What is it with editors these days?
Perhaps I have misunderstood how things work in publishing?
I mean, I thought an author would write a book, perhaps by hand with a pen, perhaps on a computer.
If on a computer, then he would run a spell check, or the computer would auto-corrupt his text - the best means yet invented of encouraging you to reread your text before sending it off.
Then I thought there followed a process of negotiation where an editor or editors would attempt to weed out unfortunate expressions, sheer, gross errors of fact, words that have no existence and deserve no existence, speling erers, would check references and citations.
Then the book, purged of all that the editors could succeed in purging, would go to print...
Then how come in the books I so happily and gladly review there are just plumb, stupid mistakes?
For example, please tell me, what is a forebearer? The latest book refers to our forebearers.
I thought it might be a joke. Sometimes in discussion I refer to the convictions shared by all our four bears, or at least by three of them.
I thought that I might have it wrong, so I looked up the word. Or tried to. Forebearers.
A worldwide strike of editors? A global dictionary shortage? Some bizarre declaration of genteel anarchy against the conventions of the English language?
Who knows!
But I warn our hindbearers, if it is like this in the bud, then wat wil thu ful frute bee lyke?
I mean, I thought an author would write a book, perhaps by hand with a pen, perhaps on a computer.
If on a computer, then he would run a spell check, or the computer would auto-corrupt his text - the best means yet invented of encouraging you to reread your text before sending it off.
Then I thought there followed a process of negotiation where an editor or editors would attempt to weed out unfortunate expressions, sheer, gross errors of fact, words that have no existence and deserve no existence, speling erers, would check references and citations.
Then the book, purged of all that the editors could succeed in purging, would go to print...
Then how come in the books I so happily and gladly review there are just plumb, stupid mistakes?
For example, please tell me, what is a forebearer? The latest book refers to our forebearers.
I thought it might be a joke. Sometimes in discussion I refer to the convictions shared by all our four bears, or at least by three of them.
I thought that I might have it wrong, so I looked up the word. Or tried to. Forebearers.
A worldwide strike of editors? A global dictionary shortage? Some bizarre declaration of genteel anarchy against the conventions of the English language?
Who knows!
But I warn our hindbearers, if it is like this in the bud, then wat wil thu ful frute bee lyke?
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