As a self-published author, I do appreciate it when people come to me with minor errors missed by my editor, myself, and my beta readers. I know it is very possible to not catch everything when editing. I have read many mainstream books that have a few typos.

This got me thinking though. Are people harder on indie/self-published authors? Do they expect more because we do everything ourselves, without the help of “experienced” people from publishing companies? Do you find yourself looking for errors when you know the book is self-published?

I suppose the big question I would want to ask is….why? Why do we put pressure on self-published authors to supersede mainstream ones? Are our expectations that much higher with self-published books? This forced me to reflect on the way I read books. I review many books a month working for Readers’ Favorite. I’ve seen the fantastic all the way to the not-so-fantastic. Major editing errors do impact my rating decisions, but I do take into consideration the plot. I politely mention errors to the author and leave it be. I wonder though if I’m reading to find mistakes instead of taking the book at face value.

Why do I only do this with indie authors though? Why doesn’t anyone do this with mainstream ones? Don’t they have a right to know, just like any other author? I believe this revelation has forced me to change how I read all books. From now on, I plan to read to enjoy. If errors crop up that are grievous, I will let the author know, mainstream and indie. All authors deserve equal treatment. I truly hope people take the time to experience all types of authors because there are some pretty damn good self-published books out there! If you need a recommendation, I’d be happy to oblige, or just check my Goodreads account.

Equality for all authors!