Megan's Way hit #2 on Amazon's Top Rated Fiction list today, just below The Help. I had been flying high since I found out, which was quite by accident.
I was searching Amazon to see if Chasing Amanda had climbed the ranks of Top Rated Fiction (it's #57), when lo and behold, on page one was Megan's Way!
Fame...debunked
I didn't think anything could put a damper on my day, until I read a review that noted poor editing in my book. What? Megan's Way had been edited many times. I was taken aback--surely there was an error. The reader noted missing returns between character's sentences, which sent up a vibrant red flag. I was certain there were none of those types of errors in the document. My book had won several awards, wouldn't those reviewers have noted the alleged errors?
A search of the paperback copy of Megan's Way proved no such errors existed. No missing line breaks. My heart sped up, and my hands began to shake. My son asked me a question and I could not answer. I was in panic mode. A memory came racing back to me. I had found two errors in the Kindle
version of Megan's Way a few weeks earlier, and I had wanted to fix them. The only copy of the full manuscript that I had with the publisher's logo on it was a PDF. I knew a PDF could not be uploaded to Amazon Kindle, so I paid someone (who came highly recommended and shall remain anonymous) to convert the PDF to a Word document and insure that the file was formatted properly for the Kindle. She did so, and the file was uploaded. Shame on me for not thinking to re-edit the document.
Truth be known, I had no idea that converting from a PDF to a Word document could cause such errors. I have no idea what that person did, or how the errors occurred, but sure enough, there were missing line breaks. I could see how the reader would misconstrue the conversion issue as an editing issue. By now, I've abandoned panic and I've accepted that I must take responsibility for these errors. After all, the book is mine. I should have had the file re-edited after the conversion was done. Live and learn...the hard way.
My editor is going through the file with a fine tooth comb. In the meantime, we've reuploaded the original version (minus the two errors). This is quite the learning experience. Let me clue everyone in on another conversion error which we cannot seem to fix. The Word document is perfectly formatted--no hidden page or line breaks, proper indentations are in place. When the file is uploaded to Kindle, we are able to preview the ebook. We did this with the new file. There don't seem to be missing returns or lost capitalizations, but there are other conversion issues. Where there is heavy dialogue, the second line of the dialogue is indented to match the first line. This is not consistent, and there is no hidden HTML that is causing the issue. In this exciting new technology-driven world of ours, I'm finding that there are a few things that are out of our control. My only hope is that readers will see past these slight conversion issues and review the stories we authors write for the value of the stories themselves.
I would like to thank my author friends who have reached out to me, having undergone the same types of conversion issues, and the same slamming in reviews. I would like to thank my readers who have been kind enough to review my books, and now that I know about these errors, for looking past them and seeing the beauty in the story. I would also like to thank the reviewers who noted these items that marred my reputations, because with out those reviews, I wouldn't have known to fix them. Thank you.
Lastly, to the 40,000+ readers who have downloaded Megan's Way over the past week, I hope you will redownload the corrected file after 8/17/11 and read Megan's Way without the distraction of errors. I extend my heartfelt apologies for the conversion errors.
My thoughts on all of this? Being a writer is a scary process. I've always said it's like standing on a street corner naked. One never knows if they'll be whistled at or beaned with tomatoes. I prefer the whistles, but that's not always the case. This is a learning process for all of us. eReaders are new, conversion processes are difficult. Why, just last night I was reading a traditionally published book on my Kindle, when it ran out of batteries. I clicked on my iPad to continue reading, and words that were not bold on the regular Kindle were bold on the Kindle for iPad. This tells me that the whole ebook world is also still being figured out by the "big guys", whoever they may be. I hope my story helps other authors, and I hope it help readers and reviewers, too. Sometimes it's worth taking a step back and trying to determine if it's the story that is failing or the technology, or perhaps both.
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog, and my books.
Melissa
Before you review Megan's Way and point out poor editing, please take note that the paperback does not contain these errors. This is a technology related problem that went undetected.
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I get these problems at least
I get these problems at least once a week. It all exists because of the largely proprietary formats that Adobe and Microsoft use (Adobe says theirs is open, but they implement more features than are open). Interoperability sucks.
They build the walls to make profits, we pay them to make us work to find the way past them.
Don't fret. Sometimes there
Don't fret. Sometimes there are things beyond our control. Most readers who regularly read ebooks on different devices are used to a couple of glitches. In fact, I rarely even see them. Obviously (way) more people liked it than didn't, so pat yourself on the back. You did great. Congratulations!
Converting from pdf to .doc
Converting from pdf to .doc is fraught with danger. As somebody else said, Adobe's pdf is proprietary and not the same as the standard. And Microsoft- what can I say? The line problem is an issue. Another I've found is the 'smart' quotes. (" and ' which slant to enclose words). They are often misinterpreted, leaving you with things like woman"s instead of woman's.
Whatever. Yes, getting published is fraught with danger, as you said. You become a target and I guess we writers just have to face the flames. But it's hardest when (like your tech issues) it's not your fault.
Oh, technology. Fix one thing
Oh, technology. Fix one thing and ten more break. Good luck!
Melissa, I have downloaded
Melissa,
I have downloaded many books on my kindle (over 150), and I see the conversion errors in a lot of them. I inquired when I discovered a local author's book presented with similar issues as your book. She is a CW professor who published traditionally, and I knew that the errors could not be author mistakes. The powers at large will figure this out, too. Until then, you have many devoted readers who will not be deterred.
If you can (or trust someone,
If you can (or trust someone, paid or not, who can), converting your manuscript to HTML before uploading it to Amazon is the only real way to make sure conversion errors like this don't creap into your book. Uploading a Word document has too many hidden gotchas in it to be relied on.
How very frustrating! I think
How very frustrating! I think we all suffer from this malady. 95% of my sales (at least) are electronic, so it's frustrating that the quality of the download depends on which device and in which format it's being downloaded. Someday it will all be fixed, right? Well, we can dream, anyway.
I had a comment where they
I had a comment where they claimed to have found seven errors. I was thankful they pointed them out, after a moment's anger I laughed at their scornful attitude, and was bemused that three of the supposed errors were in fact not errors at all.
Technology is cool because it's quick and easy to fix problems caused by technology. Your readers know the quality of your efforts, don't worry about the occasional troll.
"We are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the public." - Walt Disney
*whistles*
*whistles*
Totally understand, Melissa.
Totally understand, Melissa. Happens to the best of us and no matter HOW careful, some things are out of our control.... Reminds me of the proverbial Nazi English teacher who marked you down for what-have-you -- you could argue to the moon and back, but she wouldn't budge. LOL I use sentence frags just to spite those types now, ha! But formatting issues? Give me a (line) break! Just smile and mooooove on. :-)
My experience is the
My experience is the "preview" Amazon provides when you upload your book does not 100% coincide with the actual product when it goes live. I had some indent issues a couple of weeks ago that looked fine in the preview but were still messed up after the file went live. Never got a satisfactory answer about it. Good luck with your formatting issues!
You are all so thoughtful and
You are all so thoughtful and supportive! Thank you! I genuinely hate to disappoint readers, so for me, it goes much deeper than if they'll understand. I want to go apologize to them, eye-to-eye:-)
xox
Yep, I've been there too.
Yep, I've been there too. I've found a great way to convert from Word to .mobi format, so if you ever need advice do drop me a line.
I have read many of your
I have read many of your books, and I know that you are an excellent writer. It is obvious that there are many technical issues out there, and I think most people recognize that it is not the author. I had similar issues and had to edit Orphan Dreams three times before it was perfect. I feel your frustration, but rest assured that the quality of your stories comes through!
Melissa, Glad to see I am not
Melissa,
Glad to see I am not the only one. Sorry it hit you though.
I fixed it using Open Office and converted from a word document to an epub file using their software (free download by the way). Using this conversion the errors do not occur and an epub can be uploaded.
Hope this helps.
Randy
Good that you took the time
Good that you took the time to fix it. I mentioned to a writer friend, after reading her book, that there were serious formating issues (which is what it is, not an editing mistake). Instead of looking for those issues, she flew off the handle about it and told me that I was just 'overreacting' because i had more publications than her. Whatevs.
Good for you, Melissa. :)
I read the article and agree
I read the article and agree with what you had to say, Melissa. Formatting a book for digital digesting is not always in the control of the author or the person doing the conversion. It is the programs themselves that are used for doing the conversions. With so many different ways of reading books digitally and the different formats used to present the book to the reader, it isn't any wonder why these errors occur. A single standard format would be the answer and what both the reader and author should and would probably like to see but when profit is the main concern, all common sense goes out the window along with the bath water and the baby to boot. It would be nice if readers could see this and take it into consideration when posting their reviews.
Thank you for sharing! I am
Thank you for sharing! I am learning much from you!
First off - congrats on
First off - congrats on Megan's Way being #2 on Amazon - that is exciting! As for errors - the good thing is they can be fixed easily and you can download your book as many times as necessary on Amazon and the other publishers. :)
That's a horror story--I know
That's a horror story--I know how it feels to see one's work not yet ready for print. It's especially bad when it's IN print that way. I see your point, however. The end result is one's own responsibility, no matter what the circumstances.
To come to your defence. The
To come to your defence. The reviewer was being way over the top. I've read many books released by well known publishers over the years and often found tiny mistakes that copy editors have overlooked. What avid reader hasn't? Yes I notice, but I couldn't give a rat's chuff because it's the overall story that impresses me. Not rare punctuation blips.
You could write the most perfect, amazing manuscript and others would make it their mission to defame it.
x
Melissa, I'm glad you brought
Melissa, I'm glad you brought this to my attention. That tells me why I see so much of this in books that I purchase from authors that are not self-pubbed.
Does this occur for those who are using, or hire formatters who use Quark or InDesign?
My personal philosophy is
My personal philosophy is that I try to do everything I can to avoid mistakes but in the end it is the story that is important. I want the type of readers that are able to understand this. Also, I have no doubt that if I were to stand naked on a street corner I would be pelted with tomatoes. My days of being whistled at (if they ever existed) are long gone, LOL! : ^ D
Writing is like standing on a
Writing is like standing on a corner naked? Oh, crap. I knew I was doing something wrong.
what corner are you standing on, by the way?
I have also noticed the dialog / hanging indent error in my previews and while it pisses me off that it still happens, I'm not sure what can be done about it.
Absolutely recognise hat shaky/sweaty/panic feeling. I've had it myself when I uploaded a wrong (earlier, less edited) version and had to wait that interminable time between uploading and the ability to upload again. Terrors.
Congrats on the #2 by the way. Envious. Unabashedly envious.
I feel your pain. Even though
I feel your pain. Even though my book had been professionally edited, a reviewer claimed it wasn't edited and refused to read it based on the preview posted on the publisher's web page as a sneak peek. The mistakes were about spacing and formatting. The publisher removed some of the spacing to fit their web page, and the actual book, Raven Wings and 13 More Twisted Tales, was printed correctly.
Melissa, Congratulations
Melissa,
Congratulations on your success!! Wow and double wow! Totally totally sympathize with the editing too. I take it you are writing using the old Word .doc files & formatting, and not the later 2007 docx files? Be forewarned. I heard some programs can't fully convert old Word files with the 3 letter extensions.
After having lived thru the multitude of software changes that followed the evolution in operating systems from DOS to Vista, we now have to buy Windows 7? Whatever, Bill. I see Adobe's pushing a new version called its 10X reader for pdf files too.
We should tell them all we are sick and tired and we are not going to take it anymore (Network). We don't want to spend our time learning about software, We just want to use what we've been forced to buy and upgrade a hundred thousand times (no hyperbole here). Regrettably I think it may be time to turn this old PC of mine into a boat anchor. Know any good editors? Or boatyards?
Jack Trudel
PS. I'll happily take your editing problems if you can guarantee me the same sales figures. You were really bragging not complaining, right? LOL.
Melissa, this is an excellent
Melissa, this is an excellent cautionary tale—thank you. I’ve noticed reading Write Great Fiction – Plot & Structure that there are a number of annoying formatting problems that I attributed to bad editing. I’ll bet the author converted from a PDF.
I’ll be sure to avoid this technique. Sorry about the trouble you were having.
I have just started reviewing
I have just started reviewing books on my own blog and interacting with writers hoping to get to know writers and illustrators. I review books and hope to design and illustrate some book covers in the future. Just starting out, I noticed a few other reviewers completely slamming writers for format / conversion type errors. I found that very inappropriate. I read one series that was FULL of typos & misplaced words. The sentences that do not make sense are distracting & interrupt flow, but the story was good any way.
I read something a few days ago that I think all reviewers should consider... There is no point in being MEAN. I think a reviewer should be honest, but give their opinion in a kind & constructive manner. Errors bug me, but as you point out, some errors are formatting errors, and HAVE NOTHING to do with the quality of the story.
Thanks for this info. Maybe reviewers will be kinder when pointing out errors knowing that some are technology glitches...
I once worked in tertiary
I once worked in tertiary publishing so have a good background in formatting and using different word processing programs. I've converted 12 novels for other authors and writers using pdf files that were scanned from original hardbacks/paperbacks.
All text appears in frames on each page, each line separated by either a full carriage return (enter) or a soft return (line break). All these breaks have to be removed i.e. in one paragraph of 12 lines that should be a continuous flow, there are 12 line breaks - so basically each line in this big MS is an entity unto itself.
Converting from pdf is a nightmare - it is easy to take out the line breaks and extra returns but in 99.9% of cases you're left with a gigantic block of text, without paragraphs. So you go from the pdf printout to the word document, putting in paragraph returns, applying italics and bold where needed and fixing obvious errors the optical scanning process included - it's a gruelling process.
It's incredible the amount of work that goes into producing an ebook especially from a pdf but please remember, whoever is doing this for you is merely human.
Sometimes I think reviewers hide behind their pc monitors to spit bile - is it jealousy, some kind of anonymous power play? They get a kick out of being nasty? Could they honestly take the same criticism they throw at others and not be stung by it?
Whatever happened to 'do unto others'?
I know of someone getting a 3 star review because a capital I (eye) had been wrongly recognised by an optical scanner and turned into a 1 (one). Everything else was perfect. That someone was me. The one novel I didn't have an electronic copy of, had to scan from a typed MS, 300+ pages, one at a time. A labour of love. My first 3 star reviewer complained of the formatting.
I usually get 5 stars and the occasional 4.
So what'd I do?
Sighed and got on with it. Can't please everyone.
Julie.
This was timely, as I
This was timely, as I recently received a (vitriolic) review in which the reader derided me for "double spacing between paragraphs in order to make the book appear longer." After I conducted a similar investigation to yours (checking the paperback, the uploaded file, etc.), I realized that it was a function of this person's reader. . .we have no control over that. And I thought, "REALLY? The length of my book was in fact an issue. . .that it might be too LONG, not too short."
Readers should understand that we as authors have limited control over the appearance of our work in ereaders. We can do our best to have professional formatting, editing, etc., but in the end, it really is a new science, and things happen. Thanks for this post!
Formatting for kindle is only
Formatting for kindle is only possible with plenty of coffee and cake. And even then mistakes multiply when you aren't looking.
Readers simply don't know the efforts we make to ensure everything is right, only to have the ebook gremlins eat our efforts. We can only carry on trying; and hope that the technology arrives, soon, to make this easier!
Now I don't feel so bad that
Now I don't feel so bad that it took me weeks to convert my book to kindle format. The errors seemed to multiply the more work I did. Anyone who has battled Word's autoformat feature should understand some of the problems authors face when they try to publish electronically.
Melissa, thanks for this
Melissa, thanks for this valuable post! I too have found errors in my book and in process of getting fixed. My question to you is, once my publisher reloads my book - will I lose my tags, likes, reviews? And will all my book links out there on blog posts, etc. not work now? It's horrible to find errors and know your book is out there, I understand!
as a professional copyeditor,
as a professional copyeditor, i can tell you that *every single time* anything *at all* is done to a manuscript, it must be reproofed. not just to ensure that the new changes have been made correctly, but to ensure that new errors have not been introduced. any time someone opens a file and closes it again, something can go wrong.
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