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An experimental copy editing fable

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fljustice
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An experimental copy editing fable

Post by fljustice » Fri March 4th, 2011, 4:35 pm

You labor over your manuscript, acutely aware of the criticism. “Self-published = poorly written, poorly edited = trash.” You’re determined to prove the critics wrong. You polish—the characters, the plot, the prose. You put your manuscript through your writers group (which contains three people who work as editors)—twice. You give the final pages to a copy editor to find the last hidden flaws.

It’s off to the printer. The box arrives. Ah, that new book smell of acrid ink and paper dust! Copies go to reviewers. They like you! They really like you! The first grumble…a couple of missing commas. You’re disappointed, but buck up. Sometimes commas are a matter of preference. Differences of opinion can happen to anyone. Then the devastating blow…a reviewer points out that you misused a word on page 243 and that "a good copy editor would have found this."

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” You fall to the ground, claw at your hair, gnash your teeth. How did you (and your four editors) miss that one? You know the difference between “there” and “their”! How did that mistake creep into your manuscript? You sob, take a shuddering breath and pull yourself together. What’s done is done. The ink is dry.

You rise to your full height, silhouetted against a red sunset-streaked sky, clench your fist and vow, “As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again!” (Sorry wrong scene.) You raise your tear-streaked face from the keyboard and vow, “As God is my witness, I will use five editors next time!”

Later, while reading in bed, you come across this passage in Pulitzer prize-winning Stacy Schiff’s new book Cleopatra: A Life (published by Little Brown and Company), on page 145, describing a meeting between Marc Antony and Octavian (emphasis added, no commas deleted):

"He did not need to be reminded that he had narrowly missed out on adoption by the man he too admired above all others. Nor did he need to be lectured by a diminutive, self-righteous upstart. He was much taken aback. In his rich, raspy voice, he reminded the young man before him that political leadership in Rome was not hereditary. Comporting himself as if it were had got Caesar murdered. Antony had run plenty of risks to ensure that Caesar was buried with honors, plenty more for the sake of his memory."

You start to chuckle, with a tinge of hysteria. Your spouse turns to you, brow furrowed with concern. “What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”

“Nothing.” You close the hardback with the glossy dust jacket and $29.99 price tag. “Nobody’s perfect.”

Moral of the story: “Tomorrow is another edition.”

Note: Based on a true story. Details (except for the Cleopatra excerpt) have been changed to protect the innocent. Any punctuation and/or grammar mistakes (and I’m sure there are some) are mine alone. No copy editor reviewed this material.
Faith L. Justice, Author Website
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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Fri March 4th, 2011, 4:50 pm

Ha, Faith, that's brilliant! Well written too. :p Shall I go to page 243 of Selene to check it out? ;-)

The piece brought a smile to my weary, haven't yet reached my daily word total yet here I am on HFO, face.

My "favourite" self made error was forgetting that a character only had one arm, and then having him 'raise his hands' :o I didn't notice it, neither did my editor, managing editor, copy editor or proof reader. It got into print and was noticed by an Amazon reivewer, who I never got around to thanking (his review was rather caustic) but I did manage to get it taken out for the paperback. Phew....
Last edited by parthianbow on Fri March 4th, 2011, 4:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: addendum
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor

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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Fri March 4th, 2011, 5:12 pm

Thanks, Ben! Actually it's "accept" for "except" on page 57. Just killed me! :o
Last edited by fljustice on Fri March 4th, 2011, 6:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Alisha Marie Klapheke
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Post by Alisha Marie Klapheke » Fri March 4th, 2011, 5:44 pm

I'm laughing out loud here! Great stuff! I find I am often chuckling with a tinge of hysteria and telling my husband, "Oh, nothing, sweetheart." Ha! We writers are such freaks.

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ejays17
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Post by ejays17 » Sat March 5th, 2011, 11:19 am

This reminds me of a story about a writer-friend of mine. She wrote a fill-in book for the Chalet school series, it went through eleventy-million rewrites, a bunch of pre-readers, then the assistant editor, editor, a final neutral read-over, only to be published with the wrong name for the main character's house...

She pretty much laughs hysterically whenever anyone brings it up :D


Excellent story, fljustice, made me laugh! Especially channeling Scarlett O'Hara.
"Logic, my dear Zoe, merely enables one to be wrong with authority." The Doctor, Wheel in Space

SLOC: Solid Lump of Comfort (from the Chalet School books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Sat March 5th, 2011, 3:11 pm

I loved that! Very good, Faith.

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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Sat March 5th, 2011, 10:18 pm

Thanks, everyone! This was a "must get up in the middle of the night; have to write this or won't go to sleep piece." :D
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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Sun March 6th, 2011, 11:24 am

Oh it always happens no matter how careful you are and even when you know you know better. So I have the sun rising setting in the aast in The Leopard Unleashed (or is it rising in the west) even when I know that's so wrong, and no editor picked up on it either. And in To Defy A King, I have have a phrase where someone is shaken like a rat shaking a dog. Ummm....
:eek: :o :D
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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SarahWoodbury
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Post by SarahWoodbury » Sun March 6th, 2011, 3:55 pm

How about meaning to say 'the rider' and putting in 'the writer'.

I have to get out more :)

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