I was chatting with a reader the other day who told me about an advertisement she’d received about a new book.
She said, “I read the sample, but then the author said that Black-eyed Susans bloomed in May, but they don’t bloom until August. I didn’t buy the book.”
“Did you like the story otherwise?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“But you’re not going to buy the book?” I’m sure my tone registered surprise.
“No. I just couldn’t get over the Black-eyed Susans being wrong.”
I just entered the phrase, “When do black-eyed Susans bloom” in my search engine. In response I was greeted with a box saying “From June to October” in huge letters.
That’s all the author needed to do to keep from making this error.
My point? You never know what might keep a reader from either finishing your book or simply not buying it to start with. But let’s at least do our best to make our books as error-free as possible.
Your turn:
Have you stopped reading a book because of what might be considered a minor error?
If you found an error in a book, would you notify the author or publisher? Why or why not?
If your book had an error after printing, would you want a reader to tell you?
Is Book Publishing Fair?
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From a reader’s perspective, not much will stop me from finishing a book if I love the characters, setting, and plot. Even major errors I can overlook if I really love a story, because usually I’m reading for the emotional experience of the relationships portrayed in the book. In a non-fiction book, I’m sure this would bother me more.
If the book is an e-book, I usually notify the author, especially if I know her. Sometimes, though, I feel a little awkward about pointing out others’ mistakes in that way. At the same time, the author part of me would be glad someone told me so I could fix the mistake. 🙂
With information so easily available on the computer, details need to be verified. Your example showed the author did not do that. When I’ve seen errors in books and websites of authors I’m working with, I definitely let them know. I would want to know, too.
A prime blunder I noticed in a story that takes place in the 1960’s was the statement that Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald 11/22/63. Kennedy died on 11/22 and Oswald was shot 2 days later. This was a book written by a college professor of creative writing.
I’m currently working on a novel that takes place in the 1950’s. Almost every time I start a new scene, I review details on the internet to see if I have the time frame right – like how much would a cup of joe cost in a diner? Or what songs would be playing on a juke box? Yes, it takes longer to write, but I know I’ll be able to bring my readers deeper into the story. And one of my readers may just be someone who was a teen in the 50’s so I better get it right!
To keep costs down I decided to read a number of self-published books. It won’t happen again. There were too many historical errors for this historical nut.
I’m another reader who gets bugged by factual errors. I can live with small errors, like mixing up billiards with pool, but bigger errors which affect the plot annoy me a lot, to the point I will stop reading (unless it’s a review copy from NetGalley or similar, in which case I feel obliged to finish and post a review).
Carol and I think so much alike, I can’t add much except examples to what she has already posted to answer your questions, Tamela: I exactly agree. Mistakes damage or destroy credibility, and credibility counts. The details for my historical novels are researched so carefully that landform and waterways on Googlemaps led me to the location of the fictional town that is the setting for one; I put it on a level place where nothing else is now, so it could have actually been there in 1830. In another book, one set in a town that does still exist, even the name of the postmaster in 1838 is accurate, and the fact that the mail was carried in twice weekly by a horse soldier from a fort in the next county north, who then continued on down the Mississippi, leaving mail at town after town, where the recipients paid the postage, not the senders. I want my readers to feel like they have stepped back in time, and nothing is out of place. I check the casual expressions used in everyday speech, the clothing, street names, what particular buildings looked like, that dozens got sick after a Fourth of July picnic one year, how long it took to get from one place to another based on the condition and construction of the roads between them–everything that can be checked. I learn so much! I think readers can sense when there is truth in the fiction they’re reading, and that matters to me. It’s about gaining and keeping credibility.
You’re my kind of writer!
I rarely read a book without finding mistakes, but usually it’s a letter or word missing, which could be the publisher’s fault. I tell myself no one is perfect. Once I wrote a biblical novel, published POD. I checked several well-known resources, asked questions of my pastor and biblical teachers and read and reread scriptures concerning the life of Jesus until I could almost quote them backwards (not really). Still, when a friend who majored in biblical history, read it, she said she found several mistakes. Considering a rewrite, I asked her what they were, but she refused to tell me. How can we always know if our references are right? Or can it sometimes be differences of opinion?
I am now working on a fiction novel about twins (identical girls), and worked diligently to get my timelines as far as birth and continuing aging correct. But after a rewrite to make the timeline work, i neglected to change my spring flowers to autumn flowers. Thankfully, a writer friend in our critique group noticed the mistake. Sometimes, you can study and study, but a rewrite may trip you up. I like a good story, even if sometimes there are mistakes. Better that than a perfect boring book. But I don’t like to see mistakes in my books!
Majored in biblical history? Given that it is fashionable in academic circles to deny that the Bible is historically accurate, she may be too influenced by poor scholarship colored by anti-Christian bias. Since she wouldn’t even tell you what was wrong, I wouldn’t pay much attention to her criticism.
For historical writers, if you type”(word) definition” Into google , it brings up a boxed definition that links to the word origin. It can tell you when an English word first appeared. I used it a lot for my 1925 historical. For my Roman Empire novels, I use Google translate and another university translation site to make sure my English word or phrase has a Latin equivalent.
Incorrect details haven’t kept me from reading a book that’s already in my hands, but a glaring error has made me hesitate to buy additional books.
As to whether or not I’d want to know–yes, if only to keep me on my toes in the future 🙂