Question about Reviews

[M. Ray Holloway Jr.]

I have a question for authors out there. I have read a couple of Indie books that had what I would call errors in them, such as mis-spelled words, grammatical errors, wrong homonym being used, punctuation errors.

As an author myself, I would like to know about anything like that I missed in my own editing, but I wonder how other writers feel about that. When I review a book, I don't mention these things even though I wonder if I am doing a disservice to the potential buyers. My question is, should I send a private email to the author pointing out things that they might want to correct, or would an author just prefer not to hear about flaws that might be distracting from the actual story.

I want to be a help to the writer without being accused of being too critical.

[Joe]

If there's a couple of little things, I'll usually tell the author in a private message so they can fix them if they feel like it. If there's a lot, I usually don't bother. If that makes them hate me, oh well.

[Jay]

M. Ray Holloway Jr. wrote: "I have a question for authors out there. I have read a couple of Indie books that had what I would call errors in them, such as mis-spelled words, grammatical errors, wrong homonym being used, punc..."

I greatly appreciate a PM letting me know that a reviewer found an error in my manuscript. I log them and correct them on my next update.

However, how an author handles criticism, even helpful criticism, is a crap shoot. Some authors are indeed resentful of anyone finding fault with their work.

Certainly, I think it's courteous to handle such matters privately, but I don't think there is any way to judge a particular author's reaction before you send such a PM. I never mention mistakes in a review. If a manuscript is literally a collection of errors, I opt to 'not review' vs. 'publicly criticize.'

I guess the bottom line is: I think it's great that you're willing to be helpful, but don't expect appreciation to be a universal reaction.

[Christina]

Personally, I would be pleased as punch to get a message with the errors pointed out. Even the best editors, careful eyes, and my robot method of editing all make mistakes, so nothing is ever perfect. However, I don't speak for all authors, so I'm sure some folks might get offended. Your best bet might be to comment only to those if us you have a passing acquaintence with at least.

[Lavern]

I've started taking highlighting and taking screen shots of errors I find. Then I contact the author and ask if they want me send them by email. I've only recently started doing that after an ARC read before release revealed that the authors final changes had not been saved. I'm hoping this habit I'm developing will be useful to authors.

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

If I find a few errors in a book, I generally ignore them and let it go. After all, nearly every book is going to have at least a couple of errors in them. But, on a couple of occasions I have sent messages to the author about the errors I've found. In both cases, the authors were people I was acquainted with. They were pretty open to it and thanked me for the help.

I know my work isn't perfect and I can recall one time I was contacted by someone about a huge error in one of my books. I appreciated it.

[Owen]

When I've been motivated to contact another author with feedback beyond what I mentioned in a review (if I've reviewed the book), I've sent them a PM with brief positive thoughts on why I enjoyed their book and asked if they would like more in-depth feedback.

If they respond positively, I send additional feedback on the story, with typos and formatting issues listed at the end as a "BTW". I try to avoid looking like I'm nitpicking or only commenting on editing issues, which can never be fully eradicated, anyway.

[Rachael]

I'd personally want to know and wouldn't take offence. I always buy a copy of my books to check for typos etc., so I can edit the files at the earliest opportunity. I'm about 80% of the way through reading my latest book and have corrected it once. It's amazing how much more noticeable errors become when it's in book format!

[Narayan]

I've received a private message before, regarding a mistake in my novella. I was grateful for it! I'm grateful for any criticism or comment that helps me better my work.

Like everyone else, I can only speak for myself and you can never predict with certainty how someone else may react. But I say give the author your notes on it anyway.

[Renee]

I would welcome a private message about mistakes for sure!! I had a mispelling on a front cover once (not my fault i submitted the right spelling but the cover artist spelled it wrong) amd i didnt catch it. my friend thought i did it on purpose so she never said anything. i didnt notice it until someone said something on fb. i was mortified and pulled it immediately to get it fixed. i wished someone had said something sooner. its better to be told privately then being called out.

[Quoleena]

Here's my stance: If anyone reads one of my books and you find errors, please message me so I can fix it. Pretty please and thank you!

[M. Ray Holloway Jr.]

Okay, I think I will do that. It seems that most people here would prefer to be notified. I would do it tastefully and respectfully, and if they acted the least bit offended, I would apologize and back away. I know that I would like to know that something I am offering the public had mistakes in it.

Thanks to all for their comments!

[Angel]

What if they have colloquial terms, spellings and grammar because the author is from a place such as the UK or Mississippi and the reviewer is not educated on this and mistakenly contact the author saying they have errors in their work? When it's a regional/cultural thing the author specifically uses to authenticate their characters and settings, local color.

[[deleted user]]

Ray,
I am among the group of authors who would appreciate a reader sending me a private message listing any typos or grammatical errors they found in my books.

[Christina]

Angel wrote: "What if they have colloquial terms, spellings and grammar because the author is from a place such as the UK or Mississippi and the reviewer is not educated on this and mistakenly contact the author..."

Definitely. Typos are one thing, but someone correcting my grammar is something else entirely. I did my time learning the rules and you better believe I'm going to break every damned one of 'em I can.

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

Angel wrote: "What if they have colloquial terms, spellings and grammar because the author is from a place such as the UK or Mississippi and the reviewer is not educated on this and mistakenly contact the author saying they have errors in their work? When it's a regional/cultural thing the author specifically uses to authenticate their characters and settings, local color. "

I've been working on books lately that are written as if the main characters are writing them. It's not so much a question as to where the characters are from, but that the characters are idiots. If someone were to contact me to tell me the grammar and so on are horrible, I'd just laugh and point out that it's supposed to be that way.

[Angel]

Thanks Dwayne and Christina! I appreciate your replies to my question.

[M. Ray Holloway Jr.]

Angel wrote: "What if they have colloquial terms, spellings and grammar because the author is from a place such as the UK or Mississippi and the reviewer is not educated on this and mistakenly contact the author..."

I understand what you are referring to exactly. "The Picture of the Ghost", a novelette that I released was told from the point of view of an old country boy, and his language was filled with words and pronunciations that you would not normally see. Of course, those are not what I would call mistakes. Point of view does play into the grammar and choice of words that the character uses.

[G.G.]

Same here. I'd be thankful if someone who would take the time to note a list of mistakes/typos that have been missed in any of my books and send them to me. That's priceless.

[Hannah]

I met an indie author here, and we actually did that for each other. It really helps.

[Owen]

The comments here are great and also highlight another rule I try to follow when giving feedback: never assume anything. Yes, it may look like a word is missing, but it's also possible I didn't read carefully enough or I'm unfamiliar with the usage. So asking is safer.

[Andrew]

After the years I’ve invested in writing, learning, avoiding pitfalls, self publishing and marketing the last thing I want a reader to see is a distracting error or typo.

Someone was considerate enough to take the time to point out some typo’s for me and mentioned that someone else had done the same for them. The kind of thing I was hoping to find at SIA. I was so appreciative - to their surprise - I bought 1 of their ebooks.

[Mimi]

Andrew wrote: "After the years I’ve invested in writing, learning, avoiding pitfalls, self publishing and marketing the last thing I want a reader to see is a distracting error or typo.

Someone was considerate e..."

Well said. It only HELPS the author. We should all be grateful and appreciative for people who make us look better in the end.
Constructive criticism should ALWAYS be welcome, it makes us better writers and our books more pleasurable reads.