Non-Professional Copy-Editing
Dear Bloomsbury USA,
I’m just writing to tell you how disappointed I am in your copyediting
and cover-design departments. I picked up a copy of your "How I Learned
to Cook" by Kimberly Witherspoon and Peter Meehan at the bookstore the
other day. The book itself looks interesting, though I haven’t had a
chance to read it yet.
However, the title on the spine? The word "learned" is misspelled as L-E-A-N-R-E-D.
Now, the occasional typographical error can slip past the best editors
on occasion. This is understood. But in the actual title of the book on
the COVER?
So, so sad.
Yours,
Deb Boyken
Edited to add, I just received the following response:
Deb, you are right, it was a grievous error that we all regret. We have replaced every copy that any bookseller decided to return, and have corrected the mistake on future reprints.
To err is human….
Annik La Farge
Publishing Director, Bloomsbury USA
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Tannenbaum.
House Calls
Oh, that’s beyond pathetic.
Do you remember Little Golden books? I don’t know if they’re still published, but they were fourteen-ish years ago. I had bought Tiffany “The Poky Little Puppy.” When we took it out to read that first night I was shocked. The book began
“Oky little puppy…”
Love you!!
Hang on to that book! With an obvious typo like that it could become a (valuable?) collector’s item. Maybe…
When I was in high school our yearbook printers misspelled our school’s NAME. Talk about embarrassing. I was on the Journalism staff, and didn’t hear the end of it for the 3 years I was there. All the did was give us crack-and-peel stickers to cover it up. A lot of people asked for a refund. It really ruined the credibility of the journalism team.
oh brother - how ridiculous.
Yikes. Someone likely lost a job. What’s going to happen with our next generation who doesn’t even learn how to spell?
Oh dear…very embarrassing!
That is so very sad! I am notorious for picking out typos in books that I read, but to have one on the cover and it not be noticed? Wow.
Lol. Nice gotcha. I wonder how many eyes reviewed the copy and signed off on the typo. Do let us know how the publisher responds.
Uh duh! This sort of thing is just sloppy. Last night, I was disgusted by a commercial that misused the word slow as an adverb. I was shouting “SLOW-LY! SLOW-LY!” at the TV. I see this on street signs all the time.
It is just so so sad.
absolutely pathetic.
and you should send a copy of this blog post to the publishers of that book.
Brother! And we thought Inspired Fair Isle Knit was sloppily edited. At least all their errors were hidden inside. :^/
It does seem to speak to an overall trend towards slackened standards in the editing business, doesn’t it? I just don’t know how they think we can take the content seriously when it’s so badly presented.
Heads are going to roll!
Even spellcheck should have picked up that one.
Another example of a failure to pay attention to the details. So sad.
Whoa! That’s really pathetic. I am always annoyed when I see misspelled words in a book, but seeing that on the spine! Awful.
ROTFLOL! That is really, *really* sad!
I love that they actually answered you! Their editing might be shoddy, but at least their manners are still decent.
Wow, that is bad. At least they answered though.