My Biggest Complaint: Insufficient Editing

Discuss the August 2016 Book of the Month, The Lost Identity Casualties by Kim Ekemar.

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godreaujea
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Re: My Biggest Complaint: Insufficient Editing

Post by godreaujea »

If there are editorial issues in the text, it is almost impossible for me to focus on the story line, and that was the case with this book. I thought there was a lot of awkward wording and I caught several typos, and these pull me right out of the story. I guess this is the Bachelor's in Publishing I earned in college calling to me, but these types of mistakes are like a neon sign shouting "unprofessional."
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

godreaujea wrote:If there are editorial issues in the text, it is almost impossible for me to focus on the story line, and that was the case with this book. I thought there was a lot of awkward wording and I caught several typos, and these pull me right out of the story. I guess this is the Bachelor's in Publishing I earned in college calling to me, but these types of mistakes are like a neon sign shouting "unprofessional."
Thank you for your comments. You are absolutely right. I've said this several times throughout this forum and I will say it again now; this book is in the process of a re-edit and rewrite. I probably should have taken the book down, but I need the feedback and amazingly; it is getting decent reviews despite the errors. This book was professionally edited and sadly, I paid good money that edit. Unfortunately, the first editor missed a ton of stuff and since it was my first book, I didn't know, what I didn't know. I have since hired a new team and they are tough! There is a lot of work to do, but this book will be tight when I release it again. I hope you check out the second release. Thanks again!
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Kdonegan91
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Post by Kdonegan91 »

The editing of a book is a huge deal for me. Even a 4/4 book can be rated a two or three if it contains too many spelling/grammatical errors. Not only do the mistakes interrupt the smooth flow of the book but they can change the meaning of a sentence. I believe if your book is published it should professionally edited.
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

Kdonegan91 wrote:The editing of a book is a huge deal for me. Even a 4/4 book can be rated a two or three if it contains too many spelling/grammatical errors. Not only do the mistakes interrupt the smooth flow of the book but they can change the meaning of a sentence. I believe if your book is published it should professionally edited.
I agree, and the book was professionally edited; unfortunately, the previous editor missed a lot of things. I am in the process of a re-edit and rewrite and I hope that everyone will give it another chance when the second edition comes out.
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Post by DancingSouls »

I have always been pretty lenient when it comes to grammatical errors. If I can understand what the author's intent was and understand what it is supposed to mean then generally I won't be too bothered if it doesn't happen too often. If it happens frequently then it would start to get on my nerves and its only a matter of time before I stop reading (unless the plot is terribly amazing). A misplaced comma is not going to destroy the story for me.
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Post by Janetleighgreen »

Oops! I just realized that I commented on a couple of these posts as if this were my book. I'm sorry, I had this same issue with my book, so I guess I got confused. I'm sorry guys, I'm a dork. ?
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Post by Azeline Arcenal »

I absolutely hate it when books aren't edited well. Grammar mistakes sometimes makes it hard to read books and it takes away how good the story is. I also feel like a poorly edited book would make the author look like a bad writer.
“The only important thing in a book is the meaning that it has for you.” - W. Somerset Maugham
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Post by kislany »

I am actually looking to add this book on my shelf, but this post on insufficient editing gave me pause. I am a stickler for properly proofread and edited books, particularly when they are no longer galleys, but published books (on Amazon, etc).

As I am currently taking an online proofreading course, maybe this is why my senses are heightened when it comes to spelling, punctuation and grammar errors in books that I'm reading.

I do understand that the author is really not the one to blame for this, because the book passes through the hands of an editor as well (and if the publishing house is big enough, also through the hands of a proofreader before that), so whenever I point this out in my book reviews, I try to be as gentle towards the author as possible.
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Post by Renu G »

The book has many formatting errors and a weird style that was not appealing. The author could do better in the next ones in the series.
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Post by Holladay »

People who can not present an original work with an it factor can truly shoot the crap out of any written work.
Hire the best editors at 5 cents a word for 150k words and wind up with near perfection and an editor will do a hatchet job because of the lost comma. Those that can write, write, those who can search for quotations in the exact positions are single minded and have one goal in their life and that is not to nature or perpetuate the originality/gift of a story or a fledgling writer who should be blessed for original work and ideas. It is a hard, hard job to create a work and takes only one good sniper to take it all down.
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Post by LinaMueller »

godreaujea wrote: 20 Oct 2016, 19:35 If there are editorial issues in the text, it is almost impossible for me to focus on the story line, and that was the case with this book. I thought there was a lot of awkward wording and I caught several typos, and these pull me right out of the story. I guess this is the Bachelor's in Publishing I earned in college calling to me, but these types of mistakes are like a neon sign shouting "unprofessional."
I fully agree with you. Kim Ekemar is a good writer, but the editor was terrible.
Heart! We will forget him!
You an I, tonight!
You may forget the warmth he gave,
I will forget the light.

When you have done, pray tell me
That I my thoughts may dim;
Haste! lest while you're lagging.
I may remember him!

Emily Dickinson
Micheal Ukewuihe
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Post by Micheal Ukewuihe »

There were a few errors that I noted in the book but I think I was focused more on how entertaining I found the book that I excused them. They just seemed minimal to me if I’m being honest but I guess it’s different for everyone.
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