Spotting errors or improvements after publishing.

richrock · 08-26-2011, 06:10 PM

I published my first ebook today! Hooray!

After going through it several times, reviewing, editing, chopping and changing, I finally thought I was happy with it. So I uploaded it to Smashwords, worked first time. Great! Cloud nine the whole morning.

Then I decided to try the epub version on my beloved Sony 505. And I spotted a grammatical error. And something I could have written better. And it continues.

Does anyone have this happen to them? How do you deal with it?

I don't have much outside of family to proof-read (and we all know how biased they can be), and my friend's don't know I write, it seems kind of awkward. I can't just suddenly turn round and say, 'hey I've been writing, actually a character's based on you (but they're horrible and nasty - not like you at all, honest

) would you like to preview it?'

How often would people upload a revised version? At this early stage, I figure I could just revise it and learn from the experience.

I would link to it, but like I said, there's a few...

...typo's/grammar errors. It is my first story since, well, school, too.

and now I'm all embarrassed again

pdurrant · 08-26-2011, 06:16 PM

Proof-reading is hard under the best circumstances. Proof-reading your own work is ten times harder.

I'd wait at least a week before uploading a new version, as you'll probably find more errors in that time. Perhaps upload after a week of not finding an error.

Todd Young · 08-27-2011, 02:00 AM

I'd suggested using a text to speech application. It takes a long time to listen to a computer reading your story, but it does pick up a lot of mistakes.

The other thing you could do is try a grammar checker. I've heard Grammarian Pro is good, but I haven't tried it myself.

William F · 08-27-2011, 02:22 AM

Ah the eternal struggle. Yes you want to present a professional, polished project to the world. It's important, not just for you, but for all of us indie writers. It reflects badly on our segment of the industry to publish crap and it gives the naysayers ammunition.

My opinion is this. Go ahead and fix the grammar and typo's. Go through your book and fix them all. Find them, and eliminate them ruthlessly. When you've done the absolute best job you can, republish it and move on.

But don't start rewriting it. If you find it needs changes just pull it down and wait to publish it when it's finished. It's not fair to your readers to publish different versions of the same story. In my opinion.

MartinC · 08-27-2011, 03:31 PM

I wait about a month, then buy a copy from Amazon. Funny how paying for a copy makes all the mistakes jump out at you.

William F is right, though. You've got to know when to stop.

jaxx6166 · 08-27-2011, 04:30 PM

You're bound to find issues in Smashwords text. It's a byproduct of the meatgrinder, kind of like hot dogs and sausage.

I'm with William though. DO NOT touch style or context. If you spot goofs, missed words, lost punctuation, spacing issues just double check your actual copy to make sure those exist there as well. Then fix, lather rinse repeat.

If you lost them due to the meatgrinder, sometimes they pop up again on a reupload.

Good luck!

AlexBell · 08-28-2011, 04:25 AM

This doesn't answer your question about what to do when you find errors in an ebook you've just uploaded, but one way of reducing the errors in the first place is to ask for beta-readers on this forum. They will find errors you've missed yourself.

I think it's almost impossible to proof-read one's own work.

MartinC · 08-28-2011, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexBell

I think it's almost impossible to proof-read one's own work.

I disagree. It's hard, and other readers can be a great help, but it's something you have to learn to do. The responsibility is the author's - and this applies even if you are being "properly" published by a firm with an office full of editors. Your name is on the cover.

Going back to the original post...

Quote:

Then I decided to try the epub version on my beloved Sony 505. And I spotted a grammatical error. And something I could have written better. And it continues.

I don't know anything about the Smashwords process, but if it doesn't allow you to read the book in the published format before it goes public, perhaps you need to consider another route. If it does, why didn't you?

richrock · 08-29-2011, 07:51 AM

Thanks for the replies, guys. It's nothing to do with the meatgrinder, I found that awesome, in fact better than converting to epub in Calibre... !

It's just after re-reading lots of times, I guess I wasn't seeing any problems. I left it a few days, and saw what I needed to revise. I'm going to put a second revision up at the end of the week, then leave it.

There's nothing that's going to change what's said/written, but just gentle rewording to fix the flow of speech in dialogue or in the descriptions.

It's my first published, and I'm learning to ropes the hard way in a sense. The sequel is already in the works, and the things I've learnt from this first story are being applied to the second.

randyflycaster · 08-29-2011, 10:10 AM

I'd hire a good proofreader. In this business it's a must. I learned the hard way; then, after you get feedback feedback/reviews from readers you can always edit/revise your book. (I got some private reviews from bloggers that were very helpful to me.)To me, the beauty of e-publishing is that nothing is written in stone. We can always revise as we go.

Randy

08-26-2011, 06:10 PM	#1
richrock Sony Reader Fanatic Posts: 43 Karma: 254098 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS 505	Spotting errors or improvements after publishing. I published my first ebook today! Hooray! After going through it several times, reviewing, editing, chopping and changing, I finally thought I was happy with it. So I uploaded it to Smashwords, worked first time. Great! Cloud nine the whole morning. Then I decided to try the epub version on my beloved Sony 505. And I spotted a grammatical error. And something I could have written better. And it continues. Does anyone have this happen to them? How do you deal with it? I don't have much outside of family to proof-read (and we all know how biased they can be), and my friend's don't know I write, it seems kind of awkward. I can't just suddenly turn round and say, 'hey I've been writing, actually a character's based on you (but they're horrible and nasty - not like you at all, honest ) would you like to preview it?' How often would people upload a revised version? At this early stage, I figure I could just revise it and learn from the experience. I would link to it, but like I said, there's a few... ...typo's/grammar errors. It is my first story since, well, school, too. and now I'm all embarrassed again

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08-26-2011, 06:16 PM	#2
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 73,955 Karma: 315160596 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Oasis	Proof-reading is hard under the best circumstances. Proof-reading your own work is ten times harder. I'd wait at least a week before uploading a new version, as you'll probably find more errors in that time. Perhaps upload after a week of not finding an error.

08-27-2011, 02:00 AM	#3
Todd Young Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 1004164 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 2	I'd suggested using a text to speech application. It takes a long time to listen to a computer reading your story, but it does pick up a lot of mistakes. The other thing you could do is try a grammar checker. I've heard Grammarian Pro is good, but I haven't tried it myself.

08-27-2011, 02:22 AM	#4
William F Pirosopher Posts: 55 Karma: 166972 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: kindle, pc	Ah the eternal struggle. Yes you want to present a professional, polished project to the world. It's important, not just for you, but for all of us indie writers. It reflects badly on our segment of the industry to publish crap and it gives the naysayers ammunition. My opinion is this. Go ahead and fix the grammar and typo's. Go through your book and fix them all. Find them, and eliminate them ruthlessly. When you've done the absolute best job you can, republish it and move on. But don't start rewriting it. If you find it needs changes just pull it down and wait to publish it when it's finished. It's not fair to your readers to publish different versions of the same story. In my opinion.

08-27-2011, 03:31 PM	#5
MartinC Hanger on Posts: 148 Karma: 1355233 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Dorset, UK Device: Kindle 3, Galaxy S, Sony PRS-505, Sony tablet	I wait about a month, then buy a copy from Amazon. Funny how paying for a copy makes all the mistakes jump out at you. William F is right, though. You've got to know when to stop.

08-27-2011, 04:30 PM	#6
jaxx6166 Wizard Posts: 1,222 Karma: 769316 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Eternal summer Device: 350, iPad, PW	You're bound to find issues in Smashwords text. It's a byproduct of the meatgrinder, kind of like hot dogs and sausage. I'm with William though. DO NOT touch style or context. If you spot goofs, missed words, lost punctuation, spacing issues just double check your actual copy to make sure those exist there as well. Then fix, lather rinse repeat. If you lost them due to the meatgrinder, sometimes they pop up again on a reupload. Good luck!

08-28-2011, 04:25 AM	#7
AlexBell Wizard Posts: 3,413 Karma: 13369310 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Launceston, Tasmania Device: Sony PRS T3, Kobo Glo, Kindle Touch, iPad, Samsung SB 2 tablet	This doesn't answer your question about what to do when you find errors in an ebook you've just uploaded, but one way of reducing the errors in the first place is to ask for beta-readers on this forum. They will find errors you've missed yourself. I think it's almost impossible to proof-read one's own work.

08-29-2011, 07:51 AM	#9
richrock Sony Reader Fanatic Posts: 43 Karma: 254098 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: South Wales, UK Device: Sony PRS 505	Thanks for the replies, guys. It's nothing to do with the meatgrinder, I found that awesome, in fact better than converting to epub in Calibre... ! It's just after re-reading lots of times, I guess I wasn't seeing any problems. I left it a few days, and saw what I needed to revise. I'm going to put a second revision up at the end of the week, then leave it. There's nothing that's going to change what's said/written, but just gentle rewording to fix the flow of speech in dialogue or in the descriptions. It's my first published, and I'm learning to ropes the hard way in a sense. The sequel is already in the works, and the things I've learnt from this first story are being applied to the second.

08-29-2011, 10:10 AM	#10
randyflycaster Zealot Posts: 113 Karma: 1000858 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New York City Device: Sony 350	I'd hire a good proofreader. In this business it's a must. I learned the hard way; then, after you get feedback feedback/reviews from readers you can always edit/revise your book. (I got some private reviews from bloggers that were very helpful to me.)To me, the beauty of e-publishing is that nothing is written in stone. We can always revise as we go. Randy