Let’s talk writing
January 11, 2011
Hey all, we’re snowed in today in St. Louis. Well, I mean I could get out if I wanted, but the house is warm, I have these great fluffy boot slippers on and the house smells like bacon, so I’m really not eager to go anywhere.
The kiddos are also home from school which makes for short periods of silence where I worry what they’re doing. As every parent knows, quiet = trouble brewing. And just when I’m about to call 911, they barrel through the family room much like a mob of wild ferrets.
Needless to say, I’m not going to get much writing done today. But I thought what we did last week on Facebook was a lot of fun. We started talking about critique groups and writing and issues that unpublished writers face. So since I’ll be here all day, at your disposal, I’m opening up the blog to questions. Feel free to ask anything you’d like about writing. Even if you’re not an aspiring writer, if you’re an avid reader and have always wondered why in the heck authors do X or publishers do Y, ask away and I’ll do my best to answer.
Signed,
Angie under seige
Thanks for stopping by! If you like paranormals as much as I do, then this is the place to be.
Angie Fox 
January 11, 2011 at 9:26 pm
Hi Angie! It’s me again! Pigtails Girl! I was just wondering how your publisher is able to print the books with not one problem regarding grammar, correct spelling, spaces even, etc. (This is a good question, by the way, not a complaint.) I have been noticing over the past couple of years that other books have SO many mistakes in the print, that I get so focused on the mistakes and lose track of the story line.
I have emailed 2 publishers regarding their “proofreading qualities” or lack there of.
I.E.–There where 2 different authors, both from the same publisher, that reprinted a paragraph from chapter 1 in the middle of other chapters throughout the books.
What is wrong with responsible proofreading and where has it gone?
P.s. Just in case you didn’t guess, I LOVE your books and My T-shirt!!!
January 11, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Crud!!! I just reread my own post, and realized I mispelled a word!!! I guess I’m not any better than the publishers!!! I meant “I.E.–There were…not where.”
January 11, 2011 at 10:36 pm
Hey, good to see you here, Marcena. To answer your question, I never make grammar, spelling or spacing mistakes. Are you done laughing now? Okay.
The answer is that I go through my manuscripts to make sure that they’re as polished as I can make them. Then my editor will catch things.
After her, the copy editor will look over the book. His entire job is to catch those little niggling things that are so easy to overlook. Then I see the pages again and approve or reject his changes. Then it goes into galleys, which are basically page proofs. In fact, the issue you were talking about where that author’s book had entire paragraphs inserted wrong, that should have been caught in galleys.
I look over the galleys and I’m pretty sure the editor or copy editor sees those as well. Because, really, what’s in the galleys (if left alone) will be in the book.
Like you, I’ve seen the occasional error in printed books. I’ve never seen the kind of errors you mentioned. I really hope it’s not a sign of a departure from editing because, believe me, we writers need it!
January 12, 2011 at 11:42 am
Thank You for the explanation about the publishing process. Wow! That’s a lot re-reading. So I guess your books are well read by the time they come out in stores! lol
The 2 book mistakes that I mentioned are the only 2 instances that I’ve experienced, but I was shocked, none the less. Mostly I find spelling errors on most books. I.E. –“Their where two cars available.”
I have not seen those kinds of mistakes in your books.
If I ever try to publish a story, I’ll go to your publisher!
Sorry about being snowed in. Those of us in Texas are envious. Especially myself! I LOVE the cold!
At least, in the cold, one can always add more layers to get warm. In the sweltering heat, if you lose too many layers, you get put in jail for public indecency! And I, personally, try not to scare too many people.
January 13, 2011 at 3:39 pm
Yes, it is a lot of re-reading. But I’d rather catch something than have somebody else point it out. 😉
And you can have the snow – I’m freezing my rear off up here.