Typos and Mistakes
As strange as it may sound, some books do have typos or mistakes. Not all of them, but I’ve found a few and I’ve just laughed a little about it. Mistakes happen and so do typos. For instance the words peak vs peek. Both words are pronounced the same, but spelled different, because they have different meanings. The reason I bring this up, is because I’m diving back into the Finkleton world and preparing to finish writing Saving Finkleton. I read a passage in Return to Finkleton and I discovered a typo. OMG! Return to Finkleton has been out for over four years and I never ever noticed it. I’m ashamed! This is the thing, Return to Finkleton went through five different edits, including proofreading, then it went to the audiobook voice over artist. Nobody, including myself, noticed this one typo. If I wasn’t writing this post, I’d be banging my head on the table, which I still might do after I’m done.
At the end of Return to Finkleton there is a Sneak Peek of Saving Finkleton, the first chapter of the third book. However, it doesn’t read Sneak Peek. Instead, it reads Sneak Peak. It should read PEEK not PEAK.
Peek, by definition is: 1. to look or glance quickly or furtively, especially through a small opening or from a concealed location; peep; peer.
Peak, by definition is: 1. the pointed top of a mounted. 2. the pointed top of anything.
In the end, although the book was in many different hands, it was my responsibility to double and triple check to make sure there were no typos or mistakes and for that I’m so sorry. I own up to my mistakes and typos. I just found the typo and it’s killing me. To me, this typo is a nightmare for the world to see! I don’t want children thinking that is the correct spelling for the word I meant.
A few years ago, I watched a video of John Green talking about a typo he found in The Fault in Our Stars. He explained the typo and why it was the wrong word, although it sounded the same, but had a different spelling and definition. I’m not doing a video, but I am writing this post about it. At least John Green caught the typo early on after the book release, but it took me over four years to notice it.
Again, I’m sorry about the typo! If any parents or teachers see that typo and are reading or helping a child read Return to Finkleton, please express my sincere apologies.
One thing I do about typos is keep a reader-accessible web-base where I can list typos as reported. I put the link in the author info and invite corrections, as well as offering a crediting line to the reader. It gets used, and sometime misused. I’ve gotten littanies of tracked errors from individuals who ignore all the ones already listed, and adding not a blessed one that is viable. Still, I check them all. Mind you, valid errors occurred in every book I published. That is after at least 4 sets of editorial eyes.
A few errors — especially of this sort which will not even be flagged by a spell check hardly point to shoddy and careless work. If you spoke these words to another person, you wouldn’t have to stop and spell it for them so that they understand. A lot is made of errors minor. Like that one for instance. But really who is to say how you are allowed to think? Chaos and carelessness are quite different things than a simple honest mistake. Pasting someone else for something so tiny as an infraction on all of the English speaking people in humanity is far more ridiculous than supplying the error. It is more an error to think perfection is attainable in an art.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me. It sure does make me feel a little better. Yes, we’re all human and mistakes are made. You’re correct. Spell check didn’t pick up on the typo. Thank you again, for your kind words. I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!