I’m one of those people that, whenever I read a book and it mentions place names or points of interest, the first thing I do is straight onto Google Maps and have a look at what the author was talking about (go on, admit it, you do that too, right?) So you can imagine how annoyed I get when the place name given is completely wrong or, in some instances, doesn’t exist.
I came across that scenario recently. I was on the fourth book in a series and was quite interested in this one as it was based in my home city of Manchester. The author mentioned places such as Castlefield, Moss Side and described the areas to such an extent that I didn’t even have to check a map to see if they were correct. I was left thinking what fantastic research had been done.
The he went and ruined it.
He mentioned a place called Prestwicke. I racked my brains wondering where this place was. I knew there was a Prestwick in Scotland but Manchester? Within a few paragraphs, he’d made another glaring mistake and named a place called Whitfield.
That’s when it dawned on me that he meant Prestwich and Whitefield, two suburbs on the outskirts of Manchester. And in those few paragraphs, it shattered any illusion that the writer had fully researched the areas he was basing the story. In fact, I can’t help but wonder how those two eluded the author, bypassed the copyeditor and evaded the proofreader.
But it just goes to show that, despite the care and attention given to manuscripts by authors and publisher, mistakes still happen. And when it does, it can alter the perception of the author that the reader has developed.
So for the author of a Kindle novel, who doesn’t have the option of a professional copyeditor of proofreader to check and correct their mistakes, it is vitally important to make sure the facts of their novel are 100% accurate.
Imagine what your readers will think if one of your characters says that he is travelling from one of France’s many eastern seaports? Or that your main protagonist has a wonderful view of the Atlantic Ocean from her apartment in Sydney? Maybe the villain, who has been bald since the age of nineteen, decides to run his fingers through his thick, black hair?
To a reader, that is likely to be enough reason to close your book and buy another or worse, give it a poor review which would undoubtedly affect future sales. Reviews are everything to a Kindle author; the more you get the higher you climb in the rankings, but that’s not going to help your sales if most of the comments are negative!
In the publishing world, a copyeditor is usually responsible for checking facts, but it is also a job that can easily be undertaken by a proofreader. Editing can often come at a very high price, as they not only check facts but use their exceptional writing skills to lose a few words to tighten up long, drawn out sentences, where as a proofreader will check spelling, grammar, punctuation and, of course facts.
Whether you choose the traditional publishing route or go straight for Kindle, a fully proofread manuscript will give an author a better chance of achieving publication, excellent reviews and ultimately, increased sales.