How to deal sanely with publishing errors and bad editing in 4 steps
After decades working as a newspaper journalist and life-story writer I have seen all kinds of errors in print.
From Page 1 headlines with words misspelled to factual inaccuracies in opening sentences and gaping white holes where pictures weren’t printed.
Certainly I’ve seen errors made by others and by myself printed into thousands of copies.
Indeed the realisation of spotting a mistake after printing can make you feel ill to the pit of your stomach.
But today I’m here to tell you it is not the end of the world (yes really)!
And in fact I’m going to give you four ways to move past that ‘icky feeling’ and celebrate publishing an autobiography, memoir, biography or other life-story project – warts and all.
1 Put off errors in print until tomorrow
One small action you can take to deal with inevitable errors in print is to delay really looking for them.
Firstly, I learnt this trick from a kind woman I worked with in a small town who booked many classifieds ads every day for years.
She told me she did not look at her ads in Saturday’s paper until Sunday’s edition came out.
Therefore, if she did spot the odd error in her work, she didn’t feel so horribly helpless to fix it because the moment had passed.
And I think we can use a variation of this trick for our life-story publications.
So instead of forensically reading a printed book fresh off the press, pause, wait and let others take a read first.
In short, once a book is printed there is not much you can do except enjoy the feeling of completion.
Related article – Proofreading tips for revising and editing your writing
2 Build a wall (and get over it)
Here is a second way you can talk yourself down from getting upset about errors in print.
Interestingly I heard this mindset trick from a monk who helped lay bricks for a new monastery.
Some of the bricks in a large wall he built were not flush, which rankled him every single time he saw them daily.
However, the most senior monk later laughed at this concern, waved his hand across the expanse of the entire wall and said to the younger monk with gratitude: “But look how many bricks you got right!”
And we too should think like this with our writing.
So instead of being disheartened about small imperfections take comfort in the thousands of words, sentences, paragraphs, pages and chapters you did perfectly!
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3 Know your reader
A third mindset hack to ease the distress of errors in print is to think of your reader.
Certainly for most of us writing life stories this will be our family and friends.
Next ask yourself: will they be offended, appalled or put off by a small error or two?
And I’m betting deep down your answer will be “of course not”.
Indeed most of our readers are not expecting our writing to be professionally faultless.
So remind yourself that your audience is ‘on your side’ and more interested in your story than small typos.
Related article – Good writing: Writing tips on how to become a better writer (plus writing prompts free training)
4 Reprint to fix errors in print
The ultimate saving grace for errors in print is a reprint.
Of course this is often not timely, practical or affordable in the first instance.
But it can sometimes be a long-term solution.
For instance, perhaps there is a lot of interest in your book and more copies simply need to be printed anyway.
Or after a period of time you have picked up and been made aware of enough small errors that it makes sense to correct them and reprint.
Related article – Print run: Decide how many books to print like a boss
Related article – Get your book printed without stressing!
Final say: Errors in print
Sitting down to create a life story is a staged effort that takes time and care.
However, despite the most rigorous writing and editing process, copy and layout errors in print will always occur.
So manage the disappointment of spotting an imperfection by: focusing on what went well, let time pass, remember your reader and know you can reprint if needed.
In closing, let’s all remind ourselves that we are human and it’s OK to make mistakes.
Because surely sharing and celebrating an imperfect life story is better than failing entirely to finish one that is perfect.
Happy writing!
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Your say
What printing clangers have you seen? I always love hearing from different people. Drop me an email or leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article.
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