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. Continue reading “A good cover”