Galley Slave

GALLEY SLAVE Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk, Two issues came together over this past weekend, in a very strange means, and I can’t let it go with no weblog post. First, I DVRed (ugh, is that a word now? It is simpler than “I set my DVR to record” . . .) the Errol Flynn basic The Sea Hawk on TCM. I had some errands to take action I ended up watching it in three sittings. There’s a key scene in the film in which Flynn, enjoying a fictional English privateer loosely modeled after Sir Francis Drake, is captured by the evil Spanish captain and forced into slavery, rowing a Spanish galley. A fate additionally shared by Charlton Heston in the even more basic Ben-Hur. Charlton Heston in Ben-Hur, Why have been all these galley slaves shirtless, I surprise? Was that actually true, again when there used to be galley slaves? Someone should research that. Anyway, then there was the second thing that occurred this weekend: My editor at Adams Media, Peter Archer, sent me the galley for The Guide to Writing Fantasy & Science Fiction, so I spent a great portion of the weekend reading via that, and still have two-thirds of it to finish on evenings this week, and next weekend. I assume all people is aware of what a galley isâ€"a ship powered by oars, usually manned by shirtless slavesâ€"however what am I talking about with this e-book galley? Technically, I guess, what Peter sent me have been page proofs, since it was truly my very own unique Word file together with edits from him, and from certainly one of Adams’s staff or freelance copy editors, whereas a galley, per se, is a copy of the typeset pages. Or do I even have that the incorrect method around? Twenty-4 years in publishing isn’t too long to still be confused by that, especially since at TSR we had “laser galleys,” (the edited Word Perfect file printed on a “laser printer”), a “typeset galley,” (hardcopies of the typesetter’s Quark files to proof before they had been sent to the printer), and “bluelines” ( proofs from the print vendor that come printed in blue ink) as a ultimate high quality pass. Now at Wizards of the Coast, I ship Word recordsdata to a replica editor first then a proofreader and the creator at the identical time, proof the typeset galley myself, and somebody from our high quality assurance staff checks the bluelines. All these end up just being known as “galleys” in our parlance. The time period “galley” on this context got here from the little rectangular field that old school typesetters used to set lines of lead sort for moveable sort presses. I ran throughout an fascinating photo-essay on how moveable sort presses work, because of University of Maryland professor Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, and borrowed certainly one of his photos below: The fact that books aren’t printed on this historical device anymore doesn’t mean we still don’t use even more phrases initially coined again in these days. The house between lines of text is still known as “main,† for example, although that is now adjusted digitally, quite than a typesetter bodily putting a strip of lead of a certain width between lines of sort. There is not any box that looks like slightly ship, with text all lined up like slaves at the oars, however the term “galley” has survived. Typestting, Old School Stylee Working through the galley of a book you’ve written can be a attempting experience for even the most skilled authors. For newer authors maybe taking a look at one for the first time, or experienced authors who might have let their egos get the better of them, listed below are some words of warning. It’s okay to trust your editor. This just isn't a competition. You shouldn’t feel as if you’re in some sort of struggle for dominance together with your editor. If you sincerely disagree with an edit, say so, but in the identical spirit of collaboration with which you’d like that editor to approach you. Understand the place you slot in. If you’ve written a piece-for-hire guide, like all of Wizards of the Coast’s tie-in novels, perceive that some edits are going to be made in the curiosity of larger brand continuity issues. I might discover a extra well mannered method to say it, however in the interest of time: “Get over it,” must do. You simply should belief that your editor is aware of the brand a little better than you do. If this isn't a shared world book, likelihood is you've a clause in your contract that allows you last approval of the text. That means you could have the best to compel the editor to do it your means, but refer back to the first level above and think twice earlier than you swing that stick. Resist the temptation to rewrite. And by that I imply simply don’t do it in any respect at this stage. By now, the page depend has been set, press time booked, and if abruptly you really really need to have this new chapter addedâ€"take a deep breath, get a hold of yourself, and overlook it. Your editor could also be inclined to stop the presses for you, but the ripple impact will very not often go your method. If the discharge of the guide has to be delayed, and it falls out of the catalog, it could find yourself as a “drop in,” which suggests it’ll have to fight even tougher for any share of the book retailer consumers’ already-spent budgets . . . that’s a whole other weblog publish, how straightforward it's for a fantastic guide to basically end up still-born. Anyway, do not rewrite in the galley stage. Lastly, don’t sweat the errors. You will discover that the copyeditor corrected some spectacularly boneheaded error in your half that can make your skin crawl. How might I be so monumentally silly, you may ask your self, as to confuse there and their, neglect a interval at the finish of that sentence, or say that an viewers sat in “wrapped consideration” (wink)? Easy. Anyone could be monumentally stupid should you regulate your expectations in order that any of those quite sim ple mistakes feel monumental. They aren’t monumental, they’re actually small, and that’s why we rent copy editors and proofreaders. You should be cringing when someone points them out, via Facebook or whatnot, when the book is printed and in stores. Then that straightforward little mistake belongs to the ages, but if a proofreader spots within the galley, it’s simply as though it by no means occurred. â€"Philip Athans Where Story Meets Worldâ„¢ Look to Athans & Associates Creative Consulting for story/line/developmental editing at three ¢ per word. About Philip Athans I actually have never in my life VCRed anything, so why ought to I DVR something. Sometimes the simplest is the most effective. I recorded something still works for me. Oh, and good seque.