100% Andrew. After immersing myself for so long writing a story, I find that at some point I just have to just publish it. Then I walk away from it for a while and eventually come back to read it again, only to find that what I thought was great, now sounds lame. I find unnecessary repetition, a passage left out of place from previous editing and re-arranging... I think the day an author no longer thinks their book needs editing is the day that author dies.

Thank you for the comment, Eric. I actually went through something similar with my first book—I ended up editing it 12 times(!). Even though I published it four years ago, I still go back to it from time to time, especially after reading new reviews or other books, and realize how raw it was. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who's this critical of their own work—I thought I might be overreacting. But honestly, how can I ignore something if I know I can improve it?

Yep, Andrew, you're far from alone. It gets so bad sometimes I'm afraid to look. In my latest, I noticed an exclamation mark on page 2 that should have been italicised, but wasn't, and it's eating me up... And if I find a typo, well, I'm liable to unpublish and revise immediately...

Eric wrote: "I think the day an author no longer thinks their book needs editing is the day that author dies."

Truth! That last line is a gem, too. Print it out and hang it on every author's wall.

Andrew wrote: "Thank you for the comment, Eric. I actually went through something similar with my first book—I ended up editing it 12 times(!).

I'm with you, I think the fewest revisions for me were 3 (short novella) and the most around 15. Probably best to keep it published for those searching or browsing, then upload the new edition if there are enough changes. MS Word 2016 & free Grammarly have been great allies (for grammar, not tone).

From feedback, I would estimate about 90% of my readers aren't concerned about whether I used a semi-colon or colon, or said 'which' when I meant 'that' sort of stuff. With this in mind, I do still try to please the remaining 10% with 'proper English', which is the Star Trek Borg of languages, mashing together global vocabulary and slang anyway.

Andrew wrote: "Thank you for the comment, Eric. I actually went through something similar with my first book—I ended up editing it 12 times(!). Even though I published it four years ago, I still go back to it fro..."

Interesting comments and thoughts.

I must admit I have that same feeling of finding errors after publishing, being so new(ish) to Amazon, it's daunting finding errors that are there or worse, the spaces once printed look off to the e-version.

So those 12 times you've edited and uploaded, did you have any issues? Looks like Amazon allows you to upload indefinitely.

For sure! I am going through the same thing right now after publishing my first book! I'm sure it could always be better, but I'm trying to ignore my inner critic and focus on writing the next book in my series. Should I be super picky and keep editing my first? I just feel like if I do, there will never be an end to it. LOL

Hi! I really relate to this topic. I’m not publishing books myself, but write essays, reviews, and reflections on authors and ⚡️perfectionism hits me the same way.

What I’ve realized that my perfectionist side keeps comparing everything I write to the “top voices” in the industry and forgets that even an imperfect piece can still help or inspire real readers at different levels of literary experience.

Those readers are the emotional fuel that helps an author grow, but perfectionism denies that chance, creating inner sorrow ... I am not a king 👑 like Stephen King… 😄

So now I try to see every piece - published or not - as part of the process, another step in finding my voice. Letting the inner critic go (at least for a walk 🙂), turns out to be a part of the craft 🖌📚