Whether writers are writing nonfiction or fiction, they owe
it to their readers to double check facts, as well as checking for any errors
in consistency, punctuation, grammar, spelling, and typos.
Unless writers are giving their work away free of charge,
most readers are spending their money for a product; the writer has an ethical
responsibility to their reader. Writers need an EDITOR to make sure that their
book is as error free as possible.
This is the reason that self-published books have a less
than stellar rating. Reviewers are talking about how bad self-pubs are, also
the internet. It is true that anyone can write, but not everyone is a writer. Readers
hold writers to a standard ingrained by traditional publishers where they
edited, and proofread as part of the publishing process.
Writers should hold themselves to this standard. Some indie
authors feel there should be no rules. Whether there are or aren’t any rules is
not the point, the point is that authors ethically owe their readers work that
is the best in can be, edited, and proofread before the reader receives a copy.
If writers have blogs, delve into social media sites, have a
web site, in all instances, they shouldn’t use internet shortcut language, they
should be practicing their language and writing skills at all times.
Some authors may disagree, but there must be some basic
level of ethics in all writers, that make them strive to turn out the best
product for the reader. A product that has been fact checked, edited, and
proofread by someone other than the author.
Why someone other than the author, simple, the author is too
close to the project to be truly objective when it comes to the blue pencil.
Robert Medak
Writer, Blogger, Editor, Reviewer
