10 Editing Mistakes That Kill Book Sales

About this video

In a video sponsored by ProWritingAid, Dale Roberts opens with real Amazon reviews complaining about blatant errors and sloppy writing, then lists ten editing mistakes he says kill book sales, in no particular order. One: ignoring grammar and spelling — one misspelled word on page one can cost dozens of sales because readers assume more follow. Two: inconsistent formatting and style — shifting dialogue tags, spacing, italics or quotation styles make a book feel amateur. Three: overwriting and fluff — long-winded, repetitive scenes stall the story; a strong edit trims the fat. Four: weak sentence variety and pacing — all-long sentences tire readers, all-short ones feel robotic; scenes need quiet beats and fast action. Five: relying only on self-editing — your brain fills in missing words and skips mistakes, so use tools; here he promotes ProWritingAid (free plan plus premium tiers, integrations with Word, Google Docs and Apple Pages, 10% yearly discount via his link) as a deeper check for style, pacing and readability. Six: neglecting readability — dense sentences, jargon and walls of text frustrate readers; shorter sentences, active voice and clear choices win. Seven: not editing your book description — the blurb is the first writing sample most buyers see, and typos there lose the sale. Eight: inconsistent story details — a character’s eye colour or a journey’s duration changing mid-book shatters trust. Nine: skipping outside feedback — beta readers, critique partners, groups or a hired editor catch what your eyes miss. Ten: publishing too fast — rushing skips editing cycles and causes long-term reputational damage; instead step away for a week, run multiple focused passes, get feedback, and recheck description and formatting. He closes by recommending ProWritingAid’s free plan as an immediate extra set of eyes.

Key takeaways

• Basic grammar and spelling errors are fatal signals: readers treat one typo as proof of more to come, stop reading, and leave one-star reviews warning others away.
• Consistency is an editing job in itself — uniform formatting and style, and unchanging story details (eye colour, distances, timelines), are what make a book feel professional and trustworthy.
• Cut overwriting and manage rhythm: trim fluff so every sentence advances story, character or atmosphere, and mix short, medium and long sentences with varied pacing.
• Never rely on self-editing alone: your brain auto-corrects your own mistakes, so add editing tools and outside eyes — beta readers, critique partners or a professional editor — before publishing.
• Edit the book description as rigorously as the manuscript, and slow down: build in a break after the draft plus multiple focused passes, because a rushed, sloppy release damages sales and reputation long-term.

Episode details: published September 15, 2025 · 13:10 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Dale L. Roberts’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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