Introducing Errors During Editing

I was just double-checking the final files for You Invited It In, when I came across an error that I hadn’t noticed before. I knew that my wonderful proofreader would have noticed it, so I knew it had to come post-proofread. And then I remembered what happened…

I had some fantastic feedback from an ARC reader about a sentence they found confusing. The section originally read, ‘Chemo hadn’t worked. Radio hadn’t worked.’ The ARC reader said that when she read ‘radio’ she thought of an actual radio, rather than what I’d intended – which was ‘radio therapy’. As you can see, I actioned her advice. I typed out the word ‘therapy’ and thought ‘job done’. The only thing was that I didn’t check the word I’d typed. Instead of ‘therapy’, I wrote ‘theraphy’.

This error was very very close to making it into the final copy of the book. No book is perfect, but as somebody who runs a writing services company, I wouldn’t have looked great if this error made it into the book. What I’m trying to say is …

1. No proofreader/editor is infallible. We’re human.
2. CHECK YOUR EDITS, PEOPLE! Don’t just make the edit and move on. Re-read what you’ve changed.

Thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.

YOU INVITED IT IN releases on May 25th, and eBook pre-orders are live now.
I will also be going a fun giveaway of a copy of the book (complete with the ‘theraphy’ error) with some bookish goodies, so keep an eye out for that.