Quality Control
I've been described as a perfectionist, at least when it comes to myself. But I lax a bit when I'm working on stuff for other people. I've learned that the general expectation of what is acceptable quality for published work (newsletters, newspapers, books, magazines, etc.) is way lower than my expectation. Especially when someone is doing it for free, just for the sake of having the information out there. This really, really, really bothers me.
If you're going to do something, you should do it properly and if you don't know how to do it properly, then you hire someone who can do it properly. I'm not perfect and I make mistakes all the time, but I generally don't attempt to do things for the public that I don't know how to do. It really bothers me when people install an art, web design, or Publisher-type program and think they're suddenly an expert and should be creating things to put out in the public.
Years and years ago, I belonged to a huge writing critique group. It had some professionals but for the most part it was made up of amateurs, including me. They had some very innovative ideas and it was an interesting experience. The head of the group put out a newsletter. The information in the publication was good. But, it broke just about every layout/design rule there was. It was hideous and I couldn't read it. I cautiously asked if I could help with it, to give the head of the group more time to focus on other things. "No, no ... I can do it." So I stood my ground and I left the group. I didn't want my name associated with something that was so poorly made.
I was recently faced with this type of situation again. I was being given substandard novels to edit. The story ideas were great. The writing ... was not. An editor's job is to take a story and mold it into something people will want to read and I truly believe that there's no story out there that is beyond help, but these stories needed to be in much better shape before they landed on my desk. I would have been okay with that but the acquisition editor said, publically, the stories were in good shape and nearly ready to go. I wonder if we were reading the same stories as the ones I got were not like that. As I started working on them, I realized my hourly wage was going to be cut substantially and it was not going to be worth it. Job and school changes were also contributing factors to my decision but I could have worked around them had the quality been there. It was disappointing but life goes on.
Again, I'm not perfect. My stories have mistakes in them. I can't catch every little thing. Paying for editing is hugely expensive, and is not a guarantee that the story will be any better for it. I've paid for just grammar and spelling editing then found errors they hadn't caught. Often many errors. It makes things difficult but you do the best you can do. I hope my stuff is still a little bit better than average and that people are able to enjoy my writing.
I think this is one reason I like eBooks so much. I can have mistakes pointed out, make the corrections and republish. And, it doesn't cost anything to do it and no paper is wasted. This is another way Print on Demand is nice, too. You can fix any mistakes and when the next batch is printed, it will be a better product. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be as close to perfection as you can get it before publishing but at least it isn't "written in stone" like with traditional publishing.If you read my work, please! point out the mistakes. Tell me where plot holes are or where it gets boring. I welcome the criticism and am ready for it.
Are you really critical, too? Or can you look past the packaging to enjoy the writing?
If you're going to do something, you should do it properly and if you don't know how to do it properly, then you hire someone who can do it properly. I'm not perfect and I make mistakes all the time, but I generally don't attempt to do things for the public that I don't know how to do. It really bothers me when people install an art, web design, or Publisher-type program and think they're suddenly an expert and should be creating things to put out in the public.
Years and years ago, I belonged to a huge writing critique group. It had some professionals but for the most part it was made up of amateurs, including me. They had some very innovative ideas and it was an interesting experience. The head of the group put out a newsletter. The information in the publication was good. But, it broke just about every layout/design rule there was. It was hideous and I couldn't read it. I cautiously asked if I could help with it, to give the head of the group more time to focus on other things. "No, no ... I can do it." So I stood my ground and I left the group. I didn't want my name associated with something that was so poorly made.
I was recently faced with this type of situation again. I was being given substandard novels to edit. The story ideas were great. The writing ... was not. An editor's job is to take a story and mold it into something people will want to read and I truly believe that there's no story out there that is beyond help, but these stories needed to be in much better shape before they landed on my desk. I would have been okay with that but the acquisition editor said, publically, the stories were in good shape and nearly ready to go. I wonder if we were reading the same stories as the ones I got were not like that. As I started working on them, I realized my hourly wage was going to be cut substantially and it was not going to be worth it. Job and school changes were also contributing factors to my decision but I could have worked around them had the quality been there. It was disappointing but life goes on.
Again, I'm not perfect. My stories have mistakes in them. I can't catch every little thing. Paying for editing is hugely expensive, and is not a guarantee that the story will be any better for it. I've paid for just grammar and spelling editing then found errors they hadn't caught. Often many errors. It makes things difficult but you do the best you can do. I hope my stuff is still a little bit better than average and that people are able to enjoy my writing.
I think this is one reason I like eBooks so much. I can have mistakes pointed out, make the corrections and republish. And, it doesn't cost anything to do it and no paper is wasted. This is another way Print on Demand is nice, too. You can fix any mistakes and when the next batch is printed, it will be a better product. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be as close to perfection as you can get it before publishing but at least it isn't "written in stone" like with traditional publishing.If you read my work, please! point out the mistakes. Tell me where plot holes are or where it gets boring. I welcome the criticism and am ready for it.
Are you really critical, too? Or can you look past the packaging to enjoy the writing?
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