A good cover

There are discussions, conversations and debates, ad nauseam, about the importance of good editing. It’s a topic expounded by many a cynical member in the world of the traditionally published. Not without reason, sad to say. Many of the books I review are tarnished by that ultimate and vitally necessary quality of good editing.

It’s generally known that lack of attention to editing of books is one of my pet peeves. But equally annoying is the lackadaisical attitude to the standard of, for instance, synopses, review requests, literary contest submissions, etc. It’s not just an affliction of the literary world: it can be found in poorly written job application letters, business emails, CVs, (oh, and the greengrocer’s apostrophe)…the list goes on. Most of the time, a written exchange is the first connection between you and your employer/interviewer/reader/reviewer/publisher, etc. It’s the initial ‘meeting’ and first impressions matter…a lot. It simply has to be as near perfect as possible.

Let’s take a look at some examples of a variety of emails/letters:

An email:

RE: Urgent business matter!!!

“Good afternoon, Mr Carey:

I am writing to you today to introduce myself. I am an ad specialty sales rep hear in your area. I have worked with other businesses in the community and feel I can be of service to you as well.

BTW: I have been in the business for 25 years. Please contact me if you have any upcoming events or promotions.

Regards,

John Smith, acct exec

ABC Sales

From a graduate who made 100 identical copies of his letter:

Deer Sir or Madam

I have wanted to join ……………… (space for him to insert the company name) …….. to work as a ……..(another space for him to insert the job title) …….. from an early age as you are a big prestigious employer that lots of people want to work for and you offer high salaries. I also would like to work in another country and you are a global company.

Hoping to hear from you shorty.

Regards,

Philip

A book synopsis on Amazon:

Autumn , Mili and Candice are great musicians and often perform in peoples homes but then there is an accident in which the kill a man and that gets them excited , some one finds out that they are murdering males all over town and they get customers as well as enemies who threaten to take them down , Autumn is seen as an emotionally wreck and starts to feel alive when killing men because of what happens to her , they kill victims with their instruments and no one leaves until the music stops playing then her friend appears and a little girl but can she trust him ? and why is the girl so attached to Autumn? where are the bodies? find out in the musical massacre!

From resumes:

“I belive that weakness is the first level of strength, given the right attitude and driving force. My school advised me to fix my punctuality…”

I’m intrested to here more about that. I’m working today in a furniture factory as a drawer” 

“I am about to enrol on a Business and Finance Degree with the Open University. I feel that this qualification will prove detrimental to me for future success.” 

“Please note from my CV I have 6 years buying and negotiating and Sock-Control experience” 

“ps. As I’m Single, I had been questioned by personnel managers in previous interviews about my sexual habits. Weird, but evidently there is a need of explanation. Therefore, I want to let you know, that I am heterosexual. I’m only interested in women ! I’m absolute “normal” at all. I’ve got no problems with these questions, and I don’t complain about it. We do live in the 21st century, after all. Anyway”

So what’s the bottom line here?

• Spelling, punctuation, grammar. Spelling, punctuation, grammar. Spelling, punctuation, grammar. OK, you’ve got it. If you’re hopeless at it, get someone who is good at it to look it over and help you.
• No acronyms, exclamation marks or SMS-speak. It’s downright lazy and, I think, a little impolite. You do not know the person to whom you are writing. You cannot assume anything. That means no “u b in ur office 2moro?“
• Be courteous. ‘Please’ and ‘thank you’ where appropriate.
• A pertinent, short subject line in an email or letter. Stick to the subject in your message. Round Robin-type missives/submissions aren’t acceptable.
• Keep it simple and avoid using fancy words. It doesn’t impress and the meaning may get completely lost in delivery: things like ‘please effect payment’. What on earth is wrong with ‘please pay’?  Or ‘at this/that point in time’.  If you mean ‘now’ or ‘then’, say so.
• Avoid personal details unless your hobbies/interests are directly related.  If you have entered book contests or have been acclaimed with a prestigious literary award in your spare time, it’s worth mentioning if you are trying to climb the echelons of the writing community. Your sexual proclivity is not worth airing. Really.
• Avoid being repetitive.  You only need to say something once.  Clearly.  You will be heard.

And lastly:

• Spelling, punctuation, grammar. Spelling, punctuation, grammar. Spelling, punctuation, grammar……….What??? Just making sure you heard.