Pretty in Print: Is it Ever Okay to Compromise on Quality?

Should you settle for my motto of “good is good enough” or is dotting your I’s and crossing your T’s the better long-term solution to see your book in print?

Looming Deadlines and Timelines

Lately, I’ve been working with a handful of authors who are in the very final stages of their book. They are up against deadlines, timelines, and most of all – personal goals. It’s a tough time in the book process, especially when the author gets a little tired of reading their manuscript over and over again. (Who can blame them?!)

In a time when the author wants to wrap things up and share their work with the world, individuals often struggle with the question – when/where is the stopping point?

While each author will need to make that call individually, I want to encourage, that unlike many other tasks you do in your daily life – don’t compromise quality when it comes to your book.

Often, looming deadlines and personal pressure can make an author say, “Ah, forget it!” And if you’ve been through edits and rewrites a handful of times, you are probably at that point. Recognize the difference between perfectionism (which is senseless editing because you see mistakes in everything you do) and final edits that are necessary for a book that will look pretty in print.

The Downfalls Of Errors

I’ll share from my personal experience – there is absolutely nothing worse in the world for an author than to see typos, errors, and mistakes in their printed book. For some reason, they literally POP off the page once your book is in print. And for me to say this is, it’s pretty big, because I’m generally all about the speed of things – pushing myself and others to just get their work out there. But this is NOT what I condone or endorse for a printed book.

In the end, you want a book that both looks pretty in print and that you can feel proud to share with others. You don’t want to hide behind some silly mistakes and oversights because you rushed things along. Granted, almost every book carries a few errors here and there. But do your part to publish a quality book, you’ll be happier in the long run and you won’t be scared to send Aunt Sally, the English teacher in the family, a copy of your newly printed baby!

Besides, readers are finicky, if they see too many errors and mistakes they’ll toss your book to the side and you’ll instantly lose credibility. You don’t want to scare away fans from you fantastic message just because you skipped a few steps at the end.

When in doubt, hire a professional and experienced editor. It’s the one place you don’t want to skimp or skip in your book production process.