Christ, are ther NO book editors anymore? I just started reading a book, and

[Redstone]

and on PAGE TWO, the author used the word "hoards" when he meant to say "hordes."

Can an editor read AT LEAST through the second damn page of a book? Is that too much to ask?

Redstone

[Skittles]

1. HEY!

I've noticed quite a few errors lately in books I have been reading - WTF

[snagglepuss]

2. A kind of similar compliant. I was in two independent bookstores, both

employ university students. Clerks in both stores could not spell meritocracy to do a search and both clerks seemed to doubt the word actually existed. I had to insist it was a real word and spell it. I was shocked.

[Ghost in the Machine]

13. Yeah.. but could they spell *complaint*??

:evilgrin:

[snagglepuss]

24. LOL

Guilty as charged.

[RobinA]

20. On This Note

What is with the current habit of alphabetizing in book/video stores(among other offenders) using the words "A" and "The" as as the operative first word. As in placing "The Adams-Jefferson Letters" under "T" for "the" instead of "A" for "Adams." Along with all the other "the" titles. Do they not teach this in 4th grade anymore?

[pink-o]

3. It depends on the author I think!

Some of the big name book writers (with the exception of Stephen King, who taught English before getting "Carrie" published) are among the worst offenders! I made a HUGE mistake and bought "The Lost Symbol" in September. Damn, Dan Brown's writing was in Triage!!!! That dude really needed a good editor, not to mention a counselor to teach him about human interactions. But I think people are either too intimidated to correct these powerhouses or else the publishers figure it ain't broke so don't fix it.

Danielle Steele is the WORST offender ever! She is to writing what Thomas Kinkade is to art, but you would think someone would tell her how to structure a paragraph. The sad truth, however, is that anyone who reads her books doesn't care about that sort of thing.

Remember in school we had to learn parts of speech and how to diagram a sentence? Kids don't do that anymore. And how can you learn to write when you're denied the knowledge of fundamentals? Like learning music without theory class--it can be done, but it's gonna be a lot harder and--for the most part--a lot poorer.

[pscot]

4. If you're going to waste a bunch of money on editors

you might as well not even bother having the book printed in China. As far as spellcheck is concerned, hoards is acceptable orthography.

[Capn Sunshine]

5. So, is your post line a test?

I thought you had your own editor

[JohnnyLib2]

6. LOL

anxiously awaiting reply!

[Redstone]

7. Oh, damn, did I embarrass myself enough? Here I am, bitching about

editors, and I drop a letter in my subject line.

Kinda introduces doubt regarding my authority to complain, doesn't it?

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

Redstone

[NewJeffCT]

15. You were just testing the Lounge, right?

that's it...

[Redstone]

16. Nah, I'll make no excuses. But thanks for your support. Hey, that snow is for real

tonight, isn't it?

Redstone

[NewJeffCT]

27. I think down where you guys it was

Up here in the Farmington Valley, not so bad. I think we got 4-5" Maybe even less. My lawn has some grass showing through in places.

[Deja Q]

12. *snicker*

[Iggo]

8. I hadn't really though about it, but you're right.

I've seen a ton of errors in books in recent years.

[CBHagman]

10. To be fair, it isn't quite new...

Years ago I bought a copy of Aljean Harmetz's The Making of Casablanca (formerly known as Round Up the Usual Suspects. The book itself is fascinating, but the paperback edition, at least, must have been gone over by a proofreader with three hours' sleep and a hangover. If I recall correctly, Lena Horne appears on the acknowledgments page as Lena Hrone, and they never quite decide on the spelling of Ingrid Bergman's first husband's name.

[gmoney]

9. looks like a spell-check thing

If the spell check is clean, it's easy to overlook homophones...

If they'd spelled it "hrdes" someone probably would have caught it.

[mitchum]

22. I also assume that is the reason for the explosion of that type of carelessness

[Deja Q]

11. As with 'research and development', 'quality control' costs too much.

[XemaSab]

14. You're not the only one to notice this, no

I have seen some horrific mistakes in books recently. :(

[bluesbassman]

17. Agreed, and not just with spelling.

I've seen sentences and even full paragraphs that didn't make any sense at all. And I'm not just talking abut Palin's book either. :)

[Captain Hilts]

18. I see it all the time too. One's a noun, one's a verb....nt

[Starbucks Anarchist]

19. I just noticed a couple of errors in James Ellroy's "Blood's A Rover."

Granted, the book is exceptionally well-edited, particularly given the complexity of the plot and the language, but I noticed two or three hard errors. One of them included a "0" in front of a character's name. It definitely interrupts the flow.

[mitchum]

21. That's been happening with books from reputable publishing houses for at least...

the past decade or so.
I have always expected that from cheap exploitation and pornography paperbacks, but now it comes from all publishers.
Everyone knows that English majors will work cheaply. Why not pay one a few bucks an hour to actually read the entire book? It's not backbreaking or dangerous work.

[NMDemDist2]

23. i got a nationwide upscale gift catalog with a big banner on the front

"This will be the last catalog you'll recieve before Christmas"

now how many editors/copy writers/sales execs etc etc had to sign off on the cover yet no one caught a 3rd grade spelling error??

[jus_the_facts]

25. The most grammar mistakes I've witnessed are using THEN and THAN incorrectly....

...makes me want to throw the book through the wall. :grr:

Hope you're feelin' some better these daze man. :hi:

[Kat45]

26. I need a job. MS in journalsim Why don't they hire me to edit?

:shrug:

[bikebloke]

28. Stephen King's fault

Once Stephen King was able to publish his huge forest levelling tomes rather than have a editor trim his popcorn reads down, they all decided to save money and sack the editors.

[NV Whino]

29. Alas, editors are an extinct species.

(Edited for typo. :rofl:)