Of human errors

[marion11111]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, Random832 <random832 at ...> wrote:
>
> I know, stale topic. I've fallen behind on OTChatter.
> 
> justcarol67 wrote:
> > http://www.pubserv.com/Pubserv/EditLevels.html
> >
> > If the editor in charge tells the copyeditor to do a light edit and he
> > or she does a medium edit, the copyeditor will get a reprimand or even
> > a warning. (Do this again and you'll lose your job.) If he or she is
> > told to do a light edit and does a heavy edit, he or she will almost
> > certainly be fired.
> 
> The list at your URL gives not a list of what is _done_ for a heavy 
> edit, but what factors, if present, make one necessary. That seems to 
> tell me that there is a process in place for saying "OK, this, this, and 
> this, really look kind of messed up, and we might need a heavy edit, 
> what should I do?" - the part about medium edits specifically talks 
> about reporting to management, describing problems if they think a 
> medium edit may be necessary. And I cannot see why this was not done, 
> or, if it was done, why it was rejected.
>

These guidelines seem to be primarliy for factual works since they discuss checking facts, 
etc.  I wonder how a publisher decides that a fiction work needs editing to keep the story 
consistent.  Scholastic has done that type of editing before when they messed up the wand 
order in GoF and when they added that strange line on the tower about Draco pretending 
to be dead in HBP.  I suppose because they're editing to change British expressions to 
American, they sneak in some other edits.

I would imagine that after the above mentioned editing errors, they've been told to leave 
the story alone.  I also think that since these books will sell like hotcakes no matter how 
many plotholes there are, why should anyone spend the money on a heavy edit.  And. . .  I 
suspect that no one wants to offend JKR's ego which seems to be very strong.