Being the author of a book is a great way to boost your credibility, but if your book contains typos and errors, it can do the exact opposite.

Recently I attended a business conference where a number of the speakers had books for sale. At lunch one day after the morning sessions, I took a seat at a table with a man who was reading a book by someone who had spoken that morning.

As I sat down, he held up the book and said, “I’ve just looked at the first few pages and there are so many mistakes.” And he read a few of them to me.

He knew that I’m an author and self-publishing consultant. With as much diplomacy and tact as I could muster (those who know me know that subtlety is not one of my strengths), I said, “This is why I stress the importance of editing and proofreading. The quality of a book is a direct reflection of the author.”

As more people joined our table, he put the book away, and the conversation shifted to other topics. Still, that brief exchange stuck in my mind because it highlighted an important point for self-published authors.

The positive impression the speaker had worked hard to create in his presentation was damaged, if not destroyed, by errors in his book.

No matter how your book is published (self-published, pay-to-publish, or traditional publishing), quality matters. Don’t let the time and effort you put into writing a book be wasted because you failed to invest in the final elements of editing, proofreading, fact-checking, and design.

Want to know more about self-publishing? Get our free video series How to Make Self-Publishing Work for You. Go here to get the first video now.

Jacquelyn Lynn
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