Significance of missing line (was: HBP paperback)/Barty Jr's motivations

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 156116

houyhnhnm wrote :
> > 
> > Not that I see the extent of the difference and learn that 
> > it appears (based on only one example, I know) that the American 
> > edition may be the only version containing the lines about 
> > faking the Malfoys' deaths, the question becomes, "Why did 
> > the editors of the American edition put them in?", not "Why 
> > were they taken out?"
> > 
> > Did they simply feel they had to explain something that would 
> > be self-evident to other readers or did they take it upon 
> > themselves to interpret the text in a way that was contrary 
> > to Rowling's intent?
> 
> Lyra:
> Speaking as an editor, I can assure you that no editor would add 
> that much to a work (especially to a major work that has made that 
> editor's employer a bundle of cash and will be scrutinized by 
> millions of readers) without running it by the 
> original author. So, my guess is it was in the original manuscript. 
> If not, JKR must have approved the addition at some point. 
>  
> (Is it Carol who is the book editor? Can you back me up on this?)
>

Carol responds:
Yes, I'm a copyeditor who works mostly with book manuscripts (both
fiction and nonfiction). For those who don't know, a copyeditor
corrects grammar, punctuation, and spelling, makes sure that the
manuscript matches the publisher's "house style" in matters like
capitalization, spelling out numbers, and comma use, tightens sentence
structure and changes the diction (word choice) to make it more
precise, and queries inconsistencies and unclear sentences. But any
copyeditor who added extensive dialogue to the manuscript of an
established author would be in serious trouble. A copyeditor who
deleted such a large amount of dialogue, unless he or she had
permission to do what's called substantive editing, would be in almost
as much trouble. It's too great a liberty even though the author
(theoretically) reviews and approves or rejects such changes or
suggested changes.

I think the passage *must* have been in the original manuscript and
that the British project editor (as opposed to the copyeditor)
suggested that JKR herself tighten it. The American editor(s)
apparently had no problem with it and let it go.

Carol, who noticed a typo ("though" for "through") in the American
edition of CoS today and wonders whether she overlooked it earlier or
just forgot it was there