Am I wrong, unkind or a coward? Some will say the latter...
I was given a gift at Christmas, a book written by an acquaintance, (she knows nothing of my blog, so am safe in divulging this). The cover and title were perfect, it was wrapped beautifully, a lovely gift but a little forced on me. You know the sort of gift; the one where you have to wrap the box of Christmas chocolates in thirty seconds to return the offering, without looking caught out.
On the first available day, I eagerly set aside time to start reading it.
Horrors!
By page 14 I had encountered over 50 typo's in the form of double spacing between words. Then I encountered, this sor of thin. But she... was the start of several sentences. But he. But she. "The dialogue""Ran back to back""and you never knew who was talking""or answering back". Every time I got; started I was stopped; in my tracks; by a semi-colon.
Get the picture?
I am not a proofreader nor am I an expert on writing, but these errors stood out like a sore thumb. The story is good, but I am now distracted with a pencil and marking the mistakes.
I have never experienced this before and am wondering if it is because I have learned more about writing and editing.
I must sound dreadful, scribbling in a gift, but it was a great motivator. I am determined that I will do my upmost to edit my work, (and ask others to do the same), before I present it to an editor or agent. If I self publish, I will be extra careful and not rush through it, as I would have visions of readers armed with pencils reading through my novel. Granted books have errors, they slip through the net, but this was...well, awful.
The worst thing is I will have to say how I enjoyed the book. Money has been spent publishing and promoting it. Also it is not my place to destroy her joy or dream. If it was an MS, it would be different, I would have the courage to offer my opinion and findings. The reason I am using a pencil is that maybe, if ever the time was right, I might be able to show her before she publishes anymore. That way she will have the chance to correct the second version.
If I am very lucky, someone else might beat me to it! Coward Moi?
23 Comments:
No, you aren't a coward. You are just exercising discretion. I've found that since I've been editing my own work, I notice the mistakes in published books. It takes some of the joy out of reading, so I've tried to turn off the editor in me when reading, but it doesn't work very well.
I think you could be tactful and ask who did the proofreading and editing of her book. It seems almost as if she has published a first draft rather than a completed manuscript. Perhaps you could have a general discussion about publishing and the processes involved in getting a book properly checked, edited and corrected before going into print.
With self-publishing too many excited authors rush through at their own peril. I have done so myself and learned that you can't get away with anything less than perfect text. It may cost an arm and a leg to get it professionally proof read but well worth the investment and of course in my case the book consequently has increased sales and my own peace of mind.
You have to be honest with your friend, they will not respect you if the cat is let of of the bag comes form someone else.
Thanks Susan, Ruth and Martin. I will keep working on her book and invite her for coffee.
You did the right thing, I think. I wouldn't have said anything. The author was obviously very proud of her effort, so that's all that matter really. Perhaps someone else will suggest she republishes after editing.
I find that I pick up on errors in books, papers, blogs, everywhere. It's as though the edit thing is switched on in my head.
I don't think you're a coward. This is a tough thing. I know how hard it is to tell someone the truth when you know it's not what they want to hear. I think it's wise to mull over it and figure out the best way. On the one hand, you don't want to dystroy someone's dream, but on the other, you want to be honest and help them be the best they can be. Tell them truth gently. If they truly care about their story, their work, they will understand.
Best of luck,
Jen
First and foremost unless someone is a professional editor it is always suggested they contract someone to proofread their work. I understand you do not want to tread on her dreams, however if she is going to be promoting and marketing this book it should be pointed out to her otherwise her reputation as a writer could be damaged. It was obviously self published which could mean she was just giving it to friends and family as gifts. It's a tough one but in my opinion it should be "tactfully" pointed out to her by someone.
Happy New Year, Glynis!
How about this: Before she asks, as soon as you finish the book, tell her you liked the story, especially xyz (hoping that you did) and/or xyz character, especially when ...
Say that you did notice some typos and didn't know if she was aware.
If she is interested, I'll give you the name of my professional proofreader. She is very good and very reasonably priced, and with the exchange rate, it would be an even better deal for your friend. I like honest feedback, but not everyone is ready for it. Keep it brief.
No I do not think you're a coward. Just in a very difficult position. The truth can be a bitter pill to swalloow sometimes and it makes it worse because she is your friend.
I would not say a damn thing. If she doesn't know it, then what are you gonna do? Sad, but don't ruin a friendship. Obviously, she wasn't that dedicated to the process or she would have hired an editor.
Hi Glynis! Your post helped me with an idea for my blog post for 8/1/10 so I have put a link back to your story, "Am I Wrong, Unkind or a Coward?" Should publish at 2pm.
Thanks for the advice. Nadine thanks for the offer, I will get back to you should I need it.
I think it is something I am going to have to leave and see what happens.
Oh wow, what a tough situation you're in. Of course you don't want to delude her about her writing and make her believe she's more than she really is, but you also don't want to smash her dreams. Perhaps you can find something truly positive about the work, like a character, or plot line, or description. Then you're still being truthful and kind, but not gushing over it!
Not a coward - she didn't ask for you to tell her, so you are free and clear, and kind! If she is proud of it enough to give it as gifts, then be gracious as you have been.
I wish writers who self-published would find an editor- it's sad to read a book that could be much better if only it were edited!
Love the new blog look!
You're not a coward at all. You're just being nice. It's sometimes better to let someone find out their mistakes by themselves. They learn them better that way, without any bad feelings.
I'm both traditionally published and a micro-publisher; I also work off and on as an editor and proof reader. I agree with Poetic Shutterbug - she could damage her reputation by having such glaring errors in her book. I will confess that I am not the most tactful being in the universe (to put it mildly!), but I would at least have said something like, "Did you know there are a bunch of errors here?" Pick out the ones that could be from bad typesetting/ forgetful editing, and have nothing to do with the actual quality of her writing. In fact, you might say, "I love this story, but some of these typos and errors are getting in the way of my enjoying it. Have you considered getting a proof reader to check and make sure these things don't wind up in the finished book?" As if this is something that will enhance the good work she already does.
Back when I was senior editor for a rock 'n' roll magazine, some of my favorite writers were also the ones that needed the most editing. They'd hand in these wildly creative record reviews or short features and I'd have to really do work on them to bring out their brilliance. The brilliance was there, just buried under sloppy grammar and punctuation and a horde of misspellings. So these mistakes are really not a reflection on her talent at all - they just show a need for another eye to go through and touch it up (or maybe chop through it with a machete on occasion!). If she is meant to have any future as a writer, and you approach it the right way, she should thank you for pointing out that she needs a proof reader. 99% of writers (myself included) need one.
Thanks for your comments folks.
Janiss, it was the finished book I was reading, not her ms. She has sold several to folks various around the world.
I have to deal with this all the time at work Aunty G (except I get to be a bit more honest with people by the sounds of it). I always find the best approach is to 'sandwich' feedback like this with good news, bad news, good news. Tell her something you liked, then drop in "oh I noticed a couple of typo's they must have missed". Point out a few glaringly obvious ones, explain why you would say they're mistakes- in other words teach her about punctuation and grammar- and add that you didn't look at any more though, you were too busy reading it as you were interested in her story. Then lead back into good news, jumping to points in story with loads of errors, and read aloud as punctuation dictates will be read. YOu could go to sections where the speaker isn't clear and keep asking is that such a body speaking? she'll get the message that she's not being clear in meaning hopefully, without appearing rude. That way you throw it back on her and will go away and look through hopefully and notice the rest for herself. So she's learnt something, and will feel proud of herself that she's noticing all these errors, and can improve her proof reading. She's also going to learn a lesson about the importance of proof reading.
By the way, I'm really impressed with this blog page of yours, interesting stories on here!
Thank you all so much. Colin, it was nice of you to drop by, and your advice is valuable, thanks dear nephew.
Wow, what an awkward situation, but I think a couple of good things are happening here. You're being thoughtful and aware of your friend's feelings so not planning to push the issue. And second, you're probably developing a keener awareness of these writing problems which can only help with your own work!! Personally, I would keep mum about it unless the friend mentioned it and just be supportive of what you are able.
Glynis, my personal reaction is that if she asks for your opinion, be honest with her. But if she doesn't ask, then don't share.
But if the time comes that you do decide to tell her your thoughts, I especially liked Nadine Laman's comment - it's important to layer all kinds of good comments along with the more critical points. Treat her the way you'd want someone to treat you.
*Another point: a friend of mine had her novel published by a small press - it was not self-published. But there are 2 typos on the back cover! And it never went to her for final proofing. The publisher really messed up and probably never even edited the book. Fortunately, she did a pretty good job on the book itself, but a professional editor would have tightened it up and would have caught a few typos that exist throughout it. Live and learn, right?
Thank you to all of you, the advice and support you give is appreciated.
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