For all of us sad sacks who didn't think ahead and make this a four-day weekend, here's something that will brighten your last day at work. Surf on over to this post at Editorial Anonymous, where the writer has some fun at the expense of some iUniverse authors. (Yes, I'm about a week behind in seeing this, but it was worth the wait.)
The unspoken point is, of course, that when people are allowed to just publish books without the help of a professional editor and a traditional publishing house, you're gonna get some crazy stuff. I still applaud everyone's right to write, and I don't think the few should be able to decide what the many will read. But it's sad to see what some people think passes for a good book idea, a great title, and good editing. This is, as one commenter put it, what my slush pile looks like.
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4 comments:
Yay! More evidence that I will always be able to find work.
They need us--they really need us!
I've reviewed several books that obviously saved money by skipping editors -- but really... it just embarrasses the writer and wastes reviewers' time. But then, we reviewers should tell the truth and let people decide if they want to waste money on an unedited book.
Hi Meryl,
By mentioning wasting money on an unedited book, you bring up an interesting point: How much value does an editor bring to a book? I've often heard the argument from upper management at other places that "nobody will notice" if the editors don't do their jobs correctly, and that it won't affect the "salability" of the book. But I have to disagree. People do notice. Mistakes erode an author's credibility. A bad book title could kill an otherwise good book. Editors are here to save authors from themselves.
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