on Writing and Wellness:

What’s the best investment you can make in your book?

I’ll give you a hint: Not long ago, I handed in my third round of edits to my publisher for my new novel, The Beached Ones.

This, after I put the book through my own edits countless times in preparation for submitting.

I’m ecstatic about this. It means that my novel will be as good as it can be before it hits the market.

What about yours?

When Your Book Lacks Editing, You Lose Readers

My mom—a big reader—just finished reading a self-published book by an author she had read before. The first book she enjoyed. The second one, however, was frustrating for her.

Because it was filled with errors.

Was the author aware of those errors?

Probably not. Just like I wouldn’t have been aware of the mistakes in my novel had not an editor pointed them out.

The point is that this author just lost a reader because he/she didn’t invest in enough editing. I have to believe that my mom wasn’t the only reader turned off by what seems to be a lack of professionalism on behalf of the author.

Which is a shame, because there was nothing wrong with the story. My mom just didn’t enjoy reading the book because the errors kept pulling her out of the make-believe world.