The Trouble With Typos

I was reading a small press publication this week. I won't say the title of it, or the publisher. That's not really important.

So I was really enjoying the book. This particular publication was done by one of the smaller presses. A trade paperback that I ordered from Barnes and Noble. The novel was very well done, but I was dismayed by the number of typos in the book. Simple, easy-to-spot errors. Errors that any halfway decent high-schooler would be able to catch. I wish I could bleep right over them and get on with the story, but they distract me. To me, a typo is the equivalent of someone yapping in a movie theater. It ruins the experience for me.

Maybe some readers don't sweat typos in books they read. But I know for a fact that many, many readers hate them. I think that any publisher should do their best to minimize the errors in their books. I see publishers singing the praises of their books and their authors all the time. That's a good thing. Any merchant should be proud and confident of their wares.

I've heard the idea that the creator of a piece of literature shouldn't worry overmuch about typos. They concoct the story and underlings should take care of the little issues like typographical errors. I could not disagree more. I feel that every writer should do his or her best to deliver as clean a manuscript as possible to their markets.

On the other hand...

I think that businesses work in similar ways. I'm a machinist. In the shop I work in, the operators are expected to double check their own work. But even so, we cannot ship the product to our customers without having someone who was not involved in the manufacture of the part, or the assembly, to do a thorough analysis of the work and to sign it off. The one(s) that did the work are likely to overlook their own mistakes. And no one can find all of their errors in a big project. Fresh eyes are needed for the job. That's the way it has to be. The quality manual of every machine shop states this.

It's the same thing in publishing. The publisher must utilize at least one proofreader for every book-length manuscript. Hell, it won't hurt to use two or three sets of educated eyes.

I know that it's tough running a small press. Profits are slim or perhaps nonexistent. The people involved are in the game for the love of it more than for the money. I can dig that. But I bet that it wouldn't be that hard to locate a couple of decent proofreaders. Ask around and offer free books as payment and I think you'll find some takers. Just don't expect me to do it. I've done my share of proofreading and I don't care for it.

And yes, I look back at my reviews and commentaries and often cringe at the typos I made. The difference is, I am not charging readers here at Horror Drive-In. It's a non-professional outlet. I am trying to do better as I do this more.

If we want the genre and its books to get respect in the literary world, then the published work must be shown the respect it deserves. I see little excuse for rushing a book into print before it's ready. I don't think anyone expects perfection. I see typos in mass market books all the time. But there should not be obvious mistakes on nearly every page.