I love you. I’m sorry.

Date: 27th March 2017, Posted by mollie

Please forgive me…

I received a review recently which really shocked me. Thankfully some readers were kind enough to contact me directly instead of posting a review on Amazon.

But then my heart sunk again. Because I had the book professionally edited and proofread I was sure somehow an advance copy of an unedited version of The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage was landing in my readers laps.

So I uploaded my ‘edited’ version to Amazon again to other book sellers again and emailed links to people who had contacted me.

Only it wasn’t edited correctly at all!

The person who did the proof-reading did the best she could at the time—I’ve since learned she had so much going on in her personal life, and I am so grateful for the help she did give me.

But, a few people emailed me directly and were even kind of enough to point out the errors were still there.
Thank you Lesley for sending me a list of errors (twice) so I could begin to correct them. And also for your email (below) letting me know you have posted a review.

Have left review on Amazon UK and US (link to latter: https://www.amazon.com/review/RGTVFJKRN8F6C/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm) these will show as verified purchase. To the review left on Goodreads, iBooks UK and B&N I have added a sentence to say that I have advised the author of some editing issues. 

 

Despite all my errors, thank you Lorraine for emailing me with the feedback below—(I know it was from your phone so I read between the spelling to your larger message of heart)

i loved reading this book its the most heartwarming book ive read in a llng time. i crked a lot bot im glad you had the great endin you had eith him standing with his newborn son ins his arms and telling alex he loved her thanks for the great read.

Rita, thank you for all your encouraging emails and for offering to be an advance reader of all my books and your offer to post reviews.

And to everyone else who has contacted me to say they would love to read an advance copy of Flight of Passion before it is released. Thank you.

Your incredible support sustains me

It would be easy to give up and succumb to feeling discouraged—especially after emailing you and saying I’d uploaded an error free file. I don’t trust myself to email you again with another version.

I want to make triple sure, and then triple sure again, that all the errors have been picked up I have unpublished “The Italian Billionaire’s Scandalous Marriage.”

As with all things in life, it’s not the failing that counts, it’s integrating lessons learned, and putting added weight into your dreams. So here’s what I learned:

• As an independent author responsibility lies with me
• Don’t outsource responsibility for ensuring my books are edited error free
• Check. Double check. Triple check—and repeat
• Read my book out loud
• When a proof-reader is engaged, have a fresh set of eyes look at the work
• Edit and proof-read as I write, rather than leave it to the end of the book. 50,000 words (or more) are a lot to take in!
• Providing readers with FREE books is wonderful—but can be expensive if external people like cover designers, proof-readers, story doctors and editors etc., are employed
• Pay the experts—but make it as error free as I can first
• Learn the art of editing, especially grammar—ask my way to success, or consider asking a friend (a retired teacher down the road may be just the help I need. I’d rather learn in person if I can.
• Maintain a positive attitude. As Oprah Winfrey once said, “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”

Thank you again for not giving up on me.

P.S.  My first book The Italian Billionaire’s Christmas Bride, set in Milan, and Fiji, went through a far more rigorous editing process—I worked with three editors and a bunch of advance readers before publishing. There’s another lesson there.

P.P.S I’ll get the correct version to you for FREE when I’m 100 % sure it’s perfect. And if you have read the book and enjoyed it I’d be ever so grateful if you’d post a review on Goodreads.

Thank you!

Posted in: Mollie's Blog, The Italian Billionaire's Scandalous Marriage