A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: A reviewer said my book was poorly edited; am I right to be mad at my publisher?

 

It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. 

Today's post addresses an issue that comes up a lot in book reviews by amateurs: "This book would have benefitted from better editing." When that happens -- and for a lot of books, it does -- what should be your reaction (assuming that your book was traditionally or hybrid published or was self-published after having been professionally edited)? Should you be mad? 

The answer to that can question requires a bit of research. There can be reasons that a reviewer would write this other than that, indeed, the book needs to be better edited. Here are some of those reasons:

An insecure reviewer

• often writes that there are editorial problems, grammatical errors, or the like in order to stake out their credibility for writing the review (especially novice reviewers can feel that they are not worthy or reviewing a book or ready to do so); or
• can feel that he or she does not know the content well enough to comment on that with credibility or with surety and, hence, fall back on what seems a more authoritative way of handling a review for the first or one of the first times.

An arrogant reviewer 

• often writes that there are editorial problems, grammatical errors, or the like in order to stake out their credibility for writing the review to show off or to make himself or herself look better than other reviewers or at least better than the author.
• This type of reviewer also writes condescendingly about the content as well.

A sloppy/busy reviewer

• often uses the "poor editing" fall-back because he or she has limited time and has read the book hurriedly and really does not know much about the content; the "poor editing" comment is a way to fill space.
• This type of reviewer may write a lot of book reviews and has developed boiler plate for producing them; "poor editing" may be part of that boiler plate.

A poorly educated reviewer may truly believe that the book is poorly edited because

• he or she does not really know what the grammar rules are and assumes that the way he or she writes is accurate (when it may not be); or
• he or she has read or reviewed a large number of books, many of which have been poorly edited, and therefore think that the incorrect forms in those books are actually correct because they appear so often (e.g., more importantly rather than more important, secondly instead of second, they when the antecedent is singular, and so on and so forth).
• One reviewer, at the request of one of our authors, did send a list of all the grammatical errors; none of them were errors but rather grammatical forms frequently misused in popular literature.

An educated and accurate reviewer

• may have found actual errors.
• Such a reviewer will nearly always point out the specifics' this can be very useful for an author and a publisher.

So, what should you do when you see this written in a review about your book?

• Check other reviews by the same reviewer to determine whether you should dismiss the review or take it seriously.
• If the reviewer has only a few reviewers to his/her name, this is probably a novice reviewer, trying to sound important. Check if the reviewer says the same thing about the other books reviewed. A constant refrain is telling.
• If the reviewer has a lot of reviews and in most of them points out poor editing, then the reviewer might be misinformed about grammar or someone in a hurry taking the easy way out.
• If the general comment of poor editing is made without any legitimate examples given, then chances are poor editing is not a serious or accurate claim by the reviewer.
• Look at the reviewer's review; is the writing good, grammar accurate, without typos? Judge the reviewer accordingly.
• If the reviewer does not list the errors, contact the reviewer and ask. An honest reviewer will generally be willing to send a list.
• It never hurts to bring the review to the attention of the publisher. 
• If the reviewer is right, the publisher should be willing to produce a corrected version of the book.
• If the reviewer is wrong, there may be little that the publisher can do, but if the reviewer seems to be making a biased or vindictive review not based on fact, some websites will remove the review if the publisher asks, pointing out the reviewer's errors. And then again, some won't: "free speech" is often considered by some websites and platforms to include the right to deliver misinformation.

Bottom line: Don't take to heart everything someone says about your book. Think about it clearly. Often, they are wrong. If they are right, then do something about it. Otherwise, move on.

See more Publisher Conversations with Authors HERE.

 Learn more about publishing from an acquisitions editor -- how to get your book proposal accepted, why proposals are turned down/accepted, and how to find the right publisher for your book. On special sale for $5 while inventory lasts at MSI Press webstore. Also available as an e-book and an audiobook.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

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