I put is on my title page.
Apart from that, just ignore it.
Apart from that, just ignore it.
Any advice on British English seen as unedited.
I have received multiple reviews on Goodreads lately saying that Evolution is riddled with spelling mistakes and grammar issues & have dropped the star rating accordingly.
The problem I think lies with Evolution being written in British English as it has been edited with 2 proofreads by Red Adept Publishing. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to curve these reviews? Would putting a note from the author on Amazon saying that it is written in British English help?
thanks,
Kelly
The problem I think lies with Evolution being written in British English as it has been edited with 2 proofreads by Red Adept Publishing. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to curve these reviews? Would putting a note from the author on Amazon saying that it is written in British English help?
thanks,
Kelly
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I'd put it either as a note in the book, or in your description if you're concerned about it.
Sorry that's happened. Some people are just stupid.
Sorry that's happened. Some people are just stupid.
There was one review that specified the mistakes were of the site/sight, there/their variety. Maybe you can do a search for those sorts of things just to make sure. Hard to say if the others found the same errors or were mistaking British spellings.
If you are having homonym issues and have been through Red Adept I would be concerned though. I'd definitely look into that, as Monique suggested.Monique said:There was one review that specified the mistakes were of the site/sight, there/their variety. Maybe you can do a search for those sorts of things just to make sure. Hard to say if the others found the same errors or were mistaking British spellings.
I've double checked the correct file is on Amazon & there is no problems. I might make a note in the description as I don't want to mess with a perm free. But I guess I should probably just stop reading Goodreads reviews.
It might not hurt.KellyC said:...I guess I should probably just stop reading Goodreads reviews.
Unless they're specific about what errors they're seeing, I don't think you should worry too much about it. It's just Goodreads, after all.
After reading just a little way into the preview (not to mention the blurb) I don't know how anyone could fail to pick up on the fact that you're using British English. If they didn't pick up on the -ize/-ise distinction, the use of "mum" ought to have been a dead giveaway. The only way I could see the use of British spelling really being a problem would be if the story was set in the US and featured mostly American characters, which would make the spelling seem jarring.
Which is to say, you can't necessarily rule out the presence of real errors, but never underestimate human stupidity. You're probably right that they're just clueless. If the obvious was as obvious to some people as it should be, the world would be a much better place.
After reading just a little way into the preview (not to mention the blurb) I don't know how anyone could fail to pick up on the fact that you're using British English. If they didn't pick up on the -ize/-ise distinction, the use of "mum" ought to have been a dead giveaway. The only way I could see the use of British spelling really being a problem would be if the story was set in the US and featured mostly American characters, which would make the spelling seem jarring.
Which is to say, you can't necessarily rule out the presence of real errors, but never underestimate human stupidity. You're probably right that they're just clueless. If the obvious was as obvious to some people as it should be, the world would be a much better place.
I'm Canadian, but since the vast majority of my readers are American, I choose, of my own free will, to use American spelling. (Except for when I flub up!)KellyC said:I've double checked the correct file is on Amazon & thereisare no problems. I might make a note in the description as I don't want to mess with a perm free. But I guess I should probably just stop reading Goodreads reviews.
Goodreads, overall, seems far more critical than anywhere else I've come across.
I use Australian English spelling, which is pretty close to British English. If the Americans have problems with that, they should never have started butchering the language in the first place
I use Australian English spelling, which is pretty close to British English. If the Americans have problems with that, they should never have started butchering the language in the first place
See, I left the obvious mistake alone. I have self control.Dalya said:I'm Canadian, but since the vast majority of my readers are American, I choose, of my own free will, to use American spelling. (Except for when I flub up!)
Also, Canadians should just admit to being Americans.
(My wife-and thus children-are Canadian.)
I put UK English Edition on the title page and at the end of the book. It still doesn't completely stop some reviewers of professionally edited books complaining about "typos." in reference to British Spellings.
The blame lies with Noah Webster!
The blame lies with Noah Webster!
This subject comes up from time to time. I use Canadian spelling unapologeticaly and haven't recevied any bad reviews for it (yet). Could there be something about your usage that's drawing attention to itself?
Personally, I think if the rest of the English speaking world can adapt to more than one type of spelling, surely Americans can too.
Hope that helps!
Rue
Personally, I think if the rest of the English speaking world can adapt to more than one type of spelling, surely Americans can too.
Hope that helps!
Rue
Thou shalt not blaspheme St. Webster.
St. Webster looked upon "neighbour" and "honour" and said, "Thou shalt not end a word in -our where -or will suffice, for the extra U is silly."
He saw "centre", and said, "Thou shalt not end a word in -re if it forms a syllable unto itself, for this too is silly."
St. Webster pondered more still suffixes and said, "The suffix -ise is phonetically indistinct, and should be spelled -ize."
And the people said: "Yea St. Webster, thy decrees concerning suffixes are good. Yet we cannot spell all words phonetically, for spelling 'bread' as 'bred' is too confusing. This in turn would be silly." The people's will prevailed, and they saw that it was good enough.
Amen.
St. Webster looked upon "neighbour" and "honour" and said, "Thou shalt not end a word in -our where -or will suffice, for the extra U is silly."
He saw "centre", and said, "Thou shalt not end a word in -re if it forms a syllable unto itself, for this too is silly."
St. Webster pondered more still suffixes and said, "The suffix -ise is phonetically indistinct, and should be spelled -ize."
And the people said: "Yea St. Webster, thy decrees concerning suffixes are good. Yet we cannot spell all words phonetically, for spelling 'bread' as 'bred' is too confusing. This in turn would be silly." The people's will prevailed, and they saw that it was good enough.
Amen.
If your other book is in British English as well, and isn't picking up similar complaints, it's worth looking into whether a few real errors got through on this one. I read the first few pages. Seemed pretty clean, but I think I may have found one: "hurl me away to some top-secret government facility." Did you mean haul? Anyways, worth reading through once more to make sure there are no real errors.
But if British English is the real culprit, try to communicate that somewhere to your readers. "A Note on British English" at the start, maybe?
But if British English is the real culprit, try to communicate that somewhere to your readers. "A Note on British English" at the start, maybe?
Praise be to Noah Webster. The Patron Saint of half-baked word mangling and blessed creator of Irritable Vowel Syndrome!Lummox JR said:Thou shalt not blaspheme St. Webster.
St. Webster looked upon "neighbour" and "honour" and said, "Thou shalt not end a word in -our where -or will suffice, for the extra U is silly."
He saw "centre", and said, "Thou shalt not end a word in -re if it forms a syllable unto itself, for this too is silly."
St. Webster pondered more still suffixes and said, "The suffix -ise is phonetically indistinct, and should be spelled -ize."
And the people said: "Yea St. Webster, thy decrees concerning suffixes are good. Yet we cannot spell all words phonetically, for spelling 'bread' as 'bred' is too confusing. This in turn would be silly." The people's will prevailed, and they saw that it was good enough.
Amen.
Interestingly, I have also had a review this morning from a US reader citing "lots of spelling and grammar mistakes" when the book has been thoroughly edited. I'm in the UK and use British English. Out of more than a dozen reviews on both sides of the pond, this person is the first to speak of anything typographical.
The issue isn't US/English spelling - it is grammar and spelling.KellyC said:I have received multiple reviews on Goodreads lately saying that Evolution is riddled with spelling mistakes and grammar issues & have dropped the star rating accordingly.
The problem I think lies with Evolution being written in British English as it has been edited with 2 proofreads by Red Adept Publishing. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to curve these reviews? Would putting a note from the author on Amazon saying that it is written in British English help?
thanks,
Kelly
Forgetting grammar and sentence structure - which could definitely be improved - quick look shows these errors. Favorite instead of favourite. Zen without a capital - zen. Toyota Hiace instead of HiAce, inconsistent spelling of "Mr Heithcliffe/Heathcliffe" Bare to see instead of bear to see. Planing instead of planning.
Not terrible but should have been caught before publishing.
Being English, I can sympathise. I have come across this problem.
Quote from a recent two star review:
I read books with American slang and spellings all the time, and sometimes I have to guess the meaning, but I wouldn't expect the author to leave them out or change them to suit me, and I refuse to bend to the 'All books must be written in American English' way that some people think.
Quote from a recent two star review:
This was from someone who asked for a copy on a Goodreads ARR thread. I think she went a bit OTT. I doubt there were that MANY. (Although clearly I wouldn't notice them.) The fact that the review said there were zombies in the book leads me to believe she didn't even read it properly. There are no zombies in my book.Watch your language. There were MANY MANY MANY UK slang terms and Britishisms that were used. Sometimes, that can really give a richness and context to a book; overused, and the reader can feel like an outsider or just flat-out not understand. Now, admittedly, I come from a long line of Anglophiles, so I was familiar with some and others I could figure out (I think). But I'd rather not spend my time trolling through a slang dictionary while I am reading to make sure I didn't miss something. Totty? Like sucking an aniseed ball? On the trot? Clueless.
I read books with American slang and spellings all the time, and sometimes I have to guess the meaning, but I wouldn't expect the author to leave them out or change them to suit me, and I refuse to bend to the 'All books must be written in American English' way that some people think.
I've been accused of trying to sound "fancy." If only they knew how truly fancy I actually am!!! My pinkies point straight up no matter what. That's how fancy I am. Typing is hard. That fancy.Rlyon said:Being English, I can sympathise. I have come across this problem.
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