tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7489828862286549092.post2970372891589602627..comments2023-05-18T04:24:50.676-04:00Comments on Consult the Editor: The Best Lack All Conviction, So American Publishers Prefer the WorstKarl Weberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03587358000156945375noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7489828862286549092.post-62809688412702743712010-11-30T19:43:19.022-05:002010-11-30T19:43:19.022-05:00You may be right about the apologetic tone, Neal. ...You may be right about the apologetic tone, Neal. I do know that US publishers--at least some of the ones I've worked with--believed that a take-no-prisoners, in-your-face, assertive style is the best way to attract publicity and therefore sales. I've been in a number of publishing meetings that basically consisted of the marketing and publicity people asking me (as the editor or publisher), "Can't you get the author to juice up the message and make it more forceful?" Nuance doesn't sell.Karl Weberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03587358000156945375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7489828862286549092.post-73642672426487865762010-11-30T18:14:43.763-05:002010-11-30T18:14:43.763-05:00Interesting. I bet you're right about the apo...Interesting. I bet you're right about the apologetic tone. When Americans assert that they might not be complete experts, they tend to do just that -- assert it, without apology. More of a "This is who I am, take me or leave me" attitude.<br /><br />If the publisher found the preface objectionable, why not just ask the author to rework it? Or edit it and run it by her?Nan Gatewood Satterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06696814425291487431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7489828862286549092.post-75890912287425116312010-11-30T11:36:23.309-05:002010-11-30T11:36:23.309-05:00I love comparisons between US and UK publishing--o...I love comparisons between US and UK publishing--only Americans would put something called a "violator" on a book cover--and I agree that it's pretty shameful the author's preface was removed. But I think the problem described has more to do with a broader cultural difference than publishing chicanery. Sarah Lyall's brilliant Anglo-files has a funny chapter on the importance of the word "sorry" to British English--basically, every sentence has to begin with this word, if not the sentiment. It just seems silly to our ears. Michael Lewis was pretty honest in Liar's Poker that he was a total imposter on Wall Street, but he was a little more brazen about it. I suspect it's the apologetic tone of the author, not the information, that rubbed the publisher the wrong way?Neal Maillethttp://www.bkconnection.comnoreply@blogger.com