HeyJaredThe Snarky Editor
Leigh Michaels -- author of sassy and sophisticated Regency romance, writing coach, and teacher -- shares the observations of the Snarky Editor on the errors in published books.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 12
- Latest publication
- Sep 28, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 13, 2026
Latest issues
Literally? (opens the original)
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A lot of authors seem to be confused about what “literally” means, because they tend to use it to add emphasis to an exaggeration. But literally means word for word, or without exaggeration. So when an author says something is literally true, but she’s attached the word to an overstatement, it’s a contradition. In fact, you might say that it’s literally impossible.Repeat after The Snarky Editor. Literally means really. If what you’re saying isn’t real — right down to the det
Well, no. Not exactly. (opens the original)
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Sometimes authors just get it wrong. Maybe they assume they know more than they do. Maybe they just don’t check. But when they mess up, the result is that readers don’t trust them to get anything else right, either.<img alt="" class="sizing-normal" heig
Time to check your answers (opens the original)
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Last week was Labor Day and The Snarky Editor didn’t feel much like laboring, so she decided to make you all work instead. Sorry ‘bout that. (Not.)So let’s check how well you’ve been paying attention. Here’s what stopped The Snarky Editor cold when she came across each of these selections.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!78PF!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F47
Just checking.... (opens the original)
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Every now and then, The Snarky Editor likes to find out if you’ve been paying attention. So here’s the deal. She’s pulled examples from one week’s reading (and there’s a scary thought — she found all these in one week’s reading?) to see if you can spot what made her pause in each of these examples. Share your answers in the comments, and The Snarky Editor will tell you next week what stopped her cold in each of these selections.<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackc
Let's talk about talking (opens the original)
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Remember when your third-grade teacher told you not to use he said and she said all the time? Here’s a secret: She only told you that because you were using it all the time, with no relief and no variation. The truth is, there’s nothing wrong with he said and she said, as long as they’re used in moderation. And a simple he said is a whole lot more appealing than some of the attributions The Snarky Editor sees from time to time. Like these:<a class="image-link image2" href="https://substackcdn.co
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