My Biggest Complaint: Insufficient Editing

[stevieraecausey]

If errors are subtle my brain will usually auto correct-as readers our minds often fill in the blanks of what our brains expect the text to say. If the errors are severe or frequent enough to disrupt my pace then I tend not to finish the book

[Lyricishani]

Grammatical errors are a huge distraction for me. This will cause me to become disinterested very quickly. I had a local author send me a copy of his book and I couldn't get pass the 3rd page.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

I noticed some errors but the story was so captivating that the errors did not distract me while reading.

[Book_Worm-Dragon]

If I'm reading a book and it has a lot of errors it tends to throw off my focus and make the story seem raw, it does change how I feel about the book.

[E Scott]

Editors cost a lot of money, but they are necessary when putting your book out there. I've beta'd quite a few books, some before and some after editing. The difference is flow. Stopping constantly to reread something because the sentence jarred you out of the narrative can ruin the experience. I think it depends on the reader. Some people are more sensitive to it and some can read and gloss over it.

[Kirstyangel 17]

Hi,

I totally get what you are saying. I got to say my major problem is with ebooks. I get that some times things slip we all are human but when the authors name appears in the middle of the page or they stop one sentence mid way to begin another is a bit much I think...

[WildWiggin]

I get more upset when I see the quality of excellent writing get brought down by poor editing. Somehow, it doesn't matter to me as much when a book is poorly written to start with.

I couldn't agree more. It's easy to just write off a poorly written story altogether, but it's frustrating when a good story is dragged down by poor editing.

I hadn't thought of it this way before, but it is so true! And yes, poor editing does effect my reviews. I can overlook a few mistakes, but not that many.

It’s always sad when a really good book has a lot of grammatical errors. If there are a lot of mistakes it can distract me from the story because I get so focused on seeing the errors.

[Holladay]

He or she who casts the first stone shall be errorless. Chicago style perfect is not for all. Conversations are rarely "error free". I have not read the book but have read a thousand plus or more. Try reading the Dune series closely and see if it is the writing, plot or errors that cause you to mumble and retreat backward several pages to see what you missed.

What kills me is the perfection that everyone seeks when there is not enough knowledge or talent to carry the pencil of a decent author with an interesting thought to share. I have been on both sides of the page and yes chicken scratching is distracting and freelance editors who charge 4-8 cents a word are equally odious. Give us a good story that entertain, teaches and makes you desire to keep flipping the pages. I can handle a few errors and still be entertained. Factually there were errors in the error mongers.

[greenstripedgiraffe]

Some errors really erk me. I cannot abide incorrect tense or extra words. Sometimes, I catch wrong pronouns (he instead of she) - That really throws me off. Or, in a conversation, the "wrong" person is speaking. What is said doesn't make sense, and I go over it again and again, and finally figure out it should be a different character speaking the words. This last error happens most often when conversation is sprinkled throughout descriptive sentences. Spelling and punctuation, I can forgive more easily, unless it's a pervasive issue.

[braver]

He or she who casts the first stone shall be errorless. Chicago style perfect is not for all. Conversations are rarely "error free". I have not read the book but have read a thousand plus or more. Try reading the Dune series closely and see if it is the writing, plot or errors that cause you to mumble and retreat backward several pages to see what you missed.

What kills me is the perfection that everyone seeks when there is not enough knowledge or talent to carry the pencil of a decent author with an interesting thought to share. I have been on both sides of the page and yes chicken scratching is distracting and freelance editors who charge 4-8 cents a word are equally odious. Give us a good story that entertain, teaches and makes you desire to keep flipping the pages. I can handle a few errors and still be entertained. Factually there were errors in the error mongers.

I really don't think that anyone here was 1) claiming to be perfect or 2) demanding perfection in books. I've come across the occasional typo in some of my favorite books, and it hasn't detracted from them. When they are few and far between, errors are understandable and forgivable. But when a book contains so many errors that the flow of the story is constantly being interrupted, that is something else entirely, and I believe that is what most of us are complaining about.

[greenstripedgiraffe]

He or she who casts the first stone shall be errorless. Chicago style perfect is not for all. Conversations are rarely "error free". I have not read the book but have read a thousand plus or more. Try reading the Dune series closely and see if it is the writing, plot or errors that cause you to mumble and retreat backward several pages to see what you missed.

What kills me is the perfection that everyone seeks when there is not enough knowledge or talent to carry the pencil of a decent author with an interesting thought to share. I have been on both sides of the page and yes chicken scratching is distracting and freelance editors who charge 4-8 cents a word are equally odious. Give us a good story that entertain, teaches and makes you desire to keep flipping the pages. I can handle a few errors and still be entertained. Factually there were errors in the error mongers.

I really don't think that anyone here was 1) claiming to be perfect or 2) demanding perfection in books. I've come across the occasional typo in some of my favorite books, and it hasn't detracted from them. When they are few and far between, errors are understandable and forgivable. But when a book contains so many errors that the flow of the story is constantly being interrupted, that is something else entirely, and I believe that is what most of us are complaining about.

I don't think that errors are a make or break in the enjoyment of a truly good story. Some errors DO interrupt flow, however. Mostly, I am personally quite easy-going in this. Really, the biggest things that are a problem for me is if they have the wrong person speaking, or the wrong pronoun, as then I have to go back and figure out what is happening.

[Martina_Reads]

I love to read for pleasure, but I also read a lot in my job, so I am extremely watchful for errors. I find it very distracting to find words that are used improperly, and the lack of proper punctuation is very irritating. Sometimes I have to read sentences more than once if there is no punctuation. I feel like I'm not getting the story the way it was intended to be presented, and that is a shame.

[lydialeigh71]

I edit my own books and it is difficult. I find mistakes every time I read it through. Average reader will not see the typos but when I read a novel by well-known authors who should have a professional editor I cringe when I find drastic mistakes that a professional editor should have caught. Mistakes such as changing a character's name or location.

[Jill147]

I agree....it takes away from the read and enjoying a book as a whole when the editing is bad.

[Amh73090]

I have yet to read this book. However after reading your review I may not. It drives me crazy to sit through reading a book with such noticeable mistakes people have said are in this book. Thank you for saving me the time. You however wrote a very good review.