Did I Do That?

As an independent author, there is not much of a barrier between my work and the reader. I have added layers over time including an editor, beta readers, etc., but, even with all of those precautions, mistakes can slip through into the final product.

My first book went through iterations. I had a typo on the back cover, missing page numbers, bad formatting on the kindle version, etc. I was a newbie.

There are purists out there that think that a book should remain in it’s pristine state once it’s published. It’s a snapshot in time that should never be altered. But then God invented Photoshop.

I’m more of the mindset in our eBook and print-on-demand world that we should correct errors and continually work toward creating the best product possible. Of course, you should try to do this up front before your book sees the light of day, but what if things do slip through.

Although the figures vary, but many sources agree that the average self-published author makes less than $500 per year. Between promotion, cover design, and editing, corners get cut and errors might sneak through.

So tell me, as an author, do you get insulted if someone points out errors? Does it depend on the forum they choose to mention it (telling you via email vs. via a review on Amazon)? If you are made aware of errors, do you change your work that’s already published?

Please let me know in your comments. This could be a valuable discussion.