readers. I almost always read reviews before I purchase a new book. I recently read a few reviews left on Amazon for some self-published authors that were overall not good. One of them was asking Amazon to please put a stop to letting all of the "wannabe writers" from publishing just anything. Have you stopped to think what if Amazon, or other book marketers, decided to listen to these requests and took more seriously the negative reviews? What if enough readers got fed up with the high amounts of poor quality books available and all-together stopped purchasing books produced by self-published/indie authors? The effects of that would be devastating to thousands of authors. In a world as advanced as ours, anything could happen. It can't be stressed enough— proofread, edit, and repeat with a different set of eyes before you publish. Don't write "The End" then hit publish. That's a fast track to a bad review that reflects on all self-published/indie authors worldwide. How your book looks and reads for the general public expresses how you, the writer, look to your readers and potential readers. Do you want them to see you as a serious, professional writer or a no-talent amateur? Do you want them to see all self-published/indie authors as a serious breed of writers or a class of low-quality amateurs? When enough self-published/indie authors decide to skip the editor/ proofreader or don't take enough time to make a serious effort themselves on it, and when they don't take the time to properly learn their craft and genre in order to write well-crafted story lines, then the world of readers gets the impression that self-published/indie authors are not real, professional writers. That's not the impression we want our readers to have. Do yourself and the world of self-published/indie authors a favor and hire an editor and proofreader. It’s worth the expense. If you can't afford it, then find a fellow writer that might like to swap manuscripts for editing and proofreading—but sample their editing work first to make sure they know what they're doing. I am still accepting submissions for editing, proofreading, cover designing, and self-publishing assistance. I believe every author should have a clean, polished, professional quality book regardless of their budget. That's why I do everything I can to make sure that the author can afford my services. My prices are competitive with industry standard rates. I have an author assistance program that consists of a payment plan and discounts on select services if necessary. You can read about my business and check out all of my services on my website www.tsarinapress.com. If you have a book that’s getting bad reviews for grammar mistakes and typos but were positive you published a clean book, your readers are most likely right. I’ll be happy to take a look at the book for you to assess it and let you know what I find. Use the contact page on my website or message me through Facebook to set up an appraisal. Elizabeth Wilson Editor and Book & Cover Designer Tsarina Press www.tsarinapress.com
1 Comment
Mark
10/7/2018 05:21:35 pm
Good post, Elizabeth. You make some excellent points! Thanks for sharing about how important editing and proofreading is for all authors!
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"I'm very pleased with all your efforts. Twitter promotion and proofreading were beyond what I expected with a book review. Your suggestions throughout the process of refining both books helped me immensely. I look forward to working with you again." A.E.H Veenman “Dial QR for Murder” and “Prepped for the Kill”
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