This question sort of goes along with this post from the other day.
If you email or write authors, do you tell them of editing errors or historical inaccuracies you think you find in their books?
Have you ever received a note back from the author?
And if you don’t, why not?
Does this take you out of the story?
Do you notice editing errors or historical inaccuracies while reading?
Have you ever received such a letter or email?
What did you do with the information?
Was the ‘error’ really a mistake and did you write back to tell them it wasn’t?
Can you request to have information changed if the book goes into a second (third… so on…)
print or if the book is reissued?
This might be different for ebooks because changes can be made to ebooks that can’t be made in print. I think. Angiew? Tina? You guys around?
As a reader, no, I’ve never written to an author about errors – typo or historical inaccuracies. First off, chances are I just don’t pick them up. Second, even if I did, I’d figure I was wrong. Then if I was sure I was right and the book was wrong, I’d have to go research it. By that time if I was enjoying the book, I’d just say “oh well anyway” and proceed reading along. I hate having mistakes pointed out to me, specially if there is nothing I can do about it, so I figure they do too. The only time I write to authors – and I do very rarely actually – is if I really enjoyed the book and it has struck a chord with me
Ugh, that was me, sorry. Blogger isn’t cooperating.
Tina Burns
I have emailed someone about an error but never got a reply back.
And I did have one person email me about the way I’d spelled volcanologist in A Faerie Tale. It actually has two different spellings so I just emailed her and thanked her and kept it the way I had it. 😉
From the publishing side of it, ebooks are pretty easy to change, and Angie pretty much hit the nail on the head, they email us, we change the mistake.
Great questions, Sybil. 😉
As a reader, I’ve never written an author about errors. Frankly, if I’m REALLY into the story, I don’t see SMALL typos or punctuation errors (on first readings, at least). Authors and editors are human. I had a small paragraph show up in a newly-released e-book once that I’d marked for deletion on second edits. People make mistakes. And e-books are easy to fix.
Do you want to be told?
YES. I’m very particular about final product. And if it’s something I’ve done unconsciously, I don’t want to do it again. I’ve yet to receive such a letter or e-mail, however.
I haven’t done any historicals yet, though I’ve got a Victorian-era romance in the works. If I made a mistake, yes, I’d want to know. If it WASN’T a mistake, I might write them back–once–to POLITELY disagree, but that’s it. No debating–and basically because I respond to every reader who goes out of their way to contact me anyway.
Can you request to have information changed if the book goes into a second (third… so on…) print or if the book is reissued?
I live for the day. LMAO!!
I have never had a reader write me about errors in my book. Most of the letters I receive are about how much they enjoyed the book and if there’s a sequel. I did have a reviewer point one in an earlier work. I was a little bit embarrassed (how could I have missed that one?) and eventually changed it in the print version. I guess that’s the beauty of ebooks. LOL. It can be fixed.
I welcome comments, good or bad. I think a big part, too, is how it’s delivered or said. I always make it a point to be polite, and I always write back.
Great question, Sybil!
Hmmm…
I haven’t received any such emails yet, but then I haven’t had a historical pubbed yet. When The Black Dragon is released, I do expect at least one, just because that’s the kind of thing I expect. I took a historical liberty in the book and although I’m hoping to add an Author’s Note to explain it, I’m sure somebody will say something.
In general I try to avoid situations that may cause problems. In my first book ever (never subbed anywhere) I had the heroine riding sidesaddle in 1265. Technically, this is actually correct(!). Original source materials from as far back as the 12th century mention Empress Matilda riding “like a man” and the scandal that caused. However, knowng that most people believe the popular myth of the sidesaddle being introduced in the 15th century, I removed it rather than worry about what someone might think.
I research very, very carefully.
I’ve never written to an author ab out errors, though. I generally either decide it’s historical license and not a big deal, or I decide the book is junk and stop reading.
I’d sure want to be told, though! If only to defend myself. But I’d much rather know and have a discussion than have someone write me off. I would love to have a discussion about that sort of thing-we history geeks tend to enjoy that stuff. 🙂
I’ve never emailed an author for anything. Wait, that’s not true – I emailed Jill Shalvis to ask if an upcoming book was a sequel to a book I was in the process of reviewing because if it was I would have plugged it. It wasn’t.
I’ve never emailed an author for anything book-related because at the end of the day I have too many other things to do. Though I did seriously consider emailing Stephanie Rowe to gush about DMBOMT. I fought through the urge though.
Blogger won’t let me delete my extraneous comment. Sorry, Sybil, I have no idea how that happened.
I love hearing from readers. I take the good and squirrel it away for a day I need it, and I do the same with the bad. If I’m getting the same complaint from a lot of readers then it’s time to take a look at what I’m doing wrong.
However — I’m not changing how I write because someone doesn’t like it. I answer all my fan mail unless my spam filter kills it first. The only one I haven’t answered is one from a woman who sent me an email detailing every *mistake* she found in one of my books — page by page. I didn’t reply because, frankly, I was angry. Most of what she sent me were personal preferences. Some were grammatical and some were legit –I have no problem admitting that. But to point out a sentence and tell me I shouldn’t have written it that way…well, it rubbed. lol. If I’m wrong, I appreciate being told, but my voice is my voice.
Also, I’ve had reviewers and readers tell me I got facts wrong and I hadn’t. One time when that happened I emailed the review site and they changed the review. It was all done very nicely.
That said, I appreciate honesty. If my book didn’t work for you, and you feel the need to tell me, fine.
OK, they say third time is a charm, right, and now I’ve read your little note, so…
The only person to ever point out mistakes in my books is my Mom. I know in the e-version of A Walk on the Wild Side, a characters name changes at one point. It was supposed to be fixed for the print version but I admit I’ve been too chicken to look.
I want mistakes to be pointed out in my books. A lot of them are “brain fart” moments that you want to kick yourself for and on any other day you (and your editor, and proofreader, etc) would have found, but for some reason that day, the errors weren’t found.
Other things, I’d be learning things that I didn’t know so how can that be bad.
I admit I’m not perfect.
I blogged on my own blog yesterday about bad proofreading in public places (movie theater slides are THE WORST). I always want to tell theater managers about the mistakes, but the hubster usually calms me down.
Still, shouldn’t someone be told?
Hi Sybil–thanks for letting me know about this. 🙂
Editing is so tough for both writer and editor because we tend to see what we know should be there, rather than what is actually there. Our eyes often skim past errors because our mind’s eye has mentally corrected the mistake and glosses over it.
First–as a reader, yes, I’m usually very aware of typos, editing errors and inaccuracies. Most books have a few but when they pop up with too much frequency it pulls me out of the story. I think this comes from my long history as an editor. Sometimes it’s hard for me to simply sink into a story without examining it to death. LOL
Second–from an author’s standpoint, the answer is an unqualified YES. I absolutely do appreciate it when a reader brings an error to my attention. Even if the reader is incorrect and it’s not actually an error, I wouldn’t mind because that shows me they care enough about my work to read it and offer their support. I try to write and turn in my books as edit-free as possible but, inevitably, I’ll catch some really blatant mistakes and then my editors will find a few more.
These are usually flat-out stupid errors that I’ve overlooked. When I discover them or they’re pointed out to me I simply cringe with embarrassment because I immediately recognize them as wrong. The most recent case is when my editor caught “shoe you out†when it should have been “shoo.†What a dunderhead! (Me, not the editor.) LOL
I’ve only been contacted once by a reader about an error and I still remember my mortification. This was about six years ago. I had one of my characters clacking away on her finger cymbals…except that I typed the word “symbols†instead. Not once, mind you, but each time I made reference to them. Ack! Of course I knew better and knew the difference. What makes this worst of all is that I was the book’s editor. Yup. Ask me if that taught me a lesson or not. LOL This was an ebook. The error was changed immediately and redistributed to all booksellers. And, yes, I sent the reader a letter thanking her for pointing out the error. We had a good laugh about it and she’s still one of my loyal readers.
Alison! You married a fan! How LKH of you *g*. Should we worry? hee
Pam: How great that you were able to fix it off an excerpt! Which book, if I can ask ;).
Jennifer: See that is one reason I asked… I wouldn’t have thought it was expensive to fix a print proof but I know nothing of the process.
Jill: I am thinking reader send in the good letters more often than the bad.
Jaci: Good luck with the MM! Even though I have a hate for RT it looks good. And isn’t it time for you to write a historical ;).
HK: Yes Eloisa did, really twice if you think about the last book but that was a lil different. And she did something about both, which I think is grand.
I have to admit I was thinking about that when I posted as well as your blackout ;).
There are a few pages missing in a book or two in Mary Balogh books and she has them posted on her website. I think that is tre cool.
Maureen: that is one of those mistakes I would have never caught… but that susian would have emailed you over 😉
May: I will look for the post!
Caroline: your A and B are the two big reasons why I wouldn’t do it 😉
EC: I promise to adore you no matter how many times you say fuck in your books. Honest, I am good reader like that ;).
Jo: Good luck with the Delta Force books, since I know nothing about them I won’t even notice ;).
Meljean: Sorry… bad blogger, go to your room! If it makes you feel better you weren’t the only one to lose their post yesterday. Or today…
That sucks about the time change, you were able to fix it?
Angie: Thanks! I knew you have the info on ebooks ;). I don’t know if blogger has a spell check thing… will have to look.
Sasha: did you tell the guy he missed it 😉
Lauren: oddness, I would think she doesn’t count *g*
Dakota: hey! Maybe it is easier to do with publisher than other? Glad you learned you were right 😉
Nalini: or Elizabeth Lowell and Linda Howard… but who knows maybe your categories will go into reprint now that you rock in paranormals 😉
Kristie: me too
Tina: sorry about blogger but thanks for trying again!
Raine: Victorian-era romance… do tell
Beverly: I can’t imagine you ever being not polite.
December: I agree it can lead to interesting discussion!
Jay: I can so see you sending a wiggly email to Rowe 😉
Kathryn: Which book got the page by page? Historical or paranormal? You know how historical readers can be 😉
Emma: if it can be changed I agree with you… tell them… just don’t tell the hubby
Daisy: shoe is funny… hee glad she caught it for you.
Thanks for all the great comments!
I really dislike books that are historically inaccurate, so I work very, very hard to ensure my books are representative of the era in which I write. However, I did make one blooper (I’m sure I’ve made more than one, but this is the only one I remember right now! *smile*), of which a reader very kindly pointed out. It occurred in Gabriel’s Woman, and wasn’t a major thing, thank the gods, but still, to someone who is a stickler about historical accuracy, it was a bit embarrassing. Toward the end of GW, I make a fleeting reference to helium filled balloons. Helium, the reader pointed out, wasn’t “invented” until the early 20th century (GW takes place in 1886).
In my defense, there is a c1870 painting in which a man with a tall canister (very much like the helium canisters used today) is airing balloons for children in a park. I remembered the painting when writing that scene in GW, and did a quick search on helium. Bingo! Helium had been discovered in 1868; hence, I assumed (I know, bad me!) that balloons could be filled with helium in the latter 19th century. Come to find out, while it had been identified and named in 1868, it wasn’t used until the early 20th century.
That same reader wrote that she was a costume designer for a theatrical company, and pointed out that the corset Victoria wore toward the end was wrong, as all corsets were strapless. I thanked her for correcting me about the helium, but wrote back that corsets did indeed exist with straps in 1886, as Victoria’s corset was taken from a reproduction of Bloomingdale’s Illustrated 1886 Catalog. It was a nice letter, and I was glad that we were both able to learn something from each other.
As for typos. . . . In the old days, an author’s manuscript had to be manually typeset. As a result – as Jennifer Ashley pointed out – errors that did not stem from the author routinely found their way into print. Jennifer also pointed out that it’s unlikely a publisher is going to go back and correct a few typos, as it would mean the manuscript would have to be typeset again.
I used to be much more critical of books that had blaring typos, but am much more forgiving now. Publishing is a business, and in the end, it’s the Almighty Dollar that counts. Once my books are printed, I don’t read them, simply because if I see a typo or a text change that an editor or production may have made at the last minute (and believe me, it does happen!) or else did not carry through corrections I made in the copy-edit, I get literally sick to my stomach. A perfect example of that occurred with the 1995 edition of Awaken, My Love. I used the word yantra, only to have the copy-editor change it to mantra. I changed the copyedited manuscript back to yantra. Alas, in the galleys it was still “mantra.” I explained to my editor that there is a big difference between yantra and mantra, and to please make sure that the final print uses yantra. Needless to say, the 1995 edition was printed with “mantra.”
But to answer more succinctly. . . . I hope readers do write me (and other authors) about historical inaccuracies (although history is very subjective, and probably even though a reader is looking at one source which says such and such is wrong, an author’s research books will say that it’s correct), but a reader is better off writing to the publisher when it comes to typos, because that really is a production problem, and not the fault of the author.
If you do, why?
Have you ever received a note back from the author?
I emailed Eloisa James about an error that I found while reading the one about Rafe and Imogen. She mixed Imogen and Annabel’s names or something like that, I think. Anyway, she emailed me back graciously and thanked me for pointing it out and offered to send me a free copy of that book with Josie.
Sybil, it was SURRENDER and had to do with the fate of the MacKinnon Clan at Culloden. They weren’t devastated the way so many other hielan’ clans were.
Robin S. — I enjoyed reading your narrative about the hair-splitting of historical research with regard to helium. I found myself trying to decide whether to use the word “tumpline” after I learned it didn’t enter common usage until a decade after the period in which SURRENDER was set. In the end, I opted to use it because I figured the men fighting on the frontier probably had a word for it before the term entered common usage. I thought I had seen it in a Colonial frontiersman’s diary, though when I rushed through my notes I couldn’t find it. (I was in the middle of galley edits.)
So Sybil, why did you bring this up? Did you recently come across a book that made you think, “EGADS!”
I see errors in books all the time, but unless the book sucked great big hairy donkey balls, I usually don’t give them a second thought. Editing errors only piss me off if the book is crap.
I generally only write to authors if I’ve really enjoyed a book they’ve written, it wouldn’t occur to me to tell them about any spelling mistakes or editing errors that I’d found in the book.
When it comes to hystericals, I’m pretty much a sponge, and if I’m told that Mary Queen of Scots was a saintly woman who was treated no better than a ho by the dastardly English, then I’m happy to go with that version.
Hey Syb, you got Robin Schone on here, I’m about to release my Inner Rabid Fangirl, Sqeeeeee!
As author, yes, I’ve alrasy gotten a few email that pointed out a few typos that got left in the eBook version of Midnight Sun. I nearly died, but trucked on and (hopefully) caught them all in the print version. Did I appreciate it? Asoluetly! I even wrote back to those readers and thanked them for lettig nme know about them.
As a reader, no, I’ve never written an author whsoe books I found mistakes in, typo or otherwise.
Sybil:
Wonderful questions. Wonderful site.
Do you want to be told?
I’ve received emails before about certain historical inaccuracies in my books. These I very much appreciate especially if I am on a series and I can do something to fix the problem. Finding grammar errors are cringe-inducing and unfortunate for me as the writer because there is nothing I can do. I have discovered that no matter how many times and how many people go over each draft of the book, trust me we are talking a lot of people, it stills seems as if errors slip through the cracks. No author wishes for her/his book to be filled with errors. One error is too much, and I’ve made a few doozies that can never be changed. But in the end, my goal is always to write the very best story I can. I am always passionate about my books and can only hope no book I write, especially if it has an error will be construed by the reader as something that is half an effort on my part. I abhor mistakes. More so because I do soooooooo much research on a book to get things right. (I had a huge mistake in, In My Heart.) If anyone read that book, they know what it is. It doesn’t matter how it came about, but it did. LOL. Now I have to live with it. But I still loved that book. So bottom line. Mistakes do happen. But they do not happen because publishers and authors are lazy and do not care. We love our readers. 🙂
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Have you ever received such a letter or email?
Yes I have and I prefer this mode of communication rather than on a public forum, especially when a reader points out a historical inaccuracy, which 99% of the time is not. It is that 1% that is really important and I will correct the problem in a series book where I can still do something.
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Can you request to have information changed if the book goes into a second (third… so on…) print or if the book is reissued?
No. It is difficult enough to try and get something changed once it reaches the galley stage. I’d have to wait until I get rich and famous and the book gets re-released by a publisher, THEN maybe I can make changes. LOL.
I’ve been lucky (so far) not to get any letters pointing out mistakes in my books. Would I like to know? If it’s a typo, no – most books have a typo or small error somewhere. If it’s a research mistake then yes, I’d like to hear about it, as long as the reader was polite and supported her point with personal experience or a reference to a research book or website.
When I spot a research issue in a book I’m reading, I’ll sometimes think about telling the author, but I never do. I did have a nice fantasy conversation with Dan Brown midway through Angels and Demons, tho…
Sybil, it was a historical. But it wasn’t the history she had a problem with. It was style. I would have responded if she hadn’t basically told me how I SHOULD be writing! lol.
As a reader, I’m probably one of the most critical people you’ll find. I absolutely HATE inaccuracies, typos and grammitically incorrect sentences.
A good example of this is Christine Feehan’s Dangerous Tides, her lates Drake Sisters novel. Every other page was some inconsistancy or typo. It pulled me out of the story like you wouldn’t believe. I’m UBER anal about things like that.
But I’ve never emailed an author about it. Why? Because I know they can’t do anything about it after it’s in print. I feel like my emailing them to point out a mistake would be nothing but an insult. If I were test-reading for an author – or something similar – I would have no problem pointing out issues like that. I just don’t see the point in saying something AFTER the fact.
Actually, now that I think on it, the occasional typo doesn’t bother me. It happens. How could it not. No matter who you are, when you type there are going to be errors. And I understand that editors and authors alike have a lot to deal with, so it makes sense that they can’t catch everything.
But the big things? I just can’t stand them. A book I might have loved I’ll give a bad review for constant errors.
I know I’m the minority here, though. I’m just extremely anal. Most of my friends don’t even NOTICE half of the things I do. LOL I suppose it’s just my curse. 😉
Syb, you are the bomb. Nora Roberts, Julia Quinn, Robin Schone. It’s like the who’s who of romance can be found here.
I tried commenting before and was rebuffed by blogger twice. I don’t email authors because I got the sense a few years ago from some message boards/mailing lists that authors were participating in that they really weren’t interested in negative feedback.
I remember Dallas Schultze on the Laurell K Hamilton yahoo group actually mocking reader email she received (who does the reader think she is. I’m the writer not her). And I know of one NYT Bestselling author who has her emails screened and does not read the negative emails at all.
So no, I am not sharing my unhappiness with the author personally. I do share it with the rest of the internet world though.
Jane, I used to love Dallas Schulze, oh how my idols fall!
Syb, I hate Beta Blogger.
Do you want to be told?
***Well, yes and no. I’d like to know, but on the other hand, the book’s finished and printed, I can’t change it now (probably.) It depends on the error, I guess.
Have you ever received such a letter or email?
No, but my father in law pointed out some things to me. And I KNOW there is a HORRID HORRID HORRID and embarrassing typo in Passion Model that haunts me to this day but I can’t change it. I know about it and yet not one person has emailed me to say they noticed.
What did you do with the information?
Nothing from my FIL but say “thanks for telling me.”
M
http://www.meganhart.com