Everyone makes mistakes and that’s because we’re all human. It’s something that can’t be helped, and in writing it’s exactly the same. In this week’s blog I’m discussing why mistakes don’t need to hold you back, but why it’s still important to reduce them.

Let’s start off with the big ‘uns. The plot, consistency or realism errors. The ones that can pull a reader out of the story because something is a fundamental error. I’ve changed up whole sections of books based on these tiny plot points, but it’s so important for a reader that these don’t slip through the net. Sure, there are some limits that you can push with artistic licence but some which just won’t work. If there’s a sensible, realistic alternative, then this is better than something that’s too out there too believe.

For the smaller mistakes, such as spelling, grammar and formatting, these can be picked up by editors and proofreaders. Editors will help to cut out unnecessary bits from your book or trim and revise sections to make more sense, and a proofreader will catch the mistakes you’ve missed. Both are vital when it comes to self-publishing, but for my large books, the cost can start to add up. So I have people I know help me out, which may not be the most objective way of doing things, but it gets the job done better than I would alone.

However, there will always be mistakes that get away. That no one picks up upon, that just slip through the net until you’re published and see them staring at you. It’s no use beating yourself up about it, because if you didn’t notice then and neither did anyone else, what more could you have done? I have probably read all my drafts and books over 30 times and when I get close to publication, another three times. I edit and proofread throughly on different devices and other people do as well. If mistakes get missed then if you’ve done all you can, there’s no use worrying about preventing them, because you probably wouldn’t have spotted them anyway.

It’s only if these affect the readability or the plot that it can become a problem. However if you have a strong enough story, then a reader won’t mind about these. The plot will be enough to carry them through. Self-publishing is a tough industry and authors have to do a lot of hard graft themselves, but just remember, producing a book at the end of it is an amazing end product and should be celebrated. Plus, if mistakes bother you that much, you can always re-upload with a self-published book! Handy, hey?

Atlantic Split and At Liberty To Live, the first and second books in The Luke Bright Series are available to purchase NOW! An Undercover Dream – the third book in the series will be released in SUMMER 2019! 

Please follow me on my blog and social media links below, and use the links on my website to purchase a copy of each if you have not done so. Don’t forget to leave a review! Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog post.

N.A.K.