Once upon a time, before New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd was on said list she had the dubious (and now fabulously storytelling-worthy) honor of being “That author with the three-armed heroine on the cover.”
Recently 
I came across this site: 12 Worst Photoshop Mistakes ever, featuring Ms. Dodd’s 1993 cover of Castles in the Air (read and LOVED by me over 10 years ago, and since repackaged with the new cover seen at right). As a designer I fear committing one of these Photoshop crimes all the time. This Top 12 Worst ever list features items that actually went to print. Oh, the horror.
Recently one of our authors sent me a historical cover where there was still a big, modern, industrial clamp seen, there to hold the dress back to expose a leg better in the photo. That cover went to print, and I believe made it into the publisher’s sales catalog before it was caught. They have since fixed it for consumer release. But I do love the clamp!
Over the years we have caught many things in the proofing stage, and I know big publishing houses have a second set of eyes on these things, too. But mistakes will always happen, and it’s good to have a sense of humor about them.
As a fun site feature, Eloisa James has a MEA CULPA section for all her books so readers can catch what the copy editors and Eloisa herself missed. Check them out for two of her books: Desperate Duchesses and Pleasure for Pleasure.
Do you have fun finding mistakes, or do they irritate you?
11 Comments
I was the one who caught the clamp in the dress–I spotted it and called my editor about it. Considering how many people had “ok’ed” that cover, I couldn’t believe no one had noticed it because it was like having a VW Bug parked next to the hero.
LOL! I am always amazed at how many people don’t see glaring errors. When we proof text we always suggest reading it slowly and out loud. Some people swear by reading it backwards. It’s hard to read a clamp, though!
ROTFLMAO!!! this is so funny! can i have three arms i would get so much done
i am going to look at all my book covers tonight maybe i will find a blooper.
i love all your sites. not an author tho. i want to have a blog but i don’t know where to start. i will send you an email emily about it.
Thanks, Emily, The cover truly was the highlight of my early career. I have a page on my website dedicated to that cover. http://christinadodd.com/castles.php
But as an author, it’s so much more embarrassing when I miss the obvious copy mistake. One time I had some bookmarks made for an anthology I was in called ONE NIGHT WITH A ROGUE, and it wasn’t until I glanced casually at the bookmark that I realized I was advertising ONE NIGHT WITH A ROUGE.
Sad. Really sad.
Oh, Christina! That makes me laugh and cringe all at the same time! I hope that rouge was a good color (and not of the Khmer kind)!
I read your Castles story when Em referred to it in the post and it had me in stitches. Way to make the very best of an extra body part!
Hi Gia,
Very funny about using the extra arm to get stuff done. I could be constantly cleaning up my desk. Imagine! And yes, I did get your email…
And Christina, that typo is heartbreaking. But what can you do at that point but say, “Well, that sucks,” and print it over. Luckily bookmarks have gotten a lot cheaper to print lately.
As for the cover being the highlight of your early career, I can totally see how that would be the case. Bravo to you for turning it into such a positive publicity opportunity.
Emily, the Smart Bitches do such a fabulous job of cover snark that I’ve learned to laugh and forget about romance-y covers and errors thereof. However, sometimes, historicals have anachronisms that truly draw my ire.
Xtina, that bookmark is cringe-worthy. It’s funny or annoying when the mistake belongs to other people. Funny, how we lose that perspective to distance ourselves from our own errors.
Hey Christina–I can top that! A friend of mine’s dad is an extremely renowned dermatologist, and in fact wrote the textbook that is used in many if not most med schools.
Anyway, they were proofing the THIRD edition of the textbook, and there was a photo of some sort of derm problem on a breast, but instead of “breast,” it said, “beast.”
And apparently had been that way for over a decade.
JQ
I wonder, JQ, how many legion of med students sniggered over that but never thought to write-in to the publisher.
I love seeing funny mistakes. This one — with the cat ghosting behind Anne
Boleyn’s skirt — made me laugh out loud. Not a book cover, but with
Showtime’s big art department behind it. Makes everything a little more
human. Like seeing a blooper reel.
I don’t know about you, but I am jealous of the extra arm; with a 9 month old and one on the way, I could use it!
Ha! Very funny. I had actually seen that one — the cat and Anne Boleyn’s skirt. Poor Showtime. Someone got a major slap on the wrist for that, I am sure.
Here is the link. Notice the area where the cat on her lap comes close to her leg. Oops!