S.L. Stacker's Blog, page 7
June 7, 2015
Mireille Chester - Author of the Week
Author’s latest book is: Crossover (The Chosen One Trilogy: book one)
Description:
Twenty-three-year-old Hayden Carlson never led an exciting life, but that was how she preferred it. She never expected that an innocent trail ride in the woods would change her life forever. Suddenly, Hayden is pulled into a world she never knew existed and discovers a future awaits her there she isn’t prepared to accept...until she meets the mysterious Jasper. Drawn to his quiet, conflicted spirit and entranced by his blue eyes, Hayden finds herself experiencing feelings she has never felt before and wondering where all this might lead.
Hayden’s presence in Quelondain creates tension. Amidst constant danger, she finds true love and through it all determines where she will take her stand in the conflict her arrival ignites between good and evil.
If you love fantasy, action, and romance, Crossover-Book One in a debut Fantasy Romance trilogy by Mireille Chester—is for you.
Getting a Little Personal:
Mireille Chester is a stay at home mom of three children and wife to an amazingly supportive husband. Her time is spent playing with the kids, reading, writing, and watching movies with her hubby.
Mireille is a fantasy author who loves to spend time in made up worlds filled with magic. She is a firm believer that no hero is perfect and that all villains are burdened with a tiny shred of humanity. While she writes her Adult and YA novels under the name Mireille Chester, she is now writing a middle grade series under the name M.G. Chester.
Works by author:
Adult
1. The Chosen One Trilogy: Crossover, Journey, Destiny
2. The Witteck Chronicles: A Witteck’s Dream, A Witteck’s Call (coming soon)
3. Angered Season
Young Adult
1. Tyler’s Story
2. Chael’s Luck
Middlegrade as M.G. Chester
Faerie Dreams: Dreamwalker, Lady of the Lake, The Little One (coming soon)
Where to find author on social media:
Website: http://mireillechester.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/218242291718752/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MireilleChester
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4820829.Mireille_Chester Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Mireille-Chester/e/B0051XI3QO/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1433179315&sr=8-1
May 31, 2015
Author of the Week
Melanie SuraniMelani’s latest book is Awake.
Description:
In author Melanie Surani's edgy thriller novel, opera singer Joshua Gray wakes in an eerie art museum exhibit. He comes to believe he's been kidnapped and abandoned. And he isn't the only one...
As Josh and four others struggle to piece together their new reality, they discover the museum's main building has been razed and the place is boarded with no obvious exit. Who left them in the museum and why? How can they escape? The only link that binds them together is a mysterious woman named Blair, who they each encountered before blacking out. Josh unexpectedly finds himself drawn to one of the other captives, a long-time fan named Sophia. Their attraction plunges the group into a dark pool of suspicion. When allegiances shift and pieces connect, the strangers are forced to reassess their situation. Is the real danger inside or outside of the museum?
Suspenseful, romantic and filled with drama, Awake will keep you up all night.
Getting a Little Personal:
Melanie Surani is a blogger, hair stylist, and author with a heart for international travel. She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee before taking extended trips to Canada, Germany, and Philadelphia.
When she isn't cutting hair, Melanie is thinking about ways to kill people (for mystery novels). DVDs of British comedies help keep her calm. She lives with her husband and cat in New York City, where she is hard at work on her next novel with Booktrope Publishing.
Her fiction can be found anywhere ebooks are sold.
Works by author:
Her previous work includes The Morning After, Commanding Disappointment, A Body in a Seat, A Similar Fate, and The Silent Treatment, a novel soon-to-be republished by Booktrope.
Where to find author on social media:
Follow her adventures at: http://melsurani.tumblr.com/
You can find Melanie Surani on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelSurani
Twitter: https://twitter.com/melsurani
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5404505.Melanie_Surani
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Melanie-Surani/e/B0077442QK
May 25, 2015
Mireille Chester - Crossover Cover Reveal
Congratulations, Mireille on your cover for Crossover!
Twenty-three-year-old Hayden Carlson never led an exciting life, but that was how she preferred it. She never expected that an innocent trail ride in the woods would change her life forever.
Suddenly, Hayden is pulled into a world she never would existed and discovers a future awaits her there she isn't prepared to accept...until she meets the mysterious Jasper. Drawn to his quiet, conflicted spirit and entranced by his blue eyes, Hayden finds herself experiencing feelings she has never felt before and wondering where all this might lead.
Hayden's presence in Quelondain creates tension. amidst constant danger, she finds true love and through it all determines where she will take her stand in the conflict her arrival ignites between good and evil.
If you love fantasy, action, and romance, Crossover-Book One in a debut Fantasy Romance trilogy by Mireille Chester-is for you.
Twenty-three-year-old Hayden Carlson never led an exciting life, but that was how she preferred it. She never expected that an innocent trail ride in the woods would change her life forever.
Suddenly, Hayden is pulled into a world she never would existed and discovers a future awaits her there she isn't prepared to accept...until she meets the mysterious Jasper. Drawn to his quiet, conflicted spirit and entranced by his blue eyes, Hayden finds herself experiencing feelings she has never felt before and wondering where all this might lead.
Hayden's presence in Quelondain creates tension. amidst constant danger, she finds true love and through it all determines where she will take her stand in the conflict her arrival ignites between good and evil.
If you love fantasy, action, and romance, Crossover-Book One in a debut Fantasy Romance trilogy by Mireille Chester-is for you.
May 5, 2015
Macyn's Letter Cover Reveal
Macyn's Letter was originally self-published in October 2013. In February 2015, my life changed when I was accepted by Booktrope publishing. I submitted the Macyn McIntyre Series, and my team and I have been giving each book a makeover. This is our new paperback cover for Macyn's Letter. We chose to keep it similar to the other cover, but we spiced it up a little. What do you think of the new cover? Feel free to leave a comment, I'd love to know what your opinion is. Cover Designer is Melody Barber. 
A near-death experience at the hands of her husband would cause any woman to cling to her crippling trust issues and dating phobia, and Macyn McIntyre is no exception. Falling into the lap of a sexy stranger may persuade her to change her mind, but before Macyn realizes what’s happening, a second potential love interest is vying for her affections.When a threatening letter turns up in her mailbox, Macyn realizes choosing between two guys is the least of her worries. Abduction, violence, and rescue by an elite squad change the course of her life forever. When she seeks revenge on those who hurt her, she has to decide if she can trust the ones who vow they love her.
Will Macyn be able to overcome her past and use their aid in her vendetta, or will she take matters into her own hands?
In celebration of my new cover, I'll be hosting a Cover War on Facebook on May 9 beginning at 10:00 A.M. Stop by and vote on your favorite cover. The winning team will each win a $10 Amazon gift card. See you there!
https://www.facebook.com/events/821028387972820/
April 29, 2015
Cover Reveal - S.E. Rise
Simmering by S.E.Rise Who would you rather find in your bedroom, a steamy hose-wielding fireman or a dangerously obsessed ex-boyfriend? What if you found both? Romance writer Allison Fairchild is growing frustrated with her first attempt at Erotica until she reads a well-timed magazine article. What working man makes the best lover? The article sparks an idea and her eyes are irresistibly drawn to the top-ranked firemen just across the street. It might be coincidence or driven by fate but it is all the motivation she needs.
Ali has herself assigned to a firehouse and is committed to doing her job; getting incredible sex stories from actual firefighters and, in the process, try not to become one. At least that’s her intention until she meets the Captain, a by-the-rules professional with an enticing off-duty wild streak. Ali and the Captain put their wills to the test to resist the chemistry heating up between them. But unbeknownst to Ali, her cheating ex-boyfriend has set his eyes upon her again and if he can’t have her, no one can.
Will Ali break “the rules” with the Captain before she can finish the book or will her ex’s frightening obsession inevitably destroy them all?
Edge and Entice Imprint of Booktrope Publishing- Republished Date May 16, 2015
April 7, 2015
Hollywood's Leading Roles...
Whether you're an author, reader, or both, there's been a time when reading that you've thought which Hollywood face would play this character?
When I write, I find myself picturing those famous faces as my characters. If my books, the Macyn McIntyre Series, were to be turned into a Hollywood movie today, who do you see playing the main characters?
The following are the ones I picture.
Macyn McIntyre - Kate Beckinsale
Devon Brady - Victor Webster 
Bobby Bastian - Shemar Moore 
Eve Bastian - Kerry Washington 
David Marshall - Emerson Smith 
Frederick Marshall - Clint Eastwood 
These are the people I see as playing the characters I've created. Who do you see as each of the characters?
When I write, I find myself picturing those famous faces as my characters. If my books, the Macyn McIntyre Series, were to be turned into a Hollywood movie today, who do you see playing the main characters?
The following are the ones I picture.
Macyn McIntyre - Kate Beckinsale
Devon Brady - Victor Webster Bobby Bastian - Shemar Moore Eve Bastian - Kerry Washington David Marshall - Emerson Smith Frederick Marshall - Clint Eastwood These are the people I see as playing the characters I've created. Who do you see as each of the characters?
March 15, 2015
Next Stop...China
Next Stop...China
by
Megan Stacker
I wasn’t sure what to anticipate as I boarded the massive 777 plane with my passport in hand and a bag full of books for my first trip over to China. All I knew was that I would be the furthest away from home I’d ever been and that, in itself, was scary. As hesitant as I was, I was also fairly eager to see the culture and try the food I’ve been hearing others talk about. My work team was headed to Xiamen, a “tiny” little island (which actually turned out to be enormous) to meet with our suppliers for the next ten days.
Sixteen hours later, including a layover in Detroit and one in Beijing, I stepped off the plane the following evening to breathe in the air of Xiamen. I won’t lie; it was a bit smoggy and polluted. We loaded our baggage into the driver’s van and we were headed to the hotel. My first impression of China…there are SO MANY people here! How dare they call Xiamen a village compared to their other, much larger, cities? I was amazed at how large this “tiny village” actually was. To put things into perspective, the population in Xiamen is a little over 3.5 million people at the 2010 Census while Chicago came in a 2.7 million in 2010. There were high-rise apartments and condos no matter what way you turned. With the exception of a few palm trees by the waterfront, I don’t think I saw much greenery (including grass) anywhere.
Over the next few days, I met so many wonderful and kind people. One of our vendor’s employees took time out of her personal schedule one weekend to show us around. We visited Xiamen University, the beach and did some “village” shopping. I did recognize a few familiar places while there. They had a Wal-Mart which was inside a shopping mall and the busiest store there. They also had McDonald’s, but I can promise you it didn’t taste the same. We even found a restaurant that had pizza! I knew if I searched hard enough, I would find some!
But, let’s get to the real culture shock. The first time I had to use the restroom outside of the hotel. I was at a business office and walked into the ladies room where I opened the stall door and my jaw dropped. Not only did the restroom smell pungent but I couldn’t believe what I saw. I stood there for about 30 seconds thinking, “Now what?!” I was going to have to do my best yoga squat to get this done right. Yikes! I was also informed to please not flush the paper, use the waste basket instead. No wonder your bathrooms don’t smell pleasant. What’s even better, this was considered a “nice” restroom. Most don’t offer toilet paper and aren’t as clean. The women always carry tissue travel packs with them to use in public restrooms that don’t offer paper. This, I thought, takes the cake as far as cultural differences I’ve had to experience. Wait until you have a few drinks and try to perform a yoga squat over this. I’ve got two words for you…not pretty!
I learned so much about their culture while there. All of the offices we visited took a break over lunch and many of the people took that time to take a nap with the lights off in their cubicles. I did my best to try some of the foods. The most daring I got was trying a piece of goose liver. Shockingly, it tasted a bit like roast beef. I couldn’t bring myself to eat any fish heads, whole octopus or some of the other delicatessen items they offered.
All in all, it was a great experience and I was so glad to have the opportunity to travel and learn (not only about our business) but also about the people and culture. I learned from one of the ladies that it is an honor to have your parents move into the house with you when you have your only child. They are considered a blessing for helping take care of the infant while the parents work full-time. The working class doesn’t have daycares or nannies. They rely on their family and have a lot of respect for them as they help raise their child. They may not do things exactly like we do here in the States, but it was well worth immersing myself into for the time I was there.
by
Megan Stacker
I wasn’t sure what to anticipate as I boarded the massive 777 plane with my passport in hand and a bag full of books for my first trip over to China. All I knew was that I would be the furthest away from home I’d ever been and that, in itself, was scary. As hesitant as I was, I was also fairly eager to see the culture and try the food I’ve been hearing others talk about. My work team was headed to Xiamen, a “tiny” little island (which actually turned out to be enormous) to meet with our suppliers for the next ten days. Sixteen hours later, including a layover in Detroit and one in Beijing, I stepped off the plane the following evening to breathe in the air of Xiamen. I won’t lie; it was a bit smoggy and polluted. We loaded our baggage into the driver’s van and we were headed to the hotel. My first impression of China…there are SO MANY people here! How dare they call Xiamen a village compared to their other, much larger, cities? I was amazed at how large this “tiny village” actually was. To put things into perspective, the population in Xiamen is a little over 3.5 million people at the 2010 Census while Chicago came in a 2.7 million in 2010. There were high-rise apartments and condos no matter what way you turned. With the exception of a few palm trees by the waterfront, I don’t think I saw much greenery (including grass) anywhere.
Over the next few days, I met so many wonderful and kind people. One of our vendor’s employees took time out of her personal schedule one weekend to show us around. We visited Xiamen University, the beach and did some “village” shopping. I did recognize a few familiar places while there. They had a Wal-Mart which was inside a shopping mall and the busiest store there. They also had McDonald’s, but I can promise you it didn’t taste the same. We even found a restaurant that had pizza! I knew if I searched hard enough, I would find some! But, let’s get to the real culture shock. The first time I had to use the restroom outside of the hotel. I was at a business office and walked into the ladies room where I opened the stall door and my jaw dropped. Not only did the restroom smell pungent but I couldn’t believe what I saw. I stood there for about 30 seconds thinking, “Now what?!” I was going to have to do my best yoga squat to get this done right. Yikes! I was also informed to please not flush the paper, use the waste basket instead. No wonder your bathrooms don’t smell pleasant. What’s even better, this was considered a “nice” restroom. Most don’t offer toilet paper and aren’t as clean. The women always carry tissue travel packs with them to use in public restrooms that don’t offer paper. This, I thought, takes the cake as far as cultural differences I’ve had to experience. Wait until you have a few drinks and try to perform a yoga squat over this. I’ve got two words for you…not pretty! I learned so much about their culture while there. All of the offices we visited took a break over lunch and many of the people took that time to take a nap with the lights off in their cubicles. I did my best to try some of the foods. The most daring I got was trying a piece of goose liver. Shockingly, it tasted a bit like roast beef. I couldn’t bring myself to eat any fish heads, whole octopus or some of the other delicatessen items they offered. All in all, it was a great experience and I was so glad to have the opportunity to travel and learn (not only about our business) but also about the people and culture. I learned from one of the ladies that it is an honor to have your parents move into the house with you when you have your only child. They are considered a blessing for helping take care of the infant while the parents work full-time. The working class doesn’t have daycares or nannies. They rely on their family and have a lot of respect for them as they help raise their child. They may not do things exactly like we do here in the States, but it was well worth immersing myself into for the time I was there.
March 12, 2015
Can't We All Get Along?
I've recently learned the more time I spend on social media sites, the less I want to be there. It's not exactly what you think, so let me explain.
I love interacting with my fans, readers, family, and other people I've met during my writing career. You guys and gals are the best! However, lately, I've been seeing more and more authors verbally attacking other authors, or author's street team members attacking other authors. People, wake up and smell the coffee! This is not acceptable!
We should be here to help each other. It doesn't matter if you are traditionally published, self-published, a best-seller or beginning your writing career. We all do the same thing!
It's so easy to sit in front of your computer screen and interact on social media. A lot of people who have a tendency to be quiet find their voice in this manner. Good for them! But then you run into the trolls--the people who want nothing more than to belittle and degrade others in order to make themselves feel good about themselves. Shame on you!
Basically, I'm rambling while trying to get a point across. Take the advice you were most likely given as a child..."If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." This was pounded into my head as a child, and it's stuck with me.
If you have an issue with someone, talk to them discreetly. Usually more can be accomplished in this manner than calling them out on social media. If you can't come to terms, agree to disagree and move on.
Love and support each other. It will make this a much better place!
~Stephanie
I love interacting with my fans, readers, family, and other people I've met during my writing career. You guys and gals are the best! However, lately, I've been seeing more and more authors verbally attacking other authors, or author's street team members attacking other authors. People, wake up and smell the coffee! This is not acceptable!
We should be here to help each other. It doesn't matter if you are traditionally published, self-published, a best-seller or beginning your writing career. We all do the same thing!
It's so easy to sit in front of your computer screen and interact on social media. A lot of people who have a tendency to be quiet find their voice in this manner. Good for them! But then you run into the trolls--the people who want nothing more than to belittle and degrade others in order to make themselves feel good about themselves. Shame on you!
Basically, I'm rambling while trying to get a point across. Take the advice you were most likely given as a child..."If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." This was pounded into my head as a child, and it's stuck with me.
If you have an issue with someone, talk to them discreetly. Usually more can be accomplished in this manner than calling them out on social media. If you can't come to terms, agree to disagree and move on.
Love and support each other. It will make this a much better place!
~Stephanie
March 8, 2015
Reviews and Why They're Important
This week's blog post is brought to you by Andrea Murray. She has been gracious enough to write a guest post about the importance of reviews.
When was the last time you saw a great movie? Recently, my husband and I saw American Sniper. Controversy aside, it was a truly fantastic portrayal of one soldier’s hardships in the face of unbelievably gut-wrenching decisions, life and death decisions that made me even more grateful to the men and women who make sure I have the freedom to go see a movie on Saturday afternoon. The first thing I did after leaving the theater? Posted my opinion on Facebook. Twelve people “liked” my post and several left comments. But the last time I left a review of a novel in my Goodreads account and posted it to Facebook, only two people “liked” it, and no one left a comment.
It’s not a great surprise that more people had an opinion on a popular movie than a novel I was reviewing; however, I wonder if the novel had been a well-known one, would more people have commented? But in order for it to be a well-known novel, doesn’t that require more publicity, and doesn’t publicity come from reviews? It seems like a Catch-22 in the extreme. Can a novel be popular without reviews?
Authors live and die by reviews. We spend time reading them, analyzing them, and even wallowing in them. When I received my first negative review on Goodreads, I thought I would throw up! I had a visceral reaction to the review and was upset for several days. You put the figurative (and not so figurative) blood, sweat, and tears into your manuscript, finally get the courage to push it out of the nest and into the world, and then someone dares NOT to love it as much as you do? How dare they! Even Goodreads sympathized with me with their standard “So you got a bad review” message, all but warning me to stay away from sharp objects and from cursing the reviewer, their progeny, and their pets. After talking myself down from the ledge and letting the criticism sink in, I realized the reader made some important points, and life went on. That novel, Vivid, has a 93 percent positive rating, but less than half of those who’ve added it to their shelves have left a review, and the number is even less on Amazon.
In a recent Godheads’ poll in which almost 39,000 readers participated, only 17 percent thought “friend” reviews were important while 53 percent valued a “tantalizing” description more. In another poll, over 33,000 readers said learning about a book in person is more important than even social media or blog posts. So, maybe reviews aren’t as valuable as authors would like to think if we’re trying to attract the more than 20 million users of Goodreads and other sites.
How do you handle those reviews that send you into spasms? Try to read them as objectively as possible. Readers have a right to an opinion, and sometimes they’ll make a valid point. If they feel strongly enough to write a review, that review could be beneficial, and it’s not realistic to expect a perfect rating. Even the best novels receive some negative ratings. Chocolate chip cookies are amazing, but you can’t get everyone to eat one. There’re some haters out there who consistently dog books just because they can. If it’s a review on a site like Goodreads, check out a couple of other reviews they’ve left. A pattern of poor reviews may show you something about that reader. I once had a reader say she’d rather be washing dishes than reading my novel, and when I looked at her other reviews, I found she’d given an average rating of two (out of five) to most of the novels she’d read. While the nice response would be to thank the reader for giving their opinion, the best response is often no response at all. Our moms may have had a point when they taught us if you can’t say something nice, keep your mouth shut.
Great advice, but easier said than done. Doubtless, I’ll still check my reviews and feel those highest highs and lowest lows. We authors travel an emotional rollercoaster, but oh what a ride!
When was the last time you saw a great movie? Recently, my husband and I saw American Sniper. Controversy aside, it was a truly fantastic portrayal of one soldier’s hardships in the face of unbelievably gut-wrenching decisions, life and death decisions that made me even more grateful to the men and women who make sure I have the freedom to go see a movie on Saturday afternoon. The first thing I did after leaving the theater? Posted my opinion on Facebook. Twelve people “liked” my post and several left comments. But the last time I left a review of a novel in my Goodreads account and posted it to Facebook, only two people “liked” it, and no one left a comment.
It’s not a great surprise that more people had an opinion on a popular movie than a novel I was reviewing; however, I wonder if the novel had been a well-known one, would more people have commented? But in order for it to be a well-known novel, doesn’t that require more publicity, and doesn’t publicity come from reviews? It seems like a Catch-22 in the extreme. Can a novel be popular without reviews?
Authors live and die by reviews. We spend time reading them, analyzing them, and even wallowing in them. When I received my first negative review on Goodreads, I thought I would throw up! I had a visceral reaction to the review and was upset for several days. You put the figurative (and not so figurative) blood, sweat, and tears into your manuscript, finally get the courage to push it out of the nest and into the world, and then someone dares NOT to love it as much as you do? How dare they! Even Goodreads sympathized with me with their standard “So you got a bad review” message, all but warning me to stay away from sharp objects and from cursing the reviewer, their progeny, and their pets. After talking myself down from the ledge and letting the criticism sink in, I realized the reader made some important points, and life went on. That novel, Vivid, has a 93 percent positive rating, but less than half of those who’ve added it to their shelves have left a review, and the number is even less on Amazon.
In a recent Godheads’ poll in which almost 39,000 readers participated, only 17 percent thought “friend” reviews were important while 53 percent valued a “tantalizing” description more. In another poll, over 33,000 readers said learning about a book in person is more important than even social media or blog posts. So, maybe reviews aren’t as valuable as authors would like to think if we’re trying to attract the more than 20 million users of Goodreads and other sites.
How do you handle those reviews that send you into spasms? Try to read them as objectively as possible. Readers have a right to an opinion, and sometimes they’ll make a valid point. If they feel strongly enough to write a review, that review could be beneficial, and it’s not realistic to expect a perfect rating. Even the best novels receive some negative ratings. Chocolate chip cookies are amazing, but you can’t get everyone to eat one. There’re some haters out there who consistently dog books just because they can. If it’s a review on a site like Goodreads, check out a couple of other reviews they’ve left. A pattern of poor reviews may show you something about that reader. I once had a reader say she’d rather be washing dishes than reading my novel, and when I looked at her other reviews, I found she’d given an average rating of two (out of five) to most of the novels she’d read. While the nice response would be to thank the reader for giving their opinion, the best response is often no response at all. Our moms may have had a point when they taught us if you can’t say something nice, keep your mouth shut.
Great advice, but easier said than done. Doubtless, I’ll still check my reviews and feel those highest highs and lowest lows. We authors travel an emotional rollercoaster, but oh what a ride!
February 26, 2015
Guest Blogger - Dane Cobain
The Impotence of Proofreading
I mean, you can see it right there in the headline – proofreading isn’t impotent, it’s important, but the spellchecker built into your word processor doesn’t know the difference.
Spellcheckers can’t proofread a document anywhere near as well as a human can – there, I said it. In fact, they often fail to pick up on things if your typo is still a dictionary word (i.e. ‘rap’ instead of ‘trap’), and they can often get things wrong. Here’s a pro tip – turn off the automatic grammar suggestions on your word processor, and use your common sense instead. You’ll usually find that you were right, and you’ll also get better and better at doing it, over time.
I’m a writer, and so proofreading is of paramount importance, especially because I’m a blogger as well – I review books and speak to authors on a site called SocialBookshelves.com , and while my default rating for a professional book is a seven, my default rating for a book with one or more typos is a six.
You could argue that I’m so passionate about proofreading and the correct usage of the written word because I’m a writer, and that probably does have something to do with it, but it’s not just me – just look at the ‘grammar police’, the nameless, faceless people who pop up every now and then as you browse the internet with comments like this one:
It turns out that there are other people out there like us, like the members of the writing community, who get just as pissed off when they spot a typo as Stephen Fry surely does. Perhaps it’s because we’re educated to follow the strict set of rules that we call grammar, and so witnessing a flagrant misuse of them feels just as wrong as seeing someone throwing litter on the floor.
So far the evidence has been anecdotal, and you could argue that the correct use of spelling and grammar is a matter of personal preference. I’m here to blow that argument out of the water.
Simply put, spelling mistakes and grammar fails cost money, to people, to businesses and to the government. According to the BBC , poor spelling is costing the UK millions of pounds in lost revenue for internet businesses, with analyses of website figures showing that a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half. Meanwhile, a 2006 report found that top retail websites lose an average of $6.7 million every year due to mistyped e-mail addresses – imagine how much more they must be losing in 2015!
There are stories of typos which destroyed rockets , cost an eBay user over $500,000 , and caused Penguin to destroy $20,000 worth of inadvertently racist recipe books . And it’s not a new problem, either – back in 1872, a misplaced comma in a tariff law cost American taxpayers more than $2 million, which equates to $38,350,000 in today’s money. Begrudgingly, I’ll admit that spellcheck might’ve picked that one up.
And, because I’m a superhero whose special power is an ability to spell correctly, I have to proofread when I’m working my 9-5. I’m a social media specialist at an integrated creative agency, which basically means I spend my days writing status updates, blog posts and pitch documents for international and national clients. If you’re lucky, you’ll get away with a typo in an e-mail – if you send over a typo in some of your creative work, you’re in trouble.
So it’s pretty important to try to avoid spelling and grammar fails, and that’s why I’m proud to be a proofreader. Hopefully, if I do my job properly, you won’t even know that I’m there.
I just hope there aren’t any typos in this article. Tweet me at @DaneCobain or let me know through my website if you find one, and I’ll give you a biscuit.
I mean, you can see it right there in the headline – proofreading isn’t impotent, it’s important, but the spellchecker built into your word processor doesn’t know the difference.
Spellcheckers can’t proofread a document anywhere near as well as a human can – there, I said it. In fact, they often fail to pick up on things if your typo is still a dictionary word (i.e. ‘rap’ instead of ‘trap’), and they can often get things wrong. Here’s a pro tip – turn off the automatic grammar suggestions on your word processor, and use your common sense instead. You’ll usually find that you were right, and you’ll also get better and better at doing it, over time.
I’m a writer, and so proofreading is of paramount importance, especially because I’m a blogger as well – I review books and speak to authors on a site called SocialBookshelves.com , and while my default rating for a professional book is a seven, my default rating for a book with one or more typos is a six.
You could argue that I’m so passionate about proofreading and the correct usage of the written word because I’m a writer, and that probably does have something to do with it, but it’s not just me – just look at the ‘grammar police’, the nameless, faceless people who pop up every now and then as you browse the internet with comments like this one:
It turns out that there are other people out there like us, like the members of the writing community, who get just as pissed off when they spot a typo as Stephen Fry surely does. Perhaps it’s because we’re educated to follow the strict set of rules that we call grammar, and so witnessing a flagrant misuse of them feels just as wrong as seeing someone throwing litter on the floor.So far the evidence has been anecdotal, and you could argue that the correct use of spelling and grammar is a matter of personal preference. I’m here to blow that argument out of the water.
Simply put, spelling mistakes and grammar fails cost money, to people, to businesses and to the government. According to the BBC , poor spelling is costing the UK millions of pounds in lost revenue for internet businesses, with analyses of website figures showing that a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half. Meanwhile, a 2006 report found that top retail websites lose an average of $6.7 million every year due to mistyped e-mail addresses – imagine how much more they must be losing in 2015!
There are stories of typos which destroyed rockets , cost an eBay user over $500,000 , and caused Penguin to destroy $20,000 worth of inadvertently racist recipe books . And it’s not a new problem, either – back in 1872, a misplaced comma in a tariff law cost American taxpayers more than $2 million, which equates to $38,350,000 in today’s money. Begrudgingly, I’ll admit that spellcheck might’ve picked that one up.
And, because I’m a superhero whose special power is an ability to spell correctly, I have to proofread when I’m working my 9-5. I’m a social media specialist at an integrated creative agency, which basically means I spend my days writing status updates, blog posts and pitch documents for international and national clients. If you’re lucky, you’ll get away with a typo in an e-mail – if you send over a typo in some of your creative work, you’re in trouble.So it’s pretty important to try to avoid spelling and grammar fails, and that’s why I’m proud to be a proofreader. Hopefully, if I do my job properly, you won’t even know that I’m there.
I just hope there aren’t any typos in this article. Tweet me at @DaneCobain or let me know through my website if you find one, and I’ll give you a biscuit.
