Tuesday, July 23, 2013

KDP Quality Notices

KDP Quality Notices
Authors beware!




The latest low blow for Indie Authors – Amazon is sending out Writing Quality reprimands!
            I just received two of the dreaded missives, one for each of my two suspense  novels. According to their message, “readers” complained. What’s seems odd, is that my latest book, which has been professionally proofed, had two errors pointed out. I’ve read others’ eBooks, many which have errors in nearly every paragraph. Are they getting these notices?
Don’t get me wrong.  I’m all for Amazon tightening the reins. In the end it will only improve the quality of independently published books. But it stretches my credibility meter to believe that more than one reader notified KDP to report a book (my latest, Relative Malice) because it contained two typos.
I’m in the process of fixing them. In fact, She’s Not There, my first book, has been re-proofed and it is now being reformatted.
My advice to independent authors is:
1.     Hire a professional proofreader.
2.     Have that person reproof after you’ve made your changes even if you must pay more for this service. If you don’t, you may be inadvertently adding more typos, etc.
3.     If you are a first time author and are thinking about asking a friend or relative to do your proofing, think twice. Unless that person is a proofer by trade, you could be setting yourself up for problems after you publish.
4.     Is there such a thing as too much proofing? No! That may be true for editing, which could easily be an infinite process, but proofing needs to be perfected before sending out the new book notices!

Dear readers,
I have to apologize for yet another post on proofing. But the Amazon notices were very upsetting for me and I’m hoping that sharing my experience will help prevent other authors from getting one of the “Quality” notices. I’ve learned the hard way that it pays to spend the money to make your book a polished product. Apparently, I’m still learning!
Have a wonderful week,

Marla

35 comments:

  1. I got one of those once--it is disheartening! I really wish readers would contact the publisher/author about things they notice rather than going straight to mother...er...Amazon....

    Chin up, my dear! Happy writing!

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    1. Good point, Casey! I'd be a lot more comfortable with a reader griping about two to me than to KDP. And to gripe about two very tiny typos in a 100K novel seems quite picky. I find that many in every book I read, even some best sellers. Anyway, I got over it, paid my formatter to fix them and will get the book adjusted. We move on, right?
      Thanks for your support and have a great week,
      Marla
      P.S. Loved the "mother" reference. Too funny.

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  2. Marla, In the last week I got one of those letters for each of my McGuire women books. Mine concerned loose instead of lose in one book and two missing words in the other, of and the. I fixed the errors and republished. I was glad to find out about them. No book is perfect, no matter how many times it's proofed, but I think the more we aim for perfection, the better for all of us, especially self-published writers.
    I agree that some books are riddled with typos and errors. I can't imagine how Amazon deals with those, but however they find the errors, I'm glad to know about mine. Maybe Amazon has someone read them or it's some super new program--I don't know. It's hard to believe a reader would write to complain about such small errors, but I suppose it's possible.
    Happy writing!

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    1. Hi Ellis!
      So nice to hear from you. It's a big relief to hear that I'm not the only one. I'm like you, I'm redoing both of mine to get rid of the errors. You're right, we do need to know about them. I've totally redone my first book for grammar and proofing in general. That's in the reformatting process now. The other is also in the "mending" process. It is a stretch to think a reader would complain about a book with so few. If they're just doing quality checks, they should come right out and say so. I wouldn't have a problem with that at all. And notify everyone in one of their letters. Of course, it's always possible they did and I didn't notices. :)
      Have a super weekend,
      Marla

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  3. A reader did complain that one of my chapter links in my table of contents didn't work. I've received two notices about the ToC. I agree with Ellis. There's no such thing as a perfect manuscript. I'm awaiting my email.

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    1. Thanks for your input, Polly.
      Some of my favorite suspense writers are NYT top-ten writers and even in their books I find a few errors. And I really think the average reader wouldn't notice them at all, much less complain about them. It's weird about the the complaints about such minor things. If they're doing this, I hope they're getting to the ones that put up books that are loaded with them!
      Nice to have you visit,
      Marla

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    2. There are people who look for problems in indies. You're right that NYT best-sellers have errors, because nobody is perfect. I think these complaints probably came from people who have a beef with indies.

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    3. That's true, and leads me back to a previous blog topic--book returns. It is so easy to return an eBook and complaining about small errors may be one way it's done. I don't think us Indies should be held to a higher standard than traditionally published authors. Would anyone return a Patterson book?
      Marla

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  4. Sorry to hear about that Marla.
    I wonder if they send notices to books from big publishers? The last one I read had lots of errors.
    I've never published on KDP and have always been traditionally published (but am seriously thinking about going Indie), but this is unfair. I could understand it if books were riddled with errors, but a few is nothing.

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    1. Hi Jenny,
      Thanks for your addition to the topic! I think there is a big advantage to being self-pubbed, especially when authors published traditionally are expected to do their own marketing. Marketing is the worst part of it, and if you have to do it anyway . . .
      You are fortunate to have found a publisher! I know how difficult it is to accomplish. It'll be a big decision if you switch, but there are plenty of us Indies out here to encourage you and give you any needed assistance.
      Have a great weekend,
      Marla

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  5. I sure hope that the traditionally published authors who's books I've read with typo's and editing mistakes get these notices too. I have not read a book that hasn't had one! Crazy stuff.

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    1. Seriously. I have a Kindle book I didn't finish because half a chapter is clearly missing, and that was traditionally published.

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    2. I've read many an eBook, or should say, started, that had a shocking number of errors. That's why I am surprised to have gotten a notice for two. Half a chapter missing sounds like something that could happen in the formatting process. I've learned the hard way to proof AGAIN after a book is formatted. Seems to be a never-ending process to get it right!
      Marla

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  6. That's just ridiculous! What does Amazon do when they get complaints about eBooks or paper books, for that matter, that have been published traditionally? If it's a Patricia Cornwell novel, does she or her publisher receive a reprimand?

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    1. On the bright side, I'm hoping this will force authors who have LOTS of errors to clean up their act. It is hard to fathom why they would pick on novels with only a few.
      Right. The big question is whether they target anyone, and not just Indies!
      Nice to hear from you, Danielle, have a happy Sunday,
      Marla

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  7. Hello Marla,

    I wouldn't worry about, and not take it personally, see it as a service from Amazon / or readers who help you in a way, and then who cares about TWO typos in a whole book. I read many "bestsellers" from traditional publishers, who had maybe TEN in it.
    Nice to know where the typos are, for the next revision... not more, not less.

    I book will never be 100% !!! I published a magazine for years and drove myself crazy with beta reading and editing, and editing some more. And sure enough, once it was out, I discovered at least one error.

    I received one Amazon note too and the complain was that I had my email address written: 111publishing a t gmail d o t com
    instead of 111publishing@gmail.com
    I answered yes, fine, will change it - certainly never did, as I do not want to get spam emails, and how I do this is my own business and not someone else's.

    I am wondering if Amazon is doing this with books from traditional publishers too? Maybe we should complain about some Penguin or Random House books with typos too at Amazon??? LOL

    Have a great week,
    and a lovely summer,

    Doris

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    1. I got over taking it personally when I found out I wasn't the only one! And, while I didn't like receiving them, I do have to agree that there are many books published on AZ that really do need to be cleaned up of errors. Indie books have a bad reputation so that may help to have us looked at more professionally in the future.
      Good idea. I may have to take notes on books I read from the big publishers and submit the errors to AZ! Guess we'll never know if they're getting them, too.
      Nice to hear from you! Have a great week,
      Marla

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    2. I understand your frustration Marla. I cannot believe there would actually be readers that would actually complain about 2 typos. Maybe Amazon made a mistake?

      Totally agree that it is important to hire a professional proofreader. Many authors make the mistake of thinking they can proofread their own work, or that they can have their work proofread by a friend who is not a professional.

      This is a very black and white issue to me- always hire a professional and do not settle for anything less. And when you do find him, stick with him. Changing proofreaders over the years may affect the quality of your work.

      I am very happy with the professional proofreader I have, Julia Gibbs. It is important to feel comfortable with your proofreader.

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    3. Hi Mary,
      It's possible they only referred to two and that there may have been others. The book was professionally proofed so I wouldn't expect there to be many!
      Thanks for telling us about Julia Gibbs. Always good to get another source. You raise a good point to always use the same one. I've tried more than one and they tend to have their own style preferences.
      Good to hear from you Mary!
      Marla

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  8. I've read dead-tree books that averaged five (!) errors per page. They were the sort of thing a spell-checker wouldn't catch -- misused homonyms, mostly.

    I have mixed feelings about Amazon doing this. I keep wondering how works like Finnegan's Wake or A Clockwork Orange would fare if they were released as indies today.

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    1. YIkes! Five a page is horrendous. I've seen eBooks that are awful, though. I think the end result for AZ will be better products, I just hope they're doing it fairly. I sure hope the 5-and-more a page authors are getting notices, too!
      Thanks for commenting, Katherine, have a great week,
      Marla

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  9. I had no idea Amazon does this, Malla. So far, the errors in my books have been pointed out by readers in their reviews. I don't know what's worse. On the other hand, I was glad to be told of my errors so that I could fix them. It is difficult to get it all perfect. All we can do is try harder and develop a thick skin.

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    1. Hi Jill,
      Glad you haven't gotten one! I'm feeling better now that I know I'm not the only one who has received them. I like to know about them, too. It's always upsetting though when you find errors after multiple rounds of proofing, even by a professional. I'm a terrible proofer myself and it seems like in the process of "fixing" my manuscript after it's been proofed, I always manage to slip in a few more blunders. So next book will have a proofer willing to do a final round!
      Thanks for stopping in,
      Marla

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  10. So glad I found your blog on the Twitter...thanks for writing about this. I've published with a few small mags but never self-published. I am currently working on an anthology, and will be taking on the endeavor to self-publish it. These Amazon notices sound absolutely frightening...and I think two errors is nothing (I find two to three in almost every traditionally published novel I read). Seems Amazon has put things on automatic, sending a notice to anyone and everyone for small typos...thanks for this post!

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    1. HI Holly,
      Great to hear from you. Not sure what AZ is up to, but hopefully it will get to everyone who really NEEDS it! If it ends up with better quality books it will be a good thing. Us Indie authors get enough bad press. Good luck with your anthology, and remember there is no such thing as too much proofing!
      Have a great weekend,
      Marla

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  11. I have to say that I disagree. Should you not have high standards? I have to say that I have sent this same complaint to the traditional publishers when I am reviewing their books too. I am a Goodreads top 1% reviewer, a HUGE support of Indies and have a small business on consulting with Indie authors on the business side of publishing their books. I have read MANY a book, Indie and traditional that looked like it just got rolled out of bed in the morning and got published in regards to its appearance and story body (editing, formatting, etc). Simply the fact that a person has chosen to be an AUTHOR or a wordsmith is a reason to make sure that your book is as perfect as can be when it hits the market. This "sloppiness" in quality has even carried over to print news with some of the articles I have seen publishes laden with misspellings and grammatical errors.

    I just responded to someone on an article on my site that was a guest post on editing. This person commenting on the post didn't feel that an editor/proofreader was necessary and this is not uncommon. I have spoken to many an Indie author who felt this way and didn't want to spend the money on an editor/proofreader. As a reader/reviewer, I think this is what drives me crazy is when I can look at spellings/grammar (which I stink at by the way) and I can tell that it is off/wrong. When I hear an author say it is because they don't want to spend the money on some very basic publishing expenses(basically implying a lack of caring about the quality of works they produce), as a business person (which any author is), they are saying that they don't care about the quality of product they are putting into the market or their readers' experience.

    I think one other comment that I felt that I needed to add is regarding the reader coming to the author/publisher with complaints regarding grammar/quality. As a book reviewer, that is my job. As a READER/consumer, that isn't my job. A consumer expects the product that they are purchasing to be perfect. Posting a review on Amazon for a book that I PURCHASED is no different than if I posted a review for a pair of jogging shoes, a food item or any other consumer product. This is the business side of publishing.

    As for the KDP Quality Notices, I would have to say that I agree with them, AS LONG AS THEY ARE GOING TO TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING HOUSES TOO. Frankly, for any of their consumer products that they sell.

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  12. Hi Naomi,
    Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! I really appreciate the time you took to to share your thoughts.

    I don't believe we're in disagreement. My first response to getting them was total shock because I'd never heard of them and felt very singled out. I got them for both of my books. Now the first one admittedly still needed work and I was in the process of redoing it. I had it both line edited and reproofed at the cost of about $500. In fact, I've just had it reformatted at more cost and now the (hopefully) perfect result is available. It was my first effort and I learned the hard way how important it is to be sure of that BEFORE you publish. So, I was not surprised at getting that one. The second book, however, was professionally proofed and reproofed. That was the one with only two errors and I have fixed those.

    I know it is impossible for AZ to go over every book they publish, but it felt unfair to get a reprimand for two errors when I've read eBooks with dozens on every page, bad formatting, and no editing. But having gotten over my initial shock at receiving them, I'm definitely in favor of them. As I mentioned in the post, they will, hopefully, end in a better product from independent authors, and getting rid of the stigma of being independently published is something all of us strive for.

    So, on a personal note, I've been so fortunate to hear from others, like yourself, who have received them or have a comment about them. It's helped me so much to know I'm not the only one who has gotten them with a book with only a few errors.

    I'd love to hear from them (KDP) on the subject. Whether traditionally published books are receiving them, too, has us all curious! Maybe I'll try asking them and publish what they say.

    Again thank you so much for your thoughts. Have a great Sunday,
    Marla

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  13. Thanks so much for this post! I'm in the middle of the production process on my first book, and initially went with the cheapest possible editing, and the result showed it. I had to redo (a bit of a perfectionist), and went to the higher end of editing. Then I hired yet another editor (for a total of 3). These have all exhibited wildly different strengths and weaknesses. They seem to not agree on the basic style book (among other things that don't agree). And after all the work we've done, I'm convinced I'll need a copy editor at the end of the process to catch errors that happen in production. Yes, its' expensive! But I'm also convinced the Quality Police (as offensive as it is) results, as Amazon says, in a better reading experience for consumers. I just believe every publisher must go through the same. Because brick & mortar publishers are not excused from the same sorts of typos & missed grammar issues that indies might suffer from!

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    1. Hi Claudia,
      You are well served by being a perfectionist! Editing, as you've found out is subjective, but proofing is not and requires someone skilled at the process. I suck at it, so I've learned that whenever I have my books proofed and then fix what they have found, now I need that person to check what I've done.
      Very frustrating. You might want to find some beta readers who enjoy your genre to read your work and give you feedback before you send it to the editor. That might save you from having to do multiple edits.
      A copy editor is a great idea. I used one to help redo my first book. You may not need one once you have your own style in place, but it's a good idea when you're starting out.
      I agree, that it will be a good thing ultimately for KDP to catch our errors. I'd just like to see it done fairly and consistently.
      Nice to hear from you,
      Marla

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  14. I am actually glad they are doing this. There are so many books with tons of creative writing mistakes and I think they should have to fix them. If we take the trouble to do it right (or as right as we can get it) by hiring an editor, then they should do the same and fix what the editor tells them to fix. i think there are some who don't want to have to do a full rewrite, but their books would be so much cleaner and tighter for the reader to enjoy.

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    1. I agree, Lisa! I published my first book too quickly and paid the price for it's problems. Learned the hard way how important it is to have a mistake-free and well-formatted manuscript. It's worth the time and money to get it right the first time!
      Thanks for visiting,
      Marla

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  15. Hi Marla,

    I hadn't heard about the Author Quality notices. It's fascinating that Amazon is doing this. I think I would feel singled out, also, Marla, so I completely understand that!

    I actually wear two hats: one as indie author and one as editor/proofreader. I love working with other indie authors, so please check out my site for affordable rates.

    Thanks,

    Gabriella West

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    1. Hi Gabriella,
      Not sure how long it's been there, but there is now a question on the AZ book page asking readers to answer if a book has any errors. I'm guessing that if a reader says yes, there is then someone at AZ who checks it out. I know authors who have gotten notices for as few as one!
      As more and more of us authors self-publish, I"m sure you'll be busy!
      Have a nice weekend,
      Marla

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  16. Nice blog, Marla. I've learned a few things that I didn't know about publishing. Thx.

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  17. Hi Rob,
    Great to hear it was helpful for you! Have a super weekend and keep writing.
    Marla

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