Tag: typographical errors

Typos in My Manuscript — Betrayed by My Own Body

Cheeto, the typing chimpIt’s really nice to have support when I write. My entire body supports me. My spine keeps me upright in my chair. My butt anchors me there (sometimes too long), and of course my hands and eyes connect me to my computer via the keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Obviously, I could not write without the aid of my body, but sometimes it takes that support too far and ends up causing me trouble with typos. How so?

Fast typingFirst it’s my fingers. They’re very helpful. I should provide a little backstory and say that I learned to touch type in high school — home row, QWERTY, and all that. I never have to look at the keyboard to type, just keep my eyes trained on the screen and go. Because of that, I type fast, and my fingers know whole words after so much repetition. I rarely have to think about typing H-E-A-D, I just think about head and my fingers do the rest. Continue reading “Typos in My Manuscript — Betrayed by My Own Body”

When It Comes to Books — First Impressions Count — Big Time

catherSo you’ve written the next Great American Novel and you’re ready to publish. Now you’re down to the silly details that try your patience. You have to choose your categories and then come up with a short description, almost every writer’s bane. How do you distill 600 pages down to six sentences? How do you convey all the passion and wisdom and inspiration of your story into one or two paragraphs?

Careful. It’s tempting to throw down a few sentences and call it good.

Don’t do it. Continue reading “When It Comes to Books — First Impressions Count — Big Time”

Tips: Top Ten Common Book Mistakes

Between the submissions we receive here at Indies Unlimited and the ones I receive for consideration for the Hurricane Sandy Library Recovery project, I’ve vetted close to 200 books in the past two weeks. Yes, my eyes are tired, and there’s a slight chance I may be just a teeny tiny bit cranky.

I’m noticing a lot of common errors while reviewing the previews of these books, which I’m going to list below. People complain (no, I don’t know which people, just people, all right?) that indie and self-published books don’t meet the same level of quality as traditionally published books. I don’t believe that can be made as a blanket statement. What I will tell you, however, is that these errors are DEAD giveaways that a book is a not-so-high-quality self-published product. Isn’t the goal ultimately that someone can pick up an indie book and a traditionally published book and not be able to tell the difference? Well, let’s do away with the issues below and we’ll be well on our way. Continue reading “Tips: Top Ten Common Book Mistakes”

Typopotamus At Large

Typopotamus
© 2012 Anneliese Hise

We’ve all seen them. They leap off the page, out from a billboard or a marquee. Ridiculously obvious typos somehow make it past every eyeball and out into the public.

We’re all human. Mistakes will be made. We might as well laugh about it.

Send us your original pictures of goofy typos and we’ll post them here at Indies Unlimited, with a photo credit to you. Here’s how to play along:

 

1. If you see a funny typo while you are out there in the wide world, snap a picture.

2. Obscure any identifying information. (We’re not in this to embarrass anyone.)

3. Use the contact form to let us know about it, providing a description of the hilarity.

4. We’ll send you the super-secret atomic access code so you can get the picture to us.

5. We run a feature post with the picture, your description and a credit to you!

Sound like fun? Warm up those camera phones and Polaroids or whatever ya got and let’s play!

Stay tuned for upcoming tutorials on screen captures and how to blur identifying info.