To Error, or Not to Error?
Finding a grammatical, spelling, or sentence-structure error in a final printed piece is a real bummer.
I sit here in the airport, watching people go to and fro while I wait on my next flight, a bag full of the books I packed at my side. I start to think about all of the different types of books that I read, and what makes them truly great…or better than the others. The questions quickly come to mind: Can errors make a book BAD? Can an author come back from errors? Does it matter based on the type of book you are reading? First, we can look at the genre, because that has a lot to do with the writing style. For instance, when I’m reading a non-fiction title, I am a lot less forgiving with errors and such. If you are presenting facts and claiming knowledge on the subject, your writing should be very polished and professional. I read manuscripts in old-fashioned paper format. I read ARCs (advanced reader copy), and these may not have gone through their final proofing process. So, as a reader, can I forgive any of these formats with errors, and, if so…which ones and why?
I will start by saying that, as the team’s developmental editor, I am a stickler for rules, storylines, and continuity of facts. However, do I get it perfect every time? Absolutely not! I will say that finding a grammatical, spelling, or sentence-structure error in a final printed piece is a real bummer. I can, however, forgive works in progress. I have found many newly released titles that still have the errors that I found when I gave them a run through. I expect advanced reader copies to have errors—the publishers are trying to release a book in a finished-enough format to be readable, and spark a buzz, and get on the radar of booksellers, so that we can add these titles to our already obnoxiously long TBR. For this I am grateful! I have read some ARCs that have too many errors, and, I will say, even though I expect the errors, they feel sloppy to me.
You may say, “Brandy, give us some examples.” Here you go: If you know me, you know that I LOVE the book Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt. I think it is one of those rare books that IS for everyone. It is so lovely and it is intrinsically happy, and that is so hard to come by. I read an ARC of that one. I will say, it was one of the most mistake-filled ARCs that I have ever read. I also checked the finished copy when it came out, and some of these errors are still there…Lame. There were spelling errors, a geographical error, and the author called something that is crocheted—knitted. Those things do NOT sit well with me. However, the book is sooooooooo good that I can forgive it. That speaks volumes to the overall quality of this book, because I still love it and I love to recommend it.
Another example is Dead of Night, by Jonathan Mayberry. I read a finished copy of this book and I found a ton of errors. This one is a little tougher because it is campy and full of zombies and such…Right up my alley. I will say that the errors were distracting for me; the writing wasn’t strong enough to forgive them.
I have recently read a local author’s book and there were lots of errors. I will say that is not uncommon. With mass-publishing companies, your book passes through a lot of hands, and lots of skilled humans look over the work. With independent, local publishing, I think there is only a fraction of this attention paid, which is why I think a good, strong edit is so important. Errors, while they are bound to happen, and are often expected, should be given every effort to be avoided. They are so distracting, and they really take away from the overall piece of work. A beta reader is invaluable…BUT, remember, they can’t replace editors, and this is not a fair ask of them.