2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Does anyone besides me find it terribly distracting when there are numerous errors in grammar, spelling, and word usage in the books you read?

Recently, I've been encountering so many errors in final publications that it's driving me crazy! I completely understand that there will be errors in proof or advance editions, but by the time the final manuscript goes to production, I would expect that there would be few, if any, mistakes at all.

As an example, I just finished a sci-fi book in which the 5,000 or so people in a colony on Mars are repeatedly referred to as "the colonist." This particular book had so many egregious errors that I almost put it aside in the first chapter, but I muddled through it, cringing at the glaring errors pretty much all the way to the end. Sadly, the next book I read was a piece of historical fiction set during the Revolutionary War, and, once again, I encountered the singular "colonist" when referring to a group of settlers. What are the odds of that? lol!

I often find myself getting so distracted by mistakes like these that I really can't enjoy what I'm reading. It seems to me that this is the great weakness of indie publishing. Without professional proofreaders screening submissions, far too much falls through the proverbial cracks.

So, am I being overly sensitive, or is this a problem for others as well?

I absolutely agree with you. For me it's also very distracting and irritating, especially when I see spelling and grammar mistakes. I cannot help but think "Has anyone read it before publishing!?". I just can't focus on the story.

Even worse, Tricia, is the misuse of what I believe most people would consider to be common words. For example, conscious instead of conscience, a fairly common error, or past and passed used interchangeably, are mistakes that really shouldn't be made, and yet I've recently seen them in a few books by multiple authors.

I'm perfectly willing to overlook an error or two, because I'm sure that if I were to write a 300+ page book I'd miss a few things, but when the same mistakes appear over and over, they're obviously not just typos, and nearly always become a distraction for me!

Claire wrote: "I often find myself getting so distracted by mistakes like these that I really can't enjoy what I'm reading. It seems to me that this is the great weakness of indie publishing. Without professional proofreaders screening submissions, far too much falls through the proverbial cracks...."

I agree with you, Claire, but I must say that occasionally I find the same thing in books edited by professional proofreaders. I don't know if it is just that proofreaders have become lazy or if English is just not being taught to high standards anymore. It is very distracting for me as it makes me stop suddenly in my reading to do a mental edit of the text and wonder why it wasn't caught.

I completely agree! This is one of my biggest pet peeves. It's jarring and takes me right out of the book.

At the library I just checked out Wretched Writing: A Compendium of Crimes Against the English Language.

I usually don't catch these things but when I do I often find them a little bit insulting. I have quite severe dyslexia and my spelling and grammar has vastly improved through deliberate practice and reading my own weight in books regularly and when I see people being lazy it just feels like they don't care enough.

I get the same feeling on dating sites.

Virginia wrote: "I usually don't catch these things but when I do I often find them a little bit insulting. I have quite severe dyslexia and my spelling and grammar has vastly improved through deliberate practice a..."

I can only imagine how much more difficult these errors make a book for someone with dyslexia, but I'm certain it would make me very angry, rather than just distracted like I am.

I completely understand how errors can happen in early drafts, but you're right, Virginia, in calling it being lazy when nobody cares enough to fix the mistakes.

I do think many people have become too reliant on spell check programs, and that results in quite a few of these mistakes. My new favorite: "parody" used to describe equal status between two entities, rather than "parity." To me, that seems indicative of a lack of vocabulary knowledge more than laziness. Either way, these kinds of errors must make reading significantly harder for people with reading disabilities.

I feel more sorry for children and teens who're learning from what they read and thus learning it wrong.

That, in conjunction with "textspeak" leave me with little hope for the world's future communication skills.

I am an editor and agree with all of you! The people who are passing themselves off as professionals and being paid to edit literary work should be shot! I recently edited a book that had been for sale by an independent author. It took me days to correct the misspellings and punctuation problems. With the rise of the independent author come a lot of problems. You have people with incredible imaginations who have stories to tell, but they do not have the higher level education, nor do they have the strong English-language background, to write in a clear concise and intelligent manner. The result is a plethora of good stories couched in poor grammar and trite phrases, and not enough experienced editors to do the job properly.

I'm terrified to think what you'd think if you read my work, Lori. I'm having to go to college this coming academic year to get my Engish GCSE, a high school level qualification.

Virginia, just let me know if you need any help! LOL. :)

I am Dutch, but I read English books all the time, since I want to improve on my English (so sorry for any grammatical or other mistakes here ;)). And sometimes I spend to much time thinking if it is just me being stupid or if it is a mistake in the book.
If even I can find a mistake, and English is not my native language, how in the world is it possible for an English speaking writer/editor to not see that mistake.

Back in the Pleistocene era I was taught that the only way to proofread something properly was to "double-proof" it -- i.e. to read it aloud, including punctuation marks, to another proofreader. It's a pretty labor-intensive and time-consuming job, but I don't know a better way to get it done. I suppose publishers can't afford to pay a lot of proofreaders these days...

Virginia wrote: "I'm terrified to think what you'd think if you read my work, Lori. I'm having to go to college this coming academic year to get my Engish GCSE, a high school level qualification."

Virginia, I wouldn't worry about that GCSE. You obviously have a very good grasp of grammar and punctuation!

Mia wrote: "Back in the Pleistocene era I was taught that the only way to proofread something properly was to "double-proof" it -- i.e. to read it aloud, including punctuation marks, to another proofreader. ..."

Doesn't that have the problem that the mind of the reader fills in and adjusts the writing sometimes? The kind of little correction that you don't notice consciously?

Also, I think my grammar and punctuation is okay because of reading good books. :-D

Virginia wrote: "Mia wrote: "Back in the Pleistocene era I was taught that the only way to proofread something properly was to "double-proof" it -- i.e. to read it aloud, including punctuation marks, to another pro..."

Hmm -- I don't think so because both proofreaders are looking at copies of the text: one reads aloud and the other reads along.

Lots of people read good books and still have lousy grammar! You probably care and make an effort.

Claire wrote: "Even worse, Tricia, is the misuse of what I believe most people would consider to be common words. For example, conscious instead of conscience, a fairly common error, or past and passed used inter..."
I had picked up a book in my local library and was excited because he was a local author, and the book was set in the county I grew up in. If it weren't for the number of typos (t e h for the) and the number of misused words (the words there, their and they're were all wrongly switched for the others). I really struggled with it. The story was a good one but the errors distracted me to the point I didn't pick up either of the other 2 books by the same author, same publisher.

Lori wrote: "You have people with incredible imaginations who have stories to tell, but they do not have the higher level education, nor do they have the strong English-language background, to write in a clear concise and intelligent manner..."

Sadly, one of the worst offenders I've encountered lately is, according to her biographical information, a college graduate, and a teacher of art and writing! I would really hate to be one of her students, and if I were the mother of one of them, I would be speaking to the administration after reading her book.

Brenna, I think your last sentence is the saddest part of the whole issue: there are so many writers like the ones Lori mentioned, with great imaginations, whose later stories will not be read due to the distractions of their mistakes in their first books. And to think, the problem could be avoided with just a bit more attention to detail!