Behind the Scenes: Editing and Why It’s a Process ✍️🖤
And why you should never stop writing despite the critics.
Editing and Why It’s a Process ✍️🖤
One of the biggest complaints I hear about indie authors is: “Their books are poorly edited.”
Is this true? Absolutely not.
Most of us work with professional editors, proofreaders, and even Alpha/Beta teams who comb through our manuscripts again and again.
We pour time, money, and love into making our books shine.
But here’s the truth no one wants to admit: mistakes still slip through. It doesn’t matter if you’re indie or traditionally published—there is no such thing as a 100% perfect manuscript. Every single book on the shelves has a typo, a missing comma, or a sentence someone wishes they could tweak.
So, when that oh-so-scathing critique lands in your inbox claiming they found “a bazillion errors” (translation: a comma or two out of place, a missing letter, or incorrect capitalization), just take a breath. It’s okay.
To err is human and all that jazz.
You can always fix a file. You can always update your published book. It’s all part of this indie gig. My advice? Don’t let self-doubt and negativity in.
Because what you don’t want to do is let anything stop you from writing the next book. Not even yourself.
A Quick Note for Readers and Fellow Authors 📚
We all know accidents happen, and despite rigorous editing, sometimes errors slip through in books, be they indie published or traditionally published. It’s not the end of the world—but it might feel like the end of a career if it’s handled badly.
So what can you do as a reader? The best thing: let the author know.
Reach out politely to the author and let them know you found a typo or mistake. Many of you are grammar experts, editors, or authors yourselves, but before you report a mistake, consider asking if it was intentional. Sometimes a stylistic choice, dialect, or character quirk can look like an “error” to the untrained eye.
And please—there are much better ways to help an author than blasting the error in a review or reporting it directly to the platform where it’s published.
A simple, kind message can make all the difference. Thank you.
This job requires rhino-thick skin at times, and editing (plus critiques of your editing) is one of those times.
Keep writing. Keep learning. Keep working with your editors, proofreaders, and Alpha/Beta readers.
Because at the end of the day? A typo doesn’t define your story—you do. 🖤
Being an indie author isn’t for the weak, and you are already stronger than you know. Happy writing.
del mare alla stella,
C.D. Gorri
P.S. Just for fun—what’s the funniest typo you’ve ever spotted in a book? (I’ve seen some wild ones… autocorrect has no mercy! 😂) I’ll go first—LOL.
For some reason, I can’t type discounted the first time around… I always drop the u.
