Bisky's Twitterling's Scribbles! discussion
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Reviews that mention errors
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I don't know about no one. As far as grammar Nazi's I think they need to lighten up a bit. Yes the difference between your and you're and one not knowing it can be a bit annoying, but sometimes I think they nitpick to just nitpick. If someone complained about it or a few typos it wouldn't keep me from reading. Lord knows I'm not perfect.
Once you've put your book out for sale, you're open to everybody's scrutiny. People rate errors on different scales. What may seem minor to you could trip somebody else up while they're reading. Reviews are inherently subjective. There's nothing to be done about that. If a reviewer was put off by typos, they should mention that in the review. When somebody points it out, you should fix it immediately and remember that mistake in the future. I don't think potential readers would hold it against you if somebody pointed out typos. Like Heidi says, it wouldn't keep her from reading because she realizes everybody makes mistakes.
@Heidi, ha, ha! I may have exaggerated a little.@Agustin, I agree that once a book is up you're opening it to everyone's scrutiny, and I think it's perfectly fine if readers want to comment on errors. Hell, I know I would. In fact, it's the present of errors that has prevented me from reading half the indie books on my Kindle. But if a reader points out an error and you correct it, how do you let other potential readers know it's no longer a problem? The ghost of that error doesn't go away.
@Kevin - I think I may have read your original post with the wrong slant. It's a tough question. I don't think that you can really do much about the review. However, I do think that if you fix the error future readers will review you more positively and those will overshadow the bad review. I know it's not much of an answer, I hope somebody has a better one.
A lot of those sites will allow the author to reply to reviews, or you can add a note in your blurb if needed, saying that the typo has been fixed. There are lots of ways to get the word out.
If you fix the errors, you can add a line at the top of the description that says something about how a new edited copy was added on a date after the review. That way people might see the review but they will also see that whatever they were complaining about has likely been fixed. I have seen books that had a bunch of reviews complaining about grammar and spelling with that line on the description.
I think this is basically just the world's way of telling you not to have loads of typos in your work. Given that all you need in order to eliminate 95% of them is one functionally literate mate who doesn't mind reading your book, it really isn't an impossible challenge.
A review that warns about error is a good one, as long as it's not a list of the errors made. The point of the review is having someone judge a book, am I right? So if the author and/or the editor did not eliminate all the pests... Someone has to warn the world that they did an incomplete job.
The only thing to be done is what you should be doing in the first place: put out the best, most professionally executed product of which you are capable of producing. Beyond that, accept that you are only human and that errors will creep in eventually. My first release was riddled with them. So embarrassing. I had to yank it and fix them and then put out a 2nd edition. But I learned and adjusted my editing process accordingly. As for reviews, there is really nothing you can do about them so there's no point in even worrying about that.
I read a review where someone actually counted the number of times the author used the word 'was' in the book. I thought that was a little extreme. I got a review myself that pointed out a couple of misspelled words. The reviewer was kind enough to let me know what was misspelled, and I fixed the errors. But they won't change the review and I didn't ask either. We just have to hope that readers will give it a chance in spite of such reviews.
My first book is out there in the real world, professionally edited by my publisher and proof read at least 3 times by myself and the staff at the publishing house. And there are errors. To be honest, there are VERY FEW books I've read in my life (and I average well over 100 books a year) that are error free. I want to know what the mistakes are so that the next edition can be corrected, but I would hope my readers would be aware that editing and proof reading is performed by humans, and humans are far from perfect. Sure, personally I'm mortified, but if I've done all I can, I have to live with it until the next release.
Chapter Thrity SixChaper Twenty
Rod iron
Yup. Rod iron. *raises hand...points to self* Me, the boob.
Wrought iron, thank you. I do know better, but apparently suffered a brain fart. As for spellcheck--lesson learned, for it did NOT catch Chaper, nor Thrity. But, BUT, a reader did *facepalm*
You're right--we're human. We put out the best we can, but there are still the occasional hiccups.
Most readers are very forgiving and wonderfully supportive of our endeavors as storytellers.
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I read an ARC for a big-5 author last year. It had been edited ad nauseum, and I still found errors in it. When I emailed her and told her (as nicely as I could) what I'd found, she thanked me profusely and said she wished more readers would provide the info in as unemotional a manner. It's really about being professional, even as a reader. No need to be snarky about it - unless you want snark back.
Barbara wrote: "I read an ARC for a big-5 author last year. It had been edited ad nauseum, and I still found errors in it. When I emailed her and told her (as nicely as I could) what I'd found, she thanked me prof..."That's the key right there--do it without being snarky. The reader expects professionalism. Why not realize we writer's would like the same in return?
Some people just enjoy being a fly in the ointment. At least if you are self published you can go back and fix it. With a traditionally published book they may not ever fix it. It's completely up to the publisher.
Brian wrote: "Some people just enjoy being a fly in the ointment. At least if you are self published you can go back and fix it. With a traditionally published book they may not ever fix it. It's completely up t..."I never thought of that, but you're right. Mistakes are there to stay until the next edition. I wonder if they've fixed Feast of Crows, where Jamie Lannister's name was Jaime throughout that one book.
I have a question, and maybe this belongs in it's own thread, but would you read a book that only has 4 and 5 star reviews? Or would you discount such a book because no book realistically appeals to every one? I guess I am asking if having negative reviews adds a little credibility to the favourable reviews, or to the book in general?
Honest answer: the cover/title draws me in. I read the blurb and decide then and there. If I'm not sure, I download a sample. As for reviews, I've seen fantastic reviews for a book I hated, and blah reviews for another I loved. I've also seen cruel reviews and noticed a trend of vicious people assuming they're funny by attacking movies, books, music; hence, why I look at cover, title, blurb and decide for myself. I've gotten to where I don't bother reading reviews because they're another's opinion and I'd rather draw my own.
Karey wrote: "I've gotten to where I don't bother reading reviews because they're another's opinion and I'd rather draw my own. "I wish every reader felt the same way! Or maybe they do, and all the advice out there about getting reviews is just crap. I suppose the key, more than reviews, is getting your readers to recommend the book onwards.
Mod
As for the all four/five stars, if the blurb appealed to me, I'll probably attribute the rating to the blurb attracting the right crowd. Because, after all, one/two star ratings don't automatically make the rating genuine.
As for the reviews, I'll read the reviews if I am not totally sure about a book, but most of the time my mind is set no matter what the ratings are, and no matter what the reviews say. I'm happy to say that I've been lucky so far with my method of choosing the books. :P
Re: Errors. I review books, so I point out errors in my reviews. To me, it's about overall feel of the book. If it's SP and there is an error every few chapters, I'm not surprised and I rarely comment. Though it's more surprising if it's traditionally published, but I generally don't comment either.What bothers me, as a reader and someone who is trying to put out the most professional self-published work possible, and this is why I mention it when I review, is when it is GLARINGLY OBVIOUS that someone hasn't hired an editor. Commas thrown about willy-nilly, incorrect punctuation in dialogue (i.e. "What"? she said). That's sloppy, embarrassing, and part of what holds us all back as self-publishers. I take pride in my work and I want to belong to a group of people that do, as well. Again, it's the amount and frequency.
Re: Reviews to decide whether to read a book. In regards to deciding whether to read something or not, I generally want to see a book has a few reviews that talk about what's wrong with it. My time is precious, and if it's all, "This is the best book I ever read and it should be made into a movie!" (which is what I saw in a review the other ... c'mon??) I don't want to waste time with it.
However, this is only for books I pay for. For ones I accept as review copies free on my blog, I read blurb and first chapter. I'm usually judging on grammar, interestingness, and voice on whether I accept a book to review. (I just know I can't read an entire book that's clearly not been copy edited and is riddled with errors, so that's why I look for it in the first chapter.)
I find errors in both indie and traditionally published books. in fact, I just finished one by a international bestselling author that had some. Unless they are egregious and recurring, they don't prevent me from reading!
William wrote: "I find errors in both indie and traditionally published books. in fact, I just finished one by a international bestselling author that had some. Unless they are egregious and recurring, they don't ..."'like'
Same here. I downloaded the Kindle version of a book I'd read in paperback format a couple of years ago. Thought I'd enjoy the story again. The eBook version had quite a few typos in it! Formatting issues? Probably. Whatever. I still loved the story, and I will still purchase future books from this author.
Natasha wrote: "I have a question, and maybe this belongs in it's own thread, but would you read a book that only has 4 and 5 star reviews?"It would depend on how many reviews the book got. 100+? Hell yeah, I'd buy it! It's probably a fun (though potentially generic and non-controversial) read. But if it's got only 6, I'd read through the first couple reviews and make sure they weren't over-the-top with praise. You know, like something a family member who didn't even read the book might write. Anything that read, "Greatest book ever! You should definitely read everything by this author!" would strike me as suspicious.
Kevin wrote: "Anything that read, "Greatest book ever! You should definitely read everything by this author!" would strike me as suspicious."Yeah, that's the kind of stuff I'm talking about. But there's often no way of knowing where the reviews come from.
I just think that no two people will ever react the same way to a book. I have friends who hated The Hobbit, and its one of my all-time favourites. I don't think there has been a book that's universally loved (and before you say it, I am not a fan of Harry Potter!), so reviews where everyone loves the book become suspect to me.
@Natasha Hm? It's been Jaime Lannister in every copy of every book in the series that I have.
J. David wrote: "@Natasha Hm? It's been Jaime Lannister in every copy of every book in the series that I have."It's 'Jamie' in the first book, at least in the edition I have.
I always pronounced it "Jaime" with an H. Is it supposed to be Jamie?
I think it's Jamie in the show, though I haven't seen it in a while. Now I'm confused!
I've had readers mention errors before, but they've been such minor ones, they haven't had much affect. Still, they're enough to make one worry. What if some grammar Nazi found an error in my book and decided to go off on it? NO ONE WOULD EVER READ IT AGAIN!