Published books

Authors and editors make mistakes. In theory one's manuscript should be nearly flawless. That makes the editor's job easier but it's still a job and should be done well. The best way I know of to eliminate as many errors as possible is to have as many eyes as you can get to read the ms before the editor sees it. That doesn't always mean an error free ms. My last novel has a word missing. Other than that it is fine. Every time I email my editor I twist the knife. It's my impotent way of getting even. Thank goodness for auto corrective eyesight!
C

I read a star wars book once that had the funniest typo in it. Han Solo had been spelt as "Ham" by mistake. The odd mistake in books are common. I find them fun to find.

I realized how easy it was for mistakes to occur when I went through the publishing process. My editor and I worked on it together for a couple of months going back and forth with suggestions and changes. During the revision process things can get overlooked. Even after the final draft went through the proofreaders, by the time it went to print I realized they'd included part of a paragraph that was supposed to be eliminated in revisions. The first print run had a kind of echo thing going on.It was fixed by the second run but I can certainly see how some things slip by no matter how many pairs of eyes read a manuscript.
Linnea

This post from Nathan Bransford's blog might help. I think the section most pertinent to your question starts a few paragraphs down.

There's already a thread about this.

Are you thinking about this thread, Ray?
It's not clear to me, because searching on "published book typo" gets pages of hits, which is a bit daunting

Except for self-published books it's fair to say that every published book as been professionally edited. It starts with the writer, then perhaps the agent, then the editor at the publishing house, then copy editors and proofreaders, then perhaps one more time by the writer, agent, editor, copy editor, and proofreader. Unfortunately all this work doesn't guarantee that there won't be any mistakes. At some point the manuscript will be turned over to the publishing companies production department for printing. Prior to the final book there are several rounds of proofs-galleys-of all the pages. They are proofread and perhaps edited by all. This goes on until everyone is satisfied or the production manager says "enough, any more delays and the books won't get printed on time."

Given all the above one would think you'd be lucky to find one or two errors in a book. Unfortunately that's not usually the case. I have found that most errors creep into text after being turned over to production. At that point most of the editorial players consider the book "done," and the production departments aren't as scrupulous in trying to locate printing errors as would be editorial people.

scope said:

the production departments aren't as scrupulous in trying to locate printing errors as would be editorial people.

Click to expand...

It has less to do with scrupulousness and more to do with time. Production often receives the shortest of the shrifts. Any delays from earlier in the process add up to compact production.

There's also the problem of familiarity. If the author and editor have seen the same passages dozens of times, the eyes start seeing what they expect to see rather than what's there. And there are the times when, upon seeing errors, I wonder what the manuscript was like before it got through the editing and proofing process.

Most of my published friends complain that every time someone edits their book, there's more typos in it--and when it's typeset, that adds about 3 typos per 10 pages.

As long as people are involved, you've got that human error challenge. At least no one seriously lives or dies by these kinds of typos.

DeleyanLee said:

Most of my published friends complain that every time someone edits their book, there's more typos in it--and when it's typeset, that adds about 3 typos per 10 pages.

As long as people are involved, you've got that human error challenge. At least no one seriously lives or dies by these kinds of typos.

Click to expand...

Yes! that's true! that is the case with my book. It was edited by at least 3 editors but along the way with all the edits, more typos were produced and slipped through to the published book. It was very frustrating for me to see typos that I caught early on in the process (and pointed out to my editor!) that ended up in the finished product.
Fingers crossed ** hopefully the book will go to a second printing and all these little typos can be fixed!

I have a first edition of Robert Heinlein's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls that contains the erratum slip telling the reader that on page 300, line 3 should read as follows: "ignate universes by serial numbers...but a more meaningful way, for"

Missing an entire phrase is pretty significant I think, and particularly one from such an illustrious author.

Less an editing than a publishing snafu, but I was reading a YA adventure novel called Far North, and the last "section" of pages was a repeat of the previous "section" rather than the last section. Very annoying. I had to make a run to the bookstore and buy a new copy of the book, checking it carefully first, of course!

--Q

Jackfisher, Didn't they send you a galley of the final product? I know that even print magazines such as Analog Science Fiction/Fact send galley proofs to their authors and I'd be real hesitant about any publisher which did not provide a galley of the final product pre-press run.

I've sort of taken it for granted that I'm going to find errors in published books. What amazes me is how many MCs and secondary characters change their names part way through. Quite confusing.

Carmy said:

I've sort of taken it for granted that I'm going to find errors in published books. What amazes me is how many MCs and secondary characters change their names part way through. Quite confusing.

Click to expand...

I have found that too. Doesn't it make you back up and say 'what?'?

MM

I guess it's like the economy. Where there's less money, people will cut corners.