Everyone comes across a book that has a couple of errors in it. It could be as simple as a missing quotation mark or the wrong homophone being used. We may notice these things, we may not. When there are so few errors, it’s hard to hold anyone truly accountable—we’re all humans here. However, there are times when a few errors turn into many and it can no longer be ignored. An editor was clearly not used when reading these books, and it’s just heartbreaking. What could be a truly wonderful story to read is ruined by the lack of editing. The majority of this happens through self-publishing, but I have definitely noticed it in books that have been put through major publishing houses as well (though in that instance, it is much less often). I have actually had books where I truly could not finish them due to the poor quality of the writing. While the gist of the story could be great, it is not up to the reader to sift through misspellings, lack of grammar, bad punctuation, and so on.

If authors want a following, they should make sure they give their books their best chances. Going without a proper edit is the equivalent of throwing your baby to the wolves. (I am an animal person, though, so I’m sure the wolves will just want cuddles.) I am not going to stick around with an author when I can’t get past the writing due to errors; it makes me think the author doesn’t care that much about the work, and therefore doesn’t care enough to have me as a dedicated reader. It is always worth the money to have an editor go through your work. Don’t kid yourself into thinking that your once-over is good enough. We all know we can’t do the best possible edit of our own work. It’s important to get that pair of eyes that are trained to edit looking at your story. Like Nike—Just Do It. Get it done. Everyone will be happier. Also, in case you were wondering, I’m available to edit your work.