Mainstream vs. Self-Publishing w/ errors, typos oops grammar oh my...

It has been a long time since I've read over various parts of Bomaw, thus forgetting things that I'd written. So I'm reading with fresh new eyes, almost like those of a reader. Yes, I see the errors as well, sorry about that. Those errors have become one of my reasons for slo-o-owing down. What so many readers must understand, and there are some who do - that being the DO ALL to publishing your own work is not as easy as one might think. Mainstream published authors get to write it, and PASS IT on. They're done. Someone else has the job of cleaning it up. They have the freedom to move on to the next project while resting a bit in between.

This is not the case for self-published. Proof-reading is a skill not all of us hold. As well editing. While the two are totally different and needed for polished publishing. Editor gets rid of excess story, removes sections as well as suggesting more meat, fat or sugar.

Proof-reading is about spelling, grammar, typos, continuity etc. etc. etc. Mainstream publishers have their editors on board as well their proof-readers. Once the author is done, their manuscript is passed on to the editor and once he or she does their magic that the author approves or rejects - and becomes the final story, it is then dropped on the proof-readers desk to clean it up.

In the end, you get a clean new fiction tale to enjoy, hopefully free of errors and inconsistencies. Basically... I - and my husband felt that self-publishing was the way to go for us. Why? Because we wanted full and complete control and ownership of everything we work to turn out.

Also, he's an editor and could do that part.Back to us in a moment, for now, to finish a point, mainstream publishing should and does for the big houses, guarantee that the readers get a clean new fiction tale to enjoy, free of errors and nconsistencies.

Down the road, our dream, James & Keyes for Amber Swann Publishing Inc. is to be a publishing house as well of quality interracial literatre. We're basically learning the ropes now with our own works. However, having said that, in the beginning, [ I ] Mercedes Keyes, did try to get into a mainstream publishing house and found that it is very close to playing the lottery. Like so many others, I found that you first need an agent - that takes quite a bit of time to find, especially one suited to you. Or in my case, to ME. After an agent, you must show you have sellable stories to tell. So they want you to show that someone is willing to buy what you write, but if you've written anything that has been sold, that cannot nor will not be taken by a publisher to redistribute.

This may have changed now, but at the time that I was doing my thing... that is the way it was. I also found out how MUCH the mainstream TAKES of your hard work. I also found that you would be under contract! Contract...hmmm, I don't mind saying, the word shakes me a bit. So after all of that, once you win the lottery of finding an agent and getting a contract, you are then TOLD what your story can and cannot have within. And you must also meet your DEADLINES. When you are ill, not feeling right, or simply speaking - suffering under writers block, then what?

In the nutshell, no no no no no... it just was not for me. For my passion of writing to run anywhere near being smooth, to flow, I cannot, nor will not be told how my story needs to go. Like any other, I suffer with writers block and simply don't feel it some days. As for the story itself, there are times when I fight with my honey, James of James & Keyes, enough as it is about certain parts, LMBO. Needless to say, the path of self-publishing was the way for us. However - the drawbacks are, typos, errors, grammar, you get it. Believe me when I say to you, that I have read, and re-read and re-read like crazy trying my best to catch errors, typos and grammatical no nos. In the end, I'm a story-teller, not an English major or proof-reader - thus... I've missed stuff. Too much stuff, enough of it for many of you readers to have complained about. So I have slowed down tremendously. You see, believe it or not, no one who loves what they do, ME a writer, does it with the intent of botching it up with errors. It's true, I, we - I'm thinking other writers, HATE that we are human with errors - lacking finance or support to catch what we miss. That is where mainstream publishing has us beat. I love being a writer, the stories I bring from my mind and I hate when I leave behind things that marks it, dirties it, scars it - devalues it. I hate going back with fresh eyes and seeing all the no-nos that have gotten by.

Some readers are not forgiving, they don't care and don't want to hear it. They want their literature perfect and they want it ON TIME... NOW! No matter how you feel, no matter how hard it is to get into that zone, no matter what's going on in your personal life. It doesn't matter to them that you may have downs, depression, going thru life changes, physical, chemical, emotional - they don't care if your loved one has passed, mother, brother - none of that means anything to too many readers. They want that story that they have come to enjoy, to be released on time, with no typos, because whatever price they may have paid for it, is a down payment on your LIFE! There have been a few, thank goodness they are only a FEW... that have actually mentioned complaining to Amazon about having to WAIT... because money was spent on previous volumes of our works. Nothing makes you want to rethink your whole direction and joy for writing faster than someone who is bold enough to express and think because they've paid, 7.95 more or less x whatever - they now OWN you, and you better get to writing, or ELSE! Believe me, there have been times when I thought... is this really worth it? Really?

And then on that thought, I'll get an email from a reader who reminds me, that in their case... yeah, they ARE worth it and I carry on. When you get an email from someone who truly understands and wants the continuation NO LESS than the others, but gets it and just wants you to know, you've been appreciated and please - they want more. Who despite the obvious errors, want YOU to please continue on with the story telling, because that means more to them than human error. For them... I write on. In the nutshell, until our earnings can see a way to having a professional proof-reader brought on board - all I can assure is this dear readers... we'll continue to try and do our BEST. Try to deliver a story worth reading. Worth forgiving the typos and grammar errors should they persist. Once we can no longer do that, we'll be hanging up the towel. But for now, we're taking a MUCH SLOWER route, which is now the current cause for complaint - but we're taking it slow. We're trying to get it right. Still haven't, but in the midst of the same world all of our readers are living in - we live in it too. We suffer from the same economical woes.

What I must mention and am so very thankful for, are the various readers so in love with Bomaw and our other stories, that they've offer themselves as Proof-readers assisting to help us polish our works before releasing. To those few, we thank them and have taken them up on their offers. Hopefully, things will get better. It's certainly the best experience to gain before we move into position to become publishers ourselves. We will know first hand exactly what various writers will need and have those services available when we arrive at that bridge to cross it.

 

That's it for now - time to get back to Bomaw - there is loads more to cover, check, research

and entangle!

M. Keyes ~ Fine me @...
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