Author's Alterations, the Luna version of page proofs

[msagara]

I have always hated page proofs. I am reading the Luna version of page proofs now -- and by this I mean the last thing I'll see before I get my hands on the actual book. This is the last chance I have to catch all the mistakes I made before the book goes into production.

I read carefully; I find the Author's Alteration pages to be harder, though. Most other page proofs I've proofread are essentially what the printed page will look like. The AAs, as they are affectionately called, are double spaced Courier, in 12pt, with line numbers down the left side.

I work in Courier, and so this looks like manuscript to me, and it's much harder for me to see the things I actually typed (as opposed to the ones I thought I did) in this format. I would almost pay money to see the actual page proof pages because I think I would catch a lot more than I obviously did.

On the other hand, I'm almost resigned to missing things. Because, of course, while rereading parts of Secret for background for a section of Chaos, the first thing I noticed in the published book was... a typo. V.V.

I also have GST return forms, but I have to get the AAs back as soon as possible (and honestly, I would rather read these than do the taxes).

So... I am sitting in front of my computer, making a post instead of continuing to work on them. This, sadly, is the fine art of procrastination. I also created a Twitter account. Because, yes, procrastinating. I updated my very under-updated web page. Someone elsewhere used the word "multi-crastination", and I find myself living up to it...

Comments

[kateelliott.livejournal.com]

Yikes. I need the page proofs exactly because the format looks like the book. Otherwise I would not catch things.

[arouraleona.livejournal.com]

My only connection to the industry is that I read, so the only thing I can add here is how I'm constantly surprised by how few errors end up in books. Especially in series books! So many details that could get dropped!

And then boom, I'll find a best-seller-hard-back-big-money book with big typos and continuity errors. ::shrugs:: What can you do? Things just slip by sometimes, I guess.

[trektone.livejournal.com]

Oh, no! Not The Twitter!

[tezmilleroz.livejournal.com]

http://twitter.com/kiraku_ann Is this you?

[evil_plotbunny]

Yuck. I've never had to proof a whole book, but I hate proofing things in Courier in general.

Now I shall wander over to twitter so that I can follow you. (That sounds weirdly stalkery and I don't mean it to be.)

[twiegand.livejournal.com]

Just so it's all done before the deadlines, you're good. Don't consider it procrastinating, it's stress relief.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Courier looks like typescript to me, too, and I am also bad at proofing my own typescripts. You have my sympathy, and empathy and anything else appropriate. And on typos, yes, there is an horrific one in Living with Ghosts that got by me and I am ashamed...)(Torches in wall scones. Wall scones...)

[amber-fool.livejournal.com]

As someone who's never been on the publishing end of the book, your readers understand. We know that, however awesome your writing is, you're human. And no matter how many typos, I'm waiting breathlessly for Chaos. :)

[delkytlar.livejournal.com]

The word you are looking for is "Professionalcrastination", but I think there is a licensing exam for that qualification, and you probably won't find time to take it.

Good luck with the pages. Sounds like a difficult way to proof.

[danieljhogan.livejournal.com]

Welcome to Twitter :)

I use it even more now that I can update Twitter with text messages from my phone (and have unlimited texting).

[mother2012.livejournal.com]

Can't you find someone else to read them? A different brain frequently catches different mistakes.

(I am also very good at procrastination.)

[book-wench.livejournal.com]

I'm lucky. I have a friend who is mad for my books and has an excellent eye for typos and inconsistencies--a much, much better eye than mine. So when the page proofs arrives, I just hand them over to her!

That said, I do look them over myself, too, and the AAs would drive me crazy I think.

[burger-eater.livejournal.com]

I'm working on my page proofs right now, and fighting the urge to email my agent and cancel the whole contract. The problems I'm finding loom large.

But I'm not going to do it. I'm going to resign myself to being embarrassed.

But Courier with line numbers? That sounds like a court reporter's document.