Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Hey, it’s your book, but…

What good does a book editor do when he lets the author get away with nonsense? 

We’ve discussed the idiocy of “could of” instead of “could’ve.”  It’s time to look at “could care less.”  A particular favorite of mine.

What’s particularly exasperating is when a published author from a major publishing house uses it.  What in the world did the book’s editor do to earn his keep?

Take, for instance, Michael Grant’s Line of Duty, page 172, where, in a narrative paragraph, the author, describing a character’s state of mind, writes, “Still, Stone could care less.”

Really?  How much less? 

Sloppy work, guys.  The story deserves better, so do your readers.

Do a better job, ed.  Think about what you’re doing to the language, writer.  Know your tools, both.

(Of course, this particular horse is well out of the barn, the book was published in 1991.  Still, there might be a young writer or editor who can be saved from himself.)

 

Sphere: Related Content

No comments:

Post a Comment