Kia ora,
Ever read a book and found a typo? Of course you have. Despite all the rounds of editing and revision a book goes through (whether traditionally published or self-published), chances are, some sneaky little error will slip through.
Before you leave a bad review or message the author, know that that typo or error is just one among hundreds (even thousands) that were in the manuscript before it went to print. All the others got fixed, deleted, queried, revised, or otherwise dealt with.
Also know that when it comes to writing and books, there is no such thing as perfection. Three things could be going on: First, a typo to you might be the correct spelling to someone else. Second, among the tens of thousands of words in your book, only a handful might not be correct, which is pretty good going. And third, if you want readers to read your book, at some point, you have to call it done and publish the damn thing.
Let’s look at these in more detail.
1. Some typos that look like typos are not typos, they’re style decisions.
An author I worked with showed me a grumpy email from a reader who said the author had spelled “Himalaya” wrong throughout the book. We’d gone with Himalaya for the plural, as in:
I went walking in the Himalaya.
Not:
I went walking in the Himalayas.
Our reasoning was that “Himalaya” is a Sanskrit word, and from what we understood, in Sanskrit you don’t make a word plural by chucking an “s” on the end like you do in English. We wanted to go with the spelling that best reflected the Sanskrit.
Whether to use the good old Oxford comma (or serial comma) is another style decision (and one that people get unnecessarily worked up about).
Even your choice of English is a style decision. Have you ever read a one-star Good Reads review complaining about spelling mistakes, only to realise that the complainer is complaining about the author writing in UK English, not US English? Yeah. How embarrassing for the complainer and annoying for the author.
2. No matter how many rounds of editing you do, something will slip through
You will have read your manuscript over and over (you might have even listened to it too – top proofreading tip there), and I will have read it at least twice, and your proofreader will have read it, and friends will have read it, but there’s always one typo that sneaks through.
Trust me, I’m so frustrated when I found out that typos have slipped past me. Even worse is when they slip past the proofreader too and end up in print. At least with ebooks and print-on-demand you can update the file fairly easily.
I know it’s frustrating, but here’s another way to look at the situation: think of how many typos you caught before the book went to print. The reader doesn’t see those. They only see the revised, edited, polished version. They don’t see all the rewrites and edits and back-and-forth and red wiggly lines. So give yourself some grace if you spot issues and know that you did a fantastic job getting your book all the way to publication.
3. At some point, you have to call the book done
I’ve worked with authors who have held onto their manuscripts for longer than they need to because they just want to get the writing perfect. They tinker with word choice and experiment with dashes and semicolons for so long that they can’t see the story with fresh eyes any more. Arguably, they don’t even know what perfect will look like for them.
With a genre like adventure and travel memoir, many writers are especially particular at making sure their story is as accurate and truthful as possible. That is super important and something I will help with during the editing process. But at some point, you need to be okay with calling your book finished. Leave that comma alone and step away from the keyboard.
I’m with you on this. I can have a blog post languishing in my drafts for a year before I’m happy enough to share it. That doesn’t mean I’m working away at it every day for an entire year, more that I come and go, start and stop, until I’m finally happy. At some point I recognise that I’ve said what I wanted to say, and that if I don’t post it, then you won’t learn from it. Having the post collect dust doesn’t serve anyone.
Same with your book. If you don’t publish it, no one can read it. No one can experience what you experienced. No one can learn from you or get inspired to go on their own trip. Do your very best and be proud to call the book done.
Wrapping up
Typos can show up in different ways, from style choices that aren’t actually typos to sneaky escapees, chances are, something funky will make its way into print. And getting caught up in an idea of a perfect book can hold you back from publishing, too.
Yes, it’s frustrating when readers point out issues that aren’t issues. Yes, it’s frustrating when a typo slips through. Yes, it’s perfectly normal to want a perfect book. But …
There is no such thing as perfection.
Fix what you can fix, do the very best job that you can, and publish your book.
Cheers,
Deborah
PS. We had a weekend away at Peel Forest, Canterbury. We had big plans to walk the Allans Track and come back on the Fern Walk, but the track was a little harder than we had prepared ourselves for, so we backtracked and went to Acland Falls and the Big Tree.
📚 What I’m reading
The Wind at My Back by Paul Maunder.
We went to The Page and Prose Booksellers in Geraldine, of course. I bought The Road South, by James Beatty. I think he’s a local? I read it in two sittings – a gorgeous page turner following James and his partner Mac through their six month cycle trip from Egypt all the way down to South Africa.
📅 Availability
I have space available from mid-August. Get in touch if you want a sample edit so you can see what editing can do for your story.
✍️ Ways to work with me
Read the Base Camp Writing blog
Check out my self-publishing guides
Discover more from Deborah Shaw Adventure Editing
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