When is it all right to message an author to let them know you found errors (typos, grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.) in their work?
I’ve been thinking about this for a while because the topic has come up more than once among my author and reader peers. It’s possible it’s coming from a defensive place, though in the history of my (fairly short) published author career, it’s happened to me fewer than five times—and only one of those was from a complete stranger. Two were pointed out by a family member regarding self-published eBooks, and one was a trusted friend in regards to a review copy. I’ve been fortunate to have enjoyed high-quality beta reading and editing.
In talking with a few other authors who have been contacted personally only to have to endure rudeness and complaints unrelated to the plot or characters, I’m sensitive to this. If I message an author, it’s because I loved something that person wrote. I want to pick their brain and discuss the complex issues they raised or ask how they came up with such an interesting concept or chat about their literary influences or tell them how profoundly their words affected me. I have about as much interest in pointing out their misspellings as I do in watching paint dry.
Perhaps it’s my fear it will happen more (and hurt indie authors more) with warning labels on eBooks. I worry about it in particular with books featuring dialects or invented languages and fear it may harm certain categories of authors. Maybe I simply feel bad for authors who worked hard and whose books I love when I see others point out their flaws. I don’t know. I do think there are some important considerations when determining if you, a reader, should personally contact an author to tell them you found their mistakes.
Do you know the author personally?
Wounds from a friend are easier to take. In all but one instance, I knew the person who contacted me, and it was more embarrassing than upsetting. One of the people was someone I’ve known for many years. Another was a newer acquaintance, but they were someone I trust. Having an existing relationship makes it more reasonable to say something, and it can often be a casual conversation.
Are the mistakes numerous enough it’s distracting or do they render the text so unclear the story is lost?
If the answer is yes, perhaps put it in your review instead. Don’t contact the author personally unless you’re prepared to offer your services.
If the answer is no, consider moving along. Even most books put out by large publishing houses have a few of those. It’s probably not noticeable or bothersome to the general public.
Is the issue typos and punctuation or is it poor grammar, incorrect word use, and bad sentence structure?
Those are two separate things. Catching couple of flaws is normal in any book. Contacting someone specifically to tell them they had a few stray commas or typos is pedantic. The other problems are things which really should have been caught by a good editor or experienced beta reader. You’ll want to measure it carefully, but if it’s the latter, it’s probably all right to say something.
Did you review the book?
If you read it, took the time to mention mistakes, and didn’t bother reviewing it, authors may tune you out. Most of us want to know if you liked it. Even if all you do is give it a rating, at least the author will know where they stand. Don’t bother pointing out mistakes in hopes of receiving a second, updated copy, and don’t withhold your review on condition of having things fixed. Just don’t.
Did you love it or hate it?
If you hated the book, there may be reasons beyond the editing, and it’s helpful for other readers to know that from your review. If the editing was really the only thing you hated, it’s reasonable to say something about it.
Is it clearly self-published and only available in eBook format?
Mistakes are usually easily corrected in this case. By itself this isn’t a reason, but there’s also easier access to the author/publisher. The author may even appreciate being informed (as I did with my self-published work) so they can correct it. Tread carefully , though.
Is there an editor or publisher listed separately?
That is often the person responsible for making sure it’s a clean copy before it goes to publication. Many authors don’t even see a manuscript after a final read-through. A publisher who doesn’t care about their authors’ work isn’t a very good one if it’s so bad it’s unreadable. Consider contacting them instead. If it’s a matter of a very few random errors which don’t affect the story, there isn’t much reason to make a fuss over it.
Are you a professional in the industry?
It’s difficult to turn off those hats; as a freelance editor, I understand. It’s not always possible to resist temptation. Just consider your reasons for doing so (helping the author rather than demonstrating your own expertise, for example). Other things which may influence your decision: Have people contacted you or authors you’ve worked with? How have you handled this in the past? How have the authors? Sometimes it’s best to deal with people who are at the same level within your field, so that may be an option as well.
Are you a reviewer for a book blog?
This one is touchy. It’s best to decide if the errors really made your experience unpleasant and whether or not you have other, more relevant things to say. It’s also necessary to separate poor quality writing from an unedited manuscript. Sometimes those go hand in hand, but sometimes, it’s a matter of a newly self-published author who couldn’t afford an editor-for-hire. It’s perfectly fine to make note of it, but as a reviewer, it’s best not to personally contact the author. You are always free to decline future requests if you don’t enjoy a particular person’s work.
And finally, what I think is probably the most important reason…
Would you contact J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, or any other well-known author?
Nearly every book has minor glitches. I can list a whole host of them in the Harry Potter books (the first editions; I have no idea if any were subsequently fixed)—including random point of view shifts, name misspellings, and other small details. I have yet to Tweet J.K. Rowling to tell her this. It’s possible some people will have done so, but my guess is that people feel a lot more free to say something if the author isn’t a big name. If you answered “no” to this question, please rethink whether you should contact an indie author. Having one self-published book which sold twenty copies does not make a person less entitled to respect than someone whose book hit the New York Times bestseller list.
I’m not going to tell people they should absolutely never contact an author about editorial mistakes in their work. Guaranteed even if I did, people who enjoy doing so would ignore me anyway. I only want to get people to think about their motivation before doing so. Demanding perfection and the removal of three or four errors from an indie published author when we would not do the same with a Big Name Author is poor form.
