I recently had the disconcerting experience of being told that a fact was wrong in one of my books. After frantically going back to my notes and then the finished book, I felt just as I did a few years ago when a few "friends" called me up, giggling, to tell me that there was the funniest typo in one of my books.
Horrible. As if the bottom had dropped out of my stomach.
The fact is that I don't let a manuscript leave my hot little fists until I've checked it at least thirty times, which isn't an exaggeration. Then it gets to my editor, who's eagle-eyed and sharp, then back to me, then back to my editor, then to the copy editor, then back to me, then back to typesetting, then back to me.
Bottom line, I am responsible for any and all mistakes found in my books. Nobody else but me. Yes, there are quite a few people involved in the process, but the book is mine, the words are mine. The facts, whether or not they are correct or wrong, come back to rest on my shoulders. It doesn't matter whether or not I've got it right in the beginning. If I haven't caught the mistake by the printed book it's still my mistake.
Unfortunately, I can't do diddly if I've missed something or screwed something up between the composition stage and the end result and that is the most frustrating thing of all.
Perfection is a process and I'm processing as fast as I can.