1. SeverinR

    SeverinR New Member

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    professional mistakes

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by SeverinR, May 26, 2011.

    I have read several books by my favorite author, she is very good at telling the story. I have noticed typos and errors before, but in the book I just finished I have found six or eight easy errors.(They have to be easy if I notice them over the enjoyment of the book. I'm not reading to proofread or review the book)

    two tense errors, three spelling errors, and I think two sound a-likes.

    Am I getting better at noticing the mistakes or was this just a bad edit?

    (I think MSword would have caught most of them.[other then tense])
     
  2. Trish

    Trish Damned if I do and damned if I don't Contributor

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    I read a book like that recently. By one of my faves. She went through a different publishing house and like 20 times the word "race" was used in place of "face". It was absurd. I don't know what the hell happened. In her latest one though it was back to normal. Maybe it's a situation like that?
     
  3. EdFromNY

    EdFromNY Hope to improve with age Supporter Contributor

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    I've noticed more errors in my recent reads. I blame an overreliance on software which, no matter how good it is, won't catch everything.
     
  4. Omega14

    Omega14 New Member

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    Happens all the time. I read a book a few months back which had an error of some kind every 20-30 pages. Not just typos, either, but inconsistencies that an editor should have picked up on before it ever got to proof stage.

    I also read an astronomy book that claims the universe is "13 million years old" :eek:. <slap forehead>
    The odd typo is forgivable, a fundamental mistake like that in a reference book is not.

    Rachel
     
  5. digitig

    digitig Contributor Contributor

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    Maybe they were trying to please everybody and hit on some sort of average between 13 billion and 6000. :D

    The worst book I ever read in terms of typos was actually a textbook on the English language. One of the many problems was that lots of the international phonetic alphabet symbols had been substituted with other characters. It looks as if the author hadn't embedded the font when he sent it to the publisher and the publisher didn't have anybody who knew any better and so published it as it was.
     
  6. Infinitytruth

    Infinitytruth New Member

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    I've noticed spelling errors before in books on only like two different occasions, but other than that I've never noticed any grammar errors. I guess it's because my grammar is not even close to as good as my spelling.
     
  7. HotfireLegend

    HotfireLegend New Member

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    I haven't read any books like that per sae, but I've seen some typos in popular books, haha!
     
  8. mammamaia

    mammamaia nit-picker-in-chief Contributor

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    i've found mistakes and typos in books by the very best of writers... and it's always only due to poor editing, since even if the author goofs, the editor is supposed to catch and correct 'em all...

    the blame however, ultimately rests on the publisher's shoulders, since that's who hires and is supposed to oversee the editors...
     

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