Is there a way to send authors a note when you find typos? I read a lot and find them somewhat frequently, so I am curious.
Is there a way to send authors a note when you find typos? I read a lot and find them somewhat frequently, so I am curious.
To quote Fantasy Lover, an excellent author who has a lot of great stories here on SOL.
"Second, please report any errors that you find. At the very bottom of each chapter is the "Feedback to Author." I try to correct every error, so future readers enjoy the story more."
"Second, please report any errors that you find. At the very bottom of each chapter is the "Feedback to Author." I try to correct every error, so future readers enjoy the story more."
Or use the email link on the author page.
I look forward to them. But, then again I have a good editor.
Even those with a full staff of excellent editors, like the mainstream publishers of years ago, continue receiving multiple reports of typos, decades after their books have gone out of print. No one ever catches all typos, only those most noticed by those editing. The more difficult, or nuanced typos, persist for some time, due to the way humans read what they expect to see, rather than what's actually on the page/screen.
To this day, my earliest books continue to generate reports of typos that, after years of intermittent patches, were still never caught. So, catching typos is a never-ending process.
All editors do, in the end, is to minimize the frequency of errors, as there's no way to eliminate them all. :(
Most of us consider a reader reporting a mistake (i.e., a typo or grammar error), as the reader trying to help us improve our stories. Therefore, we enable Feedback and provide a site email address on our author page. When we make a mistake that we agree with as an error, we fix it in the story.
Unfortunately, there are a few authors who don't want readers to tell them about their mistakes, and if they enable Feedback or provide an email address, they ignore any notification about an error and don't correct the reported errors. There are several very good story tellers who fall into this category. Their stories are riddled with the same types of errors, so I have stopped reading their stories.
and if they enable Feedback or provide an email address, they ignore any notification about an error and don't correct the reported errors
Sorry, but rather than hubris, this second point pinpoints those authors who rarely use that one particular author account/email during their daily lives. So, whenever they're not posting online, they're unlikely to ever notice the messages.
In my own case, I have email notifications turned on, so SOL will alert me whenever I get a notice, but since I'm not spending much time on SOL nowadays (unlike everyone else, I'm spending a LOT less time here during the pandemic than I normally do). Therefore, while I get the notices, many times it'll take several days before I respond, and investigating the complaint often takes another day, while fixing it often takes another and yet another for SOL to finally post the changes.
In many cases, readers like authors, don't check for messages unless they're expecting a response, thus the SOL messaging services often ends up as a dead-letter dropbox, where the notices go in, but never get read until months later.
So, whenever they're not posting online, they're unlikely to ever notice the messages.
What I am talking about is that group of authors who know an email is there, may have read it, and ignored the corrections their reader provided. The authors of this type that I am aware of apparently want the adulation, but don't want to hear about their mistakes much less than correct them.
What I am talking about is that group of authors who know an email is there, may have read it, and ignored the corrections their reader provided. The authors of this type that I am aware of apparently want the adulation, but don't want to hear about their mistakes much less than correct them.
Though those types types do exist, they're definitely in the minority, as writing is an arduous, lonely occupation, and authors need to hear how their stories play out from readers, both to improve over time, but also for their basic sanity.
Unfortunately, after a few too many nasty encounters, many shut down, walling off any abusive trolls, who ruin the environment for the rest of us. But, you figure out who's reachable and who isn't over time.
I personally love them. It shows me that someone besides me cares about the story almost as much as I do. Of course, whenever a mistake is found I try to fix it immediately, but then again, I also try to do several fixes at once.
But then again the most feedback I've received was a chapter that messed up and cut off the last few paragraphs. I try to make sure each chapter actually ends in a logical place. Whew, I remember that day... that euphoric morning of seeing the update hit the site and watching the numbers of readers swell and the notes coming in. Then while I'm reading the chapter as posted myself I found out I'm not really a super-fast reader as before I got to the end I was already getting notes that something was wrong with the chapter several minutes before I found it myself.
But of course, I resend the chapter, and Laz gets it fixed. It still takes a few minutes to fix but it takes one try and it is fixed. An hour later, I'm getting a couple of notes of thanks and a few typo errors. But I decided to wait an hour or so until I fixed them and profusely apologized to Laz for doing another update so quickly.
Okay, remembrance finished and I'll get my lazy ass back to writing.
I don't know. I don't make mistakes.
It's not my fault the writers of dictionaries can't spell certain words right.
when you find typos
I didn't know information about blood types can be found in SOL stories. There is type A, type B, type AB and type O.
I love the messages that say 'found a typo' and then crickets. Thanks.
The best way is to copy and paste the line, then do it again with the fix so that idiots like me actually can figure out what is wrong.
I love the messages that say 'found a typo' and then crickets. Thanks.
Yup.
However my favourites are two sent in response to different stories by 'anon' to whom English is obviously a 75th language... I think they are complaints about either grammar or spelling... but they are too atrociously mangled to be sure...
The best way is to copy and paste the line, then do it again with the fix so that idiots like me actually can figure out what is wrong.
Adding the specific chapter, rather than just hitting 'reply' at the end of the story, helps too, as I've spent many a day hunting for WHERE in the story a particular typo occurs, which depending on the typo (ex: 'they're' vs 'their') are often virtually impossible to find.
@joyR:
However my favourites are two sent in response to different stories by 'anon' to whom English is obviously a 75th language... I think they are complaints about either grammar or spelling... but they are too atrociously mangled to be sure...
But, at least those individual readers care enough enough to make a 'good faith' effort of alert you, which reflects on how 'involving' one's stories are. Stories that strike a cord often receive dozens of responses, where those that miss the mark, or fall on deaf ears, rarely get ANY response whatsoever. :(
If they message you with a way to respond, you can always query them for additional details (assuming they ever respond, of course). But the SOL messaging system are vastly better to olden days, when writers often met a huge wall of silence following the release of their books, only interrupted by the occasional live-readings at bookstores.
But, at least those individual readers care enough enough to make a 'good faith' effort of alert you, which reflects on how 'involving' one's stories are. Stories that strike a cord often receive dozens of responses, where those that miss the mark, or fall on deaf ears, rarely get ANY response whatsoever. :(
For me it depends if I'm reading on my desktop or on my tablet. The tablet very old and off-line and it's difficult to keep a separate text file open to copy/paste lines. So I don't.
When I'm reading on my desktop however the same is very easy so I often keep a text file open to list the typos I find while at the same time correcting them in the html version I'm reading.
So it's not the will to report typos, it's the device I'm on while reading :D
The tablet very old and off-line and it's difficult to keep a separate text file open to copy/paste lines. So I don't.
In those cases, that's why many long-time SOL readers convert the documents to Word Docs, or even editable/markable pdfs, so you can add comments, allowing you to post them ALL at a later date, in a single pass.
The newer Amazon documents also allow this, but it's only accessible with purchases Amazon products, and not those you upload or convert yourself (like the SOL-generated Kindle formatting).
In those cases, that's why many long-time SOL readers convert the documents to Word Docs, or even editable/markable pdfs, so you can add comments, allowing you to post them ALL at a later date, in a single pass.
The newer Amazon documents also allow this, but it's only accessible with purchases Amazon products, and not those you upload or convert yourself (like the SOL-generated Kindle formatting).
That's one of the reasons why I convert all SOL downloads to my own html library, makes it very easy to correct typos even if the author doesn't. Still, on the tablet it's to cumbersome without a keyboard. I use it to read in bed, fixed on a microphone stand with a tablet adapter so it's in no position to do anything else but read.
Are there really that many SOL readers that convert to Word docs? I can't imagine it because it's far worse reading than a html format with good styling.
on the tablet it's to cumbersome without a keyboard. I use it to read in bed, fixed on a microphone stand with a tablet adapter so it's in no position to do anything else but read.
How about adding a Bluetooth keyboard that you keep nearby?
How about adding a Bluetooth keyboard that you keep nearby?
It's a very old tablet (9+ years) with huge security holes so I permanently blocked any possible external connections like wifi and bluetooth. I update my html library by taking out the SD card and updating it using my desktop. Now if Purism would just make a tablet too I would be the first to buy it.
How about adding a Bluetooth keyboard that you keep nearby?
As my life is filled with various 'smart' devices, it's hard for me to even imagine not having something nearby that I can type on, though it's often tricky transferring text from one app to another, while composing an email or messaging app on a third. So I understand the frustrations, but ... the point isn't answering the author immediately, just keeping track of the outstanding story issues. Though, it's usually best to feed them to authors one at a time. If the author is receptive, send a few more. But again, too many bite the readers who feed them the recognition they so desperately crave. :(
Are there really that many SOL readers that convert to Word docs? I can't imagine it because it's far worse reading than a html format with good styling.
No. In the olden times, before the web was as interactive as it is now, many did, but still, it's easier to grab and comment on specific passages via an editing tool than it is a viewing app. :( But many of us old timers, who grew up on Word in the Corporate world still prefer it over the many alternatives. It's what we've always used, so it's the most comfortable, though most have switched to other, similar word-processing tools, since M$ is such a pain!
Grammar and spelling typos don't bother me so much. The ones that get me are when authors misname the characters or just get them mixed up. How often do I read something like,
"After my hot night of passion with Lucy and Mary, Lucy set off for work. So I rolled over in bed and climbed on Lucy".
That raises red flags and set alarms ringing for me. Sorry. Just wanted to get that off my chest.
Apart from that, you authors are all doing an amazing job. And in future I will send feedback where that is allowed and desired.
How often do I read something like,
"After my hot night of passion with Lucy and Mary, Lucy set off for work. So I rolled over in bed and climbed on Lucy".
That raises red flags and set alarms ringing for me. Sorry. Just wanted to get that off my chest.
For me, as an author, that's not as bad as when I mistakenly substitute the wrong character name, often times from a completely different story. I frequently switch protagonist's names, or more often, substitute different characters with similar names (ex: "Linda" vs. "Lynn"), and while those sometimes stand out, they often go unnoticed, since my editors and I are so familiar with the characters, even years after the story was first posted.
Grammar and spelling typos don't bother me so much. The ones that get me are when authors misname the characters or just get them mixed up.
I'm seriously guilty of that :( in fact, I had a message just yesterday pointing that very thing out to me. Fixed it, and in correcting it, came across a heap more mistakes...
I'm seriously guilty of that :( in fact, I had a message just yesterday pointing that very thing out to me. Fixed it, and in correcting it, came across a heap more mistakes...
That's typically the stage where most authors abandon fixing errors, when the story is so old (not in keeping with your current styles and writing skills) that each 'fix' requires multiple pages of fixes. At that point, the story simply becomes 'unworkable', and it's a good time to retire it. :(
I've faced that with several of my more popular, older works. Where each typo requires dozens of changes, only leaving a few 'slightly cleaner' regions in a book filled with outdated and often inconsistent styles.
The ones that get me are when authors misname the characters or just get them mixed up.
I may have done that a few times. More especially in my current work. Those errors are getting corrected as found by the sharp eyed (and eared, for the blind people using text to speech software) readers and listeners.
I remember having this discussion on the forum a couple of years ago, about reading things from bottom to top, which allows you to pick out errors; followed by actually reading aloud the chapter. What's sad is I've been doing that after it gets back from my son (first reader), and errors are still there.
I remember having this discussion on the forum a couple of years ago, about reading things from bottom to top, which allows you to pick out errors; followed by actually reading aloud the chapter. What's sad is I've been doing that after it gets back from my son (first reader), and errors are still there.
I've always worked with a group of editors, and no two ever catch the same errors, while there always remain several that just seem to be impervious to anyone, only turning up eventually from sharp-eyed readers over time.