1) Let's be frank. I'm lazy. Scouring through 60-80K words looking for mistakes I might've made is a long and boring process. Frankly, I'd rather be writing.
2) Even when I am not lazy and do take the time to scour through all those words, I miss stuff. Take Dying Embers, for example. I read it through at least a dozen times. Hubs read through it. I paid an editor who read through it twice. I had a few friends who read through it before it went live. And a reader still emailed me with eight mistakes. (All fixed, btw.) The more eyes you have on a project, the better off you'll be.
3) I am too close to the work. Which is why I miss stuff. It's also why sometimes I can't see the trees for the forest. It's like when a cook asks someone else to taste their sauce. It's not because they want kudos on how awesome it tastes. It's because they know there's something missing and they can't put their finger on what exactly that something is. Often, I know my book needs something else, but I can't figure out what until someone else reads it and makes suggestions. Then it's like a lightbulb over my head. Huzzah!
4) I want each of these books to be the best it can possibly be. And I can't do that all by my lonesome. So, I pay my AWE (awesome wonderful editor) to help me with it.
I could easily forego the editing step. I could just do the best I can on my own and push books out into the world faster. Not sure that would benefit anyone in the long run.
So, there you have it. This is why my books sometimes take a little longer than any of us would like to reach the marketplace. I beg your patience and understanding - not just with me but with any of your favorite writers. We're doing the best we can.
And thank you so very much for being a reader. I appreciate it more than I can express. :hugs:
It's amazing what the eye will skip over--reading forward, backward, out loud... My "publishing" team does all those things. And yes, we still miss stuff. But like you, I'm all for putting the best product I'm capable of producing out there for public consumption. So take your time. :D
ReplyDeleteFrankly, as a reader I'm delighted you & Silver take the time to get these things sorted out, as there is nothing more frustrating (especially to a secretary) than incorrect spelling or outright glaring mistakes. In one book I read one character was called Sophie up to chapter 7 then Sadie until about chapter 16 when she went back to being called Sophie. I wanted to scream!! So I appreciate the time & effort you put in to make your books the best you can.
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