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TWENTY-SIX

Don’t Hire a Proofreader

If you post often, you will inevitably get some e-mails from readers who have caught typos in your blog posts. Most of those who have contacted me go out of their way to apologize for bringing the subject up. Regardless, always be appreciative. I fix the error, thank the reader, and move on.

However, on occasion you will get an e-mail from a self-appointed member of the Grammar Police. He or she feels compelled not only to point out your errors but to chide you.

For example, someone recently wrote this to me:

You should be ashamed. How can you be a book publisher and allow such embarrassing errors on your blog? I am disappointed by your lack of commitment to excellence. It makes me think less of your company. Please: do us all a favor and hire a proofreader!

I am just grateful I am not married to this person!

Should you hire someone to proofread your blog posts? In my opinion, no. Here’s why:

1. It will delay “shipping.” You can fiddle with your writing until it is perfect (an illusion, by the way), or you can publish and move on to the next thing. Perfectionism is the mother of procrastination.

2. Blogs are not books. If you have an error in a book, it is permanent—at least until the next edition. Not so with blogs. You can make corrections on the fly and republish the post immediately.

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3. Even proofreaders don’t catch every typo. Book publishers use multiple proofers on every book as a matter of course. Still, they don’t catch everything. Those pesky little errors hide in the shadows and only show up once the book is printed. How much proofing is enough? Most of us can’t afford perfection.

I think the better approach is to stay focused on your writing and your output. Churn out the posts. The more you write, the better you will get.

Obviously you will want to read your post several times before you upload it. The following process works well:

• Read through it twice after you have written it.

• Read it once out loud.

• Publish as a draft and read through it on the blog itself.

Some errors will still slip through the cracks. But at some point, it’s time to hit the “Publish” button and be done with it.

From there, crowdsource your proofreading. Your regular readers are happy to do it. Spend your time writing content that adds value rather than obsessing over every typo, misspelling, and grammatical error.