A Proofreading Pitfall

Ah, proofreading and peer editing. Every writer’s least favourite part of completing a piece of work. Or, at least, it’s my least favourite part. Do you mean to tell me there could be mistakes in what I just wrote? Well, yes. Shockingly, I know too many people who think they’re “too good” for proofreading and editing. Well, folks, not even the most prolific, Pulitzer Prize-winning literary creators are too good for this crucial step. 

We are blind to our own writing and perspective. Even after rigorous editing, all the times I’ve asked a trusted friend to edit my writing, my work has always been returned to me with changes. Even trained writers fall victim to embarrassing slips, minor forgotten punctuation, and proper capitalization. Still, perfecting your work through editing is how you maintain a credible and positive reputation as a professional in our society. 

Let’s talk about a PR disaster that could’ve been avoided with a simple second opinion and a minor change in sentence formatting. Do you remember Susan Boyle? Susan Boyle was a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent. She rose to fame with her powerful singing voice and topped the U.K. charts several times. In 2012, Susan and what I can only assume was her PR team were attempting to generate excitement about her new upcoming album, Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage. Now, how did they choose to do this? Well, by popularizing a hashtag on Twitter! Thus, #Susanalbumparty was born. I’m sure that this hashtag needs no further explanation…

Now, of course, this hashtag was supposed to read “Susan Album Party,” but Susan’s new album clearly isn’t what the public was excited about. I would argue that all of Twitter and the world learned the importance of camel casing that day. You’re probably wondering, “How could an error like that have gotten past a team of publicists or PR professionals?” I guess that’s a mystery we will never know the answer to. However, we can take an important lesson away from this. As I stated before, “not even the most prolific, Pulitzer Prize-winning literary creators are too good for proofreading and peer editing.” As expected, that same rule applies to even the most experienced PR professionals.

This is your 100th reminder to proofread and edit your work! Even though it’s a frustrating and time-consuming process, remember #Susanalbumparty when your colleague asks for some editing help or when the time comes for you to seek an editor for your latest piece. Editing and proofreading isn’t personal, it’s good practice. We are all human, so don’t make a silly mistake. Especially one that we are all trained to avoid.