Paksworld

When you get the manuscript back from the copy editor (via the publisher) it’s conveniently referred to as “the copy edit” or “the copy edits.”   (Plural for its many pages, I guess.)

You find out at this point that your carefully prepared manuscript has mistakes in it.  You changed something but left one word of the old version of that sentence and did not see it.   Oh, the shame!   You misspelled something–and you a writer of many years, how could you!?  Oh, more shame.

At least, when you start with a computer file printed on the publisher’s printer (all I sent in was the computer file), you don’t have to see that your typewriter has a badly worn “o”, or that you aren’t striking the keys with even pressure.

But now the manuscript has sprouted red marks.   The red marks tell the printer that — is an em-dash (longer than a hyphen.)   Red marks point out the missing spaces, the extra spaces, etc., things in capital letters that should be lower case, and things in lower case that should be capital letters.   All this is good.

Somewhat trickier to deal with are places where the writer doesn’t agree with a red mark  (your character’s last name may be Macleod, not MacLeod) or where the copy editor isn’t sure, and asks a question, neatly printed off to the side.   Never mind that you wrote the book and knew what you meant when you wrote it–it’s been weeks if not months since you looked at that part of  it, and right this minute…what did you mean?    Is the word you’re sure you spelled correctly actually incorrectly spelled?  (And where did you leave the dictionary, the last time you wandered out of the room with it, enthralled by a new word…?)

The dictionary was beside the bed, not the desk.  We’re both right; I prefer the other spelling.  Stet.   I was wrong on another one (not spelling–I’d simply had a brain-blink and put in a similar, but wrong, word.    The CE noted that the same place had been given two different names about ten pages apart.  Oops.

I’m over halfway through the 800+ pages of manuscript.   Some pages have nothing but printers’ marks–the em dash, a warning to notice a letter with an accent.  Others have many marks, every one of which must be checked for accuracy (even copy editors can make mistakes) and agreement )in this case, with the style of the previous books.  Marshal-General is always capitalized, just as “Pope” is.   I did not get my note to the copy editor actually emailed to the publisher, so the copy editor did not know that.)

I have at least another couple of days on this, because I need to check with my editor (off at a convention; back on Monday) to see if she made the textual deletions I’ve found, or if the copy editor did.    Editor’s deletions stand; copy editor’s deletions (if that’s what they are) we’ll talk about.

The copy edit (and author’s review of the copy edit) is an important step on the road to final publication, so it’s always a relief to get past that.  Not that I am, now.   I need to get back to the kitchen table, where it’s all laid out.  Pages done, pages to do, dictionary, two sharp pencils, pencil sharpener….