diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,8 @@
+# 0.2.0.0 (2021-04-02)
+
+Changed the error message type of `decode'` from `Text` to `String` to be more
+idiomatic.
+
 # 0.1.0.0 (2021-03-21)
 
 Initial release.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@
 
 ## Usage as a library
 
-See the generate Haddock documentation in Hackage for module documentation.
+See the generated Haddock documentation in Hackage for module documentation.
 
 ## Development
 
diff --git a/bottom.cabal b/bottom.cabal
--- a/bottom.cabal
+++ b/bottom.cabal
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 cabal-version:      3.0
 name:               bottom
-version:            0.1.0.0
+version:            0.2.0.0
 synopsis:           Encoding and decoding for the Bottom spec.
 description:
   Encoding and decoding for the [Bottom spec](https://github.com/bottom-software-foundation/spec).
diff --git a/cmd/bottom/Main.hs b/cmd/bottom/Main.hs
--- a/cmd/bottom/Main.hs
+++ b/cmd/bottom/Main.hs
@@ -68,4 +68,4 @@
     Bottomify -> putStrLn $ T.unpack $ decodeUtf8 $ unBottom $ encode text
     Regress -> case decode' $ encodeUtf8 text of
       Right decoded -> putStrLn $ T.unpack decoded
-      Left err -> putStrLn $ T.unpack err
+      Left err -> putStrLn err
diff --git a/src/Data/Encoding/Bottom.hs b/src/Data/Encoding/Bottom.hs
--- a/src/Data/Encoding/Bottom.hs
+++ b/src/Data/Encoding/Bottom.hs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import Data.ByteString (ByteString)
 import qualified Data.ByteString as BS
 import qualified Data.Foldable as F
-import Data.List (unfoldr)
+import Data.List (intercalate, unfoldr)
 import Data.List.NonEmpty (NonEmpty (..))
 import qualified Data.List.NonEmpty as NE
 import Data.Text (Text)
@@ -71,13 +71,13 @@
 decode :: Bottom -> Text
 decode (Bottom bs) = case decode' bs of
   Right r -> r
-  Left err -> error "Data.Encoding.Bottom.decode: malformed Bottom: " <> err
+  Left err -> error $ "Data.Encoding.Bottom.decode: malformed Bottom: " <> err
 
 type Parser = Parsec Void ByteString
 
 -- | 'decode'' decodes an arbitrary Bottom-encoded 'ByteString' into a 'Text',
--- or returns a parse error if the 'ByteString' is malformed.
-decode' :: ByteString -> Either Text Text
+-- or returns a parse error message if the 'ByteString' is malformed.
+decode' :: ByteString -> Either String Text
 decode' bs = case runParser bottomParser "" bs of
   Left err -> Left $ renderError err
   Right r -> Right r
@@ -114,23 +114,23 @@
 
     -- Custom error messages, because the default error messages print raw
     -- ByteStrings and don't render correctly.
-    renderError :: ParseErrorBundle ByteString Void -> Text
+    renderError :: ParseErrorBundle ByteString Void -> String
     renderError ParseErrorBundle {bundleErrors = (TrivialError offset unexpected expected) :| []} =
-      unexpectedMessage <> expectedMessage <> " at offset " <> T.pack (show offset)
+      unexpectedMessage <> expectedMessage <> " at offset " <> show offset
       where
-        renderErrorItem :: ErrorItem (Token ByteString) -> Text
-        renderErrorItem (Tokens tokens) = "\"" <> decodeUtf8 (BS.pack $ NE.toList tokens) <> "\""
-        renderErrorItem (Label name) = T.pack $ NE.toList name
+        renderErrorItem :: ErrorItem (Token ByteString) -> String
+        renderErrorItem (Tokens tokens) = T.unpack $ "\"" <> decodeUtf8 (BS.pack $ NE.toList tokens) <> "\""
+        renderErrorItem (Label name) = NE.toList name
         renderErrorItem EndOfInput = "end of input"
 
         unexpectedMessage = case unexpected of
           Just unx -> "unexpected " <> renderErrorItem unx <> ": "
           Nothing -> ""
 
-        expectedMessage = "expected " <> (if length expecteds >= 2 then "one of " else "") <> T.intercalate ", " expecteds
+        expectedMessage = "expected " <> (if length expecteds >= 2 then "one of " else "") <> intercalate ", " expecteds
           where
             expecteds = renderErrorItem <$> F.toList expected
-    renderError err = T.pack $ errorBundlePretty err
+    renderError err = errorBundlePretty err
 
 -- Encoding functions.
 
diff --git a/test/Main.hs b/test/Main.hs
--- a/test/Main.hs
+++ b/test/Main.hs
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@
 import Test.Hspec (Expectation, describe, hspec, it, shouldBe)
 import Test.Hspec.QuickCheck (prop)
 
--- TODO: Why does using this character literally cause a GHC lexing error?
--- Related to https://gitlab.haskell.org/ghc/ghc/-/issues/5518 ?
+-- Using this character literally causes a GHC lexing error. I've opened a
+-- ticket at https://gitlab.haskell.org/ghc/ghc/-/issues/19633.
+--
+-- TODO: Once this is fixed in GHC, clean up the test cases.
 twoHundred :: Text
 twoHundred = T.singleton '\129730'
 
@@ -20,7 +22,7 @@
 testDecode :: Text -> Text -> Expectation
 testDecode input expected = case decode' $ encodeUtf8 input of
   Right r -> encodeUtf8 r `shouldBe` encodeUtf8 expected
-  Left err -> error $ T.unpack err
+  Left err -> error err
 
 testCases :: [(Text, Text)]
 testCases =
@@ -36,7 +38,8 @@
         <> "✨✨🥺,,👉👈💖💖✨✨🥺,,,,👉👈💖💖💖✨✨🥺,👉👈"
         <> twoHundred
         <> "✨✨🥺,,👉👈💖💖✨✨✨👉👈💖💖✨✨✨✨👉👈"
-    )
+    ),
+    ("\0", "❤️👉👈")
   ]
 
 main :: IO ()