I hate crappy editing

sassypants527 · January 2014

I'm reading The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani, and they just referenced "The University of Ohio" and the Lansing campus of University of Michigan. There is no U of Ohio, and Michigan State University is in Lansing, not U of Michigan. OSU plays UM. Stuff like this takes me right out of stories that are set in the real world. This is the second time editing in her books has made me cringe. In The Shoemaker's Wife they had the protagonist sailing from Venice to England, which is stupid based upon her point of origin in the Italian alps. Grrr.

sassypants527 · January 2014

Augh! Now they're traveling on a highway on the other side of the state that they would come nowhere near!! NYC to Youngstown, Ohio is I-80, dammit!!

aggiebug · January 2014

I can't handle that either. I have also read several ebooks recently and the digital formatting is terrible.

LaBellaVita23 · January 2014

As a Michigan State alum, I am highly offended that they referred to us as the Lansing campus of UM. [-X

ajpufky · January 2014

Wow, Google or map would help in both of these situations! That would bother me too, it takes you right back out of the story.

sassypants527 · January 2014

They're traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, and I grew up 20 minutes from there. She's got to know that people from that region of the world read her books, too. We're going to take issue with factual errors, like traveling on some state route on the wrong side of the frickin state. And let's face it, even most non sports fans have at least some awareness about OSU vs. Michigan.

LaBellaVita23 · January 2014

I had a similar encounter with a Michigan author. She spelled "Mackinac Bridge" wrong which is just inexcusable and referred to UM's colors as "yellow and blue." I mean, COME ON.

sassypants527 · January 2014

And here's another one. The protagonist just said she thinks she can access her body, but she means assess. The funny thing is her father is the person who is constantly using malapropisms in the book.

Jen748 · January 2014

sassypants527 said:

They're traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, and I grew up 20 minutes from there. She's got to know that people from that region of the world read her books, too. We're going to take issue with factual errors, like traveling on some state route on the wrong side of the frickin state. And let's face it, even most non sports fans have at least some awareness about OSU vs. Michigan.

I have no awareness on this at all.

That said, I hate errors like the access vs assess thing below.

Pebble_Cafe · January 2014

A book I'm currently reading:

"Tana knew her instantly..." a paragraph later, "Tana hadn't realized who she was..."

Does Tana know her or not!! #-o

Huge reading pet peeve.

ohioloveyou · January 2014

*ahem* I believe they mean THE Ohio State University.

But really...you should at least take 5 seconds to google a map of your setting.

RevJen · January 2014

Jen748 said:

sassypants527 said:

They're traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, and I grew up 20 minutes from there. She's got to know that people from that region of the world read her books, too. We're going to take issue with factual errors, like traveling on some state route on the wrong side of the frickin state. And let's face it, even most non sports fans have at least some awareness about OSU vs. Michigan.

I have no awareness on this at all.

That said, I hate errors like the access vs assess thing below.

Nor do I. I'm not a fan of college sports.

Young_Love · January 2014

RevJen said:

Jen748 said:

sassypants527 said:

They're traveling to Youngstown, Ohio, and I grew up 20 minutes from there. She's got to know that people from that region of the world read her books, too. We're going to take issue with factual errors, like traveling on some state route on the wrong side of the frickin state. And let's face it, even most non sports fans have at least some awareness about OSU vs. Michigan.

I have no awareness on this at all.

That said, I hate errors like the access vs assess thing below.

Nor do I. I'm not a fan of college sports.

I don't have the foggiest idea about this.

Passanie · January 2014

And this is not a self-published book, right?

sassypants527 · January 2014

Passanie said:

And this is not a self-published book, right?

Not at all! She's written 14 novels and a cookbook. This was a Harper Collins product.

Passanie · January 2014

No excuse.

spalko · January 2014

LaBellaVita23 said:

I had a similar encounter with a Michigan author. She spelled "Mackinac Bridge" wrong which is just inexcusable and referred to UM's colors as "yellow and blue." I mean, COME ON.

Sorry, just a lurker here but that is actually the correct spelling of Mackinac Bridge. Mackinaw City is spelled with a W but both the island and the bridge are spelled with a C. We're a little goofy in the mitten state

Unless the author spelled it Mackinaw Bridge which is just awful!!

LaBellaVita23 · January 2014

spalko said:

LaBellaVita23 said:

I had a similar encounter with a Michigan author. She spelled "Mackinac Bridge" wrong which is just inexcusable and referred to UM's colors as "yellow and blue." I mean, COME ON.

Sorry, just a lurker here but that is actually the correct spelling of Mackinac Bridge. Mackinaw City is spelled with a W but both the island and the bridge are spelled with a C. We're a little goofy in the mitten state Unless the author spelled it Mackinaw Bridge which is just awful!!

Yeah, she spelled it Mackinaw Bridge.

Skeezon · January 2014

Honestly, I wonder how much responsibility goes to the author or to the editor? I was really curious about the things they check and the things they don't. In my book, I got an editor's note that a New Jersey city I listed didn't even exist. Who knows where I found my information, but apparently it was all wrong. I was impressed that they checked that stuff. But then I asked if anyone would be checking the Spanish I used in the book and they were like... we'll Google it like you did. So, in that case I was disappointed. I would love to understand the process a little more, because I'm so envious of people who have that specific talent. Lord knows, I'm not the one.

RiverPlate · January 2014

@Skeezon I'd check your Spanish for you! :-*

RevJen · January 2014

There are a few of us on here from NJ. Between us all, we have the entire state covered so we can tell you where things are located here.

Skeezon · January 2014

Thanks @RiverPlate and @RevJen

I need to remember to tap into your resources sometimes!

I hate crappy editing

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