Readers finding multiple errors.

Sheryl Nantus said:

This.

I'm more concerned that this "editor" is charging for his services and delivering bad copy.

While I know you may not want to cause waves I might suggest you ask for a refund and possibly put him up in the Bewares forum.

If he were just a friend it'd be one thing - but for a supposed "editor" to charge money and miss "your" for "you're" on the first page... that's inexcusable, imo.

Again, JMO. But if he's taking advantage of others to charge for substandard editing others need to be warned away from him.

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This. If I read the above posts correctly, this person is also somehow posing as an editor with what I suspect is something posing as an independent publishing house. That's disturbing, frankly.

Aside from the basic errors, there are other things, like the overuse of the MC's first name, that should have been addressed, that clearly weren't. Seconding Sheryl's advice to post about him in Bewares and go after him for any $$ you spent.

Since it sounds like you will be doing at least one more run-through yourself, let me suggest a little tip a learned when I edited newspapers:

If you think the content is there, and you want to really focus on grammar, start at the end and read it backwards a sentence of a time. This gets you out of the flow of the story and helps you break it down to make sure each sentence says what you mean. Then, reread each paragraph from the end back, and make sure each one makes sense. After that, each chapter. Then you do a final read-through and make sure it all still flows.

Also proof in hard copy at least double spaced n a font other than the one you wrote in.
Read the pages out of order, backwards, or shuffle chapters, either one.
Use a straight edge to guide your passage down the page.
Consider moving your lips/sub vocalizing or reading aloud.

But also:
Editing and proofing are skills but they are not the same skills.
Being a professor doesn't = an editor or a proofer.
Editing fiction isn't the same as editing for non fiction.

D.C. Lewis said:

I put my book through three edits before publishing but there is a vocal minority of my readers who are complaining that the book has numerous typos. I am not really sure what to do from here. Should I submit it to a fourth edit? So confused right now. Thanks.

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One way or another, fix the errors. My books are commercially published, and go through editors and proofreaders, but I still blame myself completely if a book makes it to publication with errors still in it.

It's my book, and has my name on the cover, and if readers find errors, I consider it completely my fault, and I make darned sure they get fixed.

Literateparakeet said:

It's my understanding that if you take a book down, you lose all your reviews. In this case, that might be a good thing. You could take it down, get it edited properly, and repost it.

(I know editing is expensive, sorry, I don't mean to be casual about that. I'm just addressing the taking the book down idea.)

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I just want to point out this is not the case. To start over fresh you would need new cover art, a new title, and probably a pen name. Even then, good luck if someone who read the old version stumbles across it and recognizes it.

I had a similar situation. I went with an editor that was suggested to me by a family member. Her resume` was fairly impressive, but I didn't actually check any of her work and went along. I also didn't know what to expect and ended up expecting a lot more than was done. My book went up and (to the cover's credit at least), manage to earn a little bit. It also collected a lot of bad reviews though. I tried re-working it several times, as well as having other editors and authors look at it. They all asked if it had actually been edited. I considered the work which I would have to put in to fix it, and decided the time and money would be better spent working on new books. So I pulled my book completely and I've left it at that ever since.

D.C. Lewis said:

I put my book through three edits before publishing but there is a vocal minority of my readers who are complaining that the book has numerous typos. I am not really sure what to do from here. Should I submit it to a fourth edit? So confused right now. Thanks.

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I have the same problem. Every time I think I'm ready to submit for publishing, something comes up. UGH.

ShaunHorton said:

I just want to point out this is not the case. To start over fresh you would need new cover art, a new title, and probably a pen name. Even then, good luck if someone who read the old version stumbles across it and recognizes it.

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I think we are talking about two different things. I was only referring to the reviews. This subject came up once in the self-publishing forum. I believe from someone that wanted to take their book down and re-vamp it but NOT lose all their reviews. The advice given was that one could change the cover, or upload a corrected version without a problem, but if you take your book down completely all your reviews will be gone, and even if you republish you can't get them back.

Some people who call themselves editors don't consider proof reading part of their job.

D.C. Lewis said:

Feels like I am starting from square one but I want my readers to have a polished product, not something that appears to be half completed.

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If your book is called Birth Right, you might want to edit the blurb too.

That being said, I like your attitude to your work and to feedback. I once mentioned the typos and other errors in an author's work, only for her to respond that the book was intended to help victims of domestic abuse, so I should have been able to look beyond mistakes and appreciate the positives.

gingerwoman said:

Some people who call themselves editors don't consider proof reading part of their job.

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That's because it isn't.

Editing and proof-reading are two separate things.

Proof-reading is done at proof stage, when all the editing has already been done.

Queen of Swords said:

If your book is called Birth Right, you might want to edit the blurb too.

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Yep. If that's your book, do please work on that sales copy. It's just not doing its job; and all those brackets in it make it very choppy to read. I bet you can do a lot better than that.

Old Hack said:

That's because it isn't.

Editing and proof-reading are two separate things.

Proof-reading is done at proof stage, when all the editing has already been done.

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When is copy editing done? Or is that synonymous with proof reading?

Nevermind. I just read the order in another thread.

heza said:

When is copy editing done? Or is that synonymous with proof reading?

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Editing is done first, and it looks for the big stuff: plot holes, characterisation, dialogue, etc. Any mistakes which are spotted will get cleared up here too, but they're not the main focus. This can take several passes: the editor reads the book, makes notes, sends notes to writer, writer consider notes, makes changes to resolve the problems spotted (or decides to make other changes), and the cycle is repeated until both editor and writer thinks they're done.

Then comes copy editing, where littler mistakes are looked for: punctuation errors, typos, grammar problems, continuity issues, and so on.

Then the book moves to proof stage: page proofs are produced, and the proof reader checks them to look for any more problems.

So it's impossible and pointless for an editor to proof read while editing, as you can't be sure you won't introduce smaller errors while editing; and proof reading requires page proofs, which don't get produced until the editing is finished.

Roughly.

Old Hack said:

Editing is done first, ...

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Thanks for answering anyway and with such great detail.

I'm guilty of just lumping everything together as "editing" and then being more specific as to whether I mean content editing, copy editing, etc. But that's mostly because as the sole writer in my company, I do all of that as my "editing" at some point or another or even all at the same time (it's not a tight outfit and I don't get any say over production schedules).

But not knowing anything about how rigidly they're divided in publishing, I was startled by it being offensive to editors when someone referred to copy editing as simply editing. I just hope I can keep it straight and not offend anyone.

heza said:

I'm guilty of just lumping everything together as "editing" and then being more specific as to whether I mean content editing, copy editing, etc. ...
But not knowing anything about how rigidly they're divided in publishing, I was startled by it being offensive to editors when someone referred to copy editing as simply editing. I just hope I can keep it straight and not offend anyone.

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I think a lot of us get confused - there's a sticky at the top of this forum about it too. I'm going to link to OH's post above yours, in that thread. It's an easy summarization to follow.

juniper said:

I think a lot of us get confused - there's a sticky at the top of this forum about it too. I'm going to link to OH's post above yours, in that thread. It's an easy summarization to follow.

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D'oh. I was just thinking we should have a sticky about it... lol. My bad. I'll just flog myself....

I have another tip which might help authors to 'see' the mistakes in their own writing, particularly if self-publishing to the kindle, for example.

Simply email each chapter to your kindle (or tablet, rules will vary for this, but are similar) and read it on the kindle. You would be amazed at how different it looks from either printed or computer screen versions. During this process, you can convert the document into kindle format, so that you can then see it as others will.

It's amazing how many errors you can see by doing this.

Here's a link explaining how to do this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200767340

However, I do work as an editor and proofreader, and would echo what others have said here. I think that the best way to edit your own work, before employing an editor or proofreader for a final edit, is to take a long, long break from your work. Put it away for at least a month, and don't even think about it. Then get it out and look again, with fresh eyes. Mentally put on your editor's hat, get out the red pen or track the changes, and consider if each sentence does what you intended it to do.

And I know paper and printer ink is expensive, but you will see more errors in black and white on paper than you ever will on a computer screen.

After you have gone as far as you can by yourself, then it's time to approach an editor or proofreader.