I read my very first advanced copy about a decade ago.
It was a Nora Roberts book that I managed to “win” in a giveaway from GR.
Across the front when it came was a note about how this book was not quite yet in its final stages so there may be typos, grammatical errors, or formatting issues in my copy.
An interesting thing happened: I read the book, noticed the “boo-boos”, and not once did I think to dock points away from my final opinion of the book.
The same happened when I read Kristin Hannah’s Four Winds.
Huh. That’s odd…
(Not really, that’s just my very deeply sarcastic personality shining through at the moment)
There has been a growing “trend” to slam books in reviews if there’s even one typo in it. And I hate it.
That’s coming from someone who spends all day editing several written works for their day job.
Typos get missed. It happens.
Now, if there’s 100 in the story, there is an issue. But a handful? Even ten? Meh.
I took a chance with Daughters and released it to those I chose from my ARC applications not quite polished.
Why? I wanted it to be different, perhaps even special (maybe that’s my ego speaking) for these particular readers who are getting a first peek at the story that has consumed my life since I typed “The wood was dying.”
The applicants were all followers from across the platforms I’ve shared bits and pieces of this process on. So they’ve been here for that ride, cheering me on, lifting me up when I’m starting to sink down into the muck of the process. It left me wanting them to have a part of this process no one else will have.
Will I get a “I deducted one star because booger is misspelled on page 312”? If I do, it’s not stopping me from writing the next two books in this series, from this adventure.
This is how I see it: A few typos isn’t about or on me (or even my editor who read this manuscript several time), because a few happen. Even in the “big” books.
Give yourself grace.
H.S. Sillivan 