Common Writing Mistakes by a Self-Publish Author

Writing mistakes by a self-publish author is prevalent. Step back and read your work as you progress and correct what is needed to be corrected.

Writing mistakes by a self-publish author is prevalent. In fact, no matter how exceptional you are as an author at the end of the day, you still make mistake especially when you are publishing your own book.

As an author, you must be mindful of the quality of your narrative. Serious readers are quick to spot the writing mistake by a self-publish book. Especially, if you make it known to them that you are a debut author. For them, debut author is a new and probably a terribly inexperienced author.

In writing your book, you can inadvertently make glaring writing mistakes that when done repeatedly will not only turn off readers but also undermine your credibility and reputation.

What are some of these writing mistake by a self-publish and how can you correct them?

In writing your book, you can inadvertently make glaring writing mistakes that when done repeatedly will not only turn off readers but also undermine your credibility and reputation.

What are some of these writing mistake by a self-publish and how can you correct them?

1. Using quotation marks for emphasis

Quotation marks are the most common writing mistake by a self-publish author.You can use quotation marks around single words or phrases – only when you quote a word or term some else used. Other than that, don’t.

Writers use quotation marks to express irony or sarcasm or convey the different meaning or the true meaning of a sentence. Take a look at the following examples.

• Christina was “happy” about the news. (This indicates that Christina was not, in fact, happy at all.
• In the digital age, printed books have been “dinosaurs”. (Meaning, printed books have fallen out of use due to the Internet.)

When you want to emphasize something, make sure to use italics or boldface type, not quotation marks.

   2.Unnecessary shift in verb tense

“Changes in verb tense help readers understand the temporal relationships among various narrated events but unnecessary or inconsistent shifts in tenses can cause confusion,” said the Purdue Online Writing Lab handout titled “Verb Tense Consistency”. Indeed, unnecessary shifts in verb tenses make reading difficult and obscure the meaning of a sentence for readers.

Take a look at this sentence:

Sue took the book from a shelf and walks to the counter.

Note that the sentence above begins in the past tense but shifts to the present tense. To avoid shifts in verb tense, maintain the same tense in the sentence. All verb tenses in each of your sentences should work together appropriately.

Sue took the book off a shelf and walked to the counter.

Sue takes the book off a shelf and walks to the counter.

    3.Missing commas

The presence or absence of a comma can powerfully change the meaning of a sentence. The accidental omission of commas, especially in a series, can lead to some hilarious grammar mistakes. Consider the following:

Let’s eat grandma.

He will have lunch with Hillary Clinton, a retired priest and a rising professional athlete.

She finds inspiration in cooking her husband and her cat.

Always use a comma to:

• Separate the intention of the sentence from the person being spoken to. Always include a comma before the name of the person being spoken to in dialogue.

Let’s eat, grandma.

• Separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses in a series from one another.

He will have lunch with Hillary Clinton, a retired priest, and a rising professional athlete.

She finds inspiration in cooking, her husband, and her cat.

      4.Misspelling

It’s easy for today’s authors to make spelling errors especially when they use their smartphones or tablets to compose documents or emails on the go. As a matter of fact, the misspelling is the most common writing mistakes by a self-publish author even us commit this crime. It pays to slow down, read aloud, and above all, spell check what you’ve composed before hitting the ‘Send’ or ‘Post’ button.

What are some of the most common spelling mix-ups?

• Affect/Effect

Although both words can be used as nouns and verbs, “affect” is usually used as a verb and “effect” is usually used as a noun.

The president’s tariffs could affect state economies.

Social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram can have positive effects on our social life.

• Assure/Ensure

To assure is to tell someone something positively or confidently to remove any doubt.

Jessica assured me that she will vote for me in the school election.

To ensure is to make certain that something shall occur.

To ensure gas supply, China says it will build pipelines.

• Compliment/Complement

A compliment is a polite expression of praise or admiration.

I received a nice compliment from one of my teachers.

A complement is something that completes something.

This dress is the perfect complement to that pair of shoes.

• Emigrate/Immigrate

To immigrate is to go to a new place while to emigrate is to leave a place. You immigrate to places and emigrate from places.

My family emigrated from Australia.

My family immigrated to Australia.

• Invoke/Evoke:

To invoke is to assert something as authority or appeal to someone for help.

The Philippines invokes military aid from Western countries.

To evoke is to bring or recall something to the conscious mind.

The movie evokes memories of his experience during the war.

Writing mistakes by a self-publish author is prevalent.Remember your composition is like an eye, a window to your soul. It’s a written language printed to disseminate your consciousness into the mortal realm of the universe. Readers may appreciate your piece of writing but there are people bring out the issue or the error in your book. Always step back and read your work as you progress and correct what is needed to be corrected.

Do you find yourself making any of these writing mistakes? What do you do to correct them? Let ReadersMagnet know in the comments. Don’t forget to share this blog post with your friends.

Need help marketing and promoting your next masterpiece? Talk with a ReadersMagnet marketing consultant today. Call 1-800-805-0762 or email us at info@beta.readersmagnet.com