The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion
Suckered again! (Hire an editor!)
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Jan
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Feb 21, 2013 06:05AM
Damn, I took a chance on a free book "event" that someone invited me to the other day. I started reading the book today. I'm just 10 or so pages in, and I swear there's at least one typo per page. Writers--for goodness sakes, hire an editor (for instance, Jan Arzooman--she gives GoodReads friends serious discounts) or get several critical friends to read it before publishing. It makes you look really, really bad. I'll offer the courtesy of not mentioning the author or book here (I could, though).
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That... or just proofread your own work. lol...
It's always best to get a second read, even if you do proofread your own work.
It can be really hard to see your own errors, because you see what you expect to see. I tend to make sure my work has gone through at least 3 sets of eyes before I release it. Friends are often happy to do this for free, or for the smugness of having been the first to read it :~)
lol Yes, having others proofread for you is a must. My point was if there was one typo PER PAGE he obviously didn't proofread it himself.
And have a basic grasp of grammar. I grabbed someone's free book a couple of weeks ago and couldn't get past the first 5 pages with the typos, grammar, and lame attempts at humor.My brother and I pass chapters back and forth at least 5 times before we have anyone else read it. Then it goes to the editor.
Victoria is correct, too. After a couple of iterations not only do I not see the errors, I start to think that everything on the page is garbage and needs to be re-written completely. Thankfully I resist the urge.
K.J. wrote: "Editors are expensive"Not that expensive, and you can often barter for some other service. If you have a good book that you believe in and want to sell, it's worth it. And I'm not even saying writers HAVE to pay for one, although a professional IS the best scenario. Very often several good friends reading a manuscript will do the job.
Thanks, all, for indulging me in my rant. Onward to a GOOD book.
I have gone through a considerable number of books that drive me straight up the wall. Horrible grammar is what pushes my buttons, then bad spelling. I have one author that I read who cannot stop adding "ed" to the end of verbs that absolutely do not need them. I want to reach through the page and throttle her. On the 'Freebie' book count, of the last five I tried, THREE of them didn't manage to hold my attention past the first several pages. Horrible spelling, abysmal grammar and even hideously stilted language made them literally painful to try to read.
I have edited complete books for three different authors, and they have all been more than happy for my input. I have even written to authors whom I thought have promise, after their first attempts were published. I took their errors apart, and wound up editing their whole books for a republish.
If you have a book you would like edited, I would be happy to give it a go. I am told I am quite good at it. I don't have a portfolio yet and any editing I can do now would help me to build one. If you would like me to edit your book, for free, I can do five. After that, I hope I will have enough of a work product to begin to build my own little business. I am a cancer survivor with no immune system, and I can't go out and work. As can can see this would really help me out, as well as you. If you are interested, contact me at leiahc (at) care2.com.
