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...nothing here is promised, not one day... Lin-Manuel Miranda


Memo to publicists and their assistants
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Mood:
A Tad Grumpy

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I seldom read the press stuff that comes with a review book. It isn't useful, and will only distract from the book. Having said that, note "seldom".

I have encountered press releases with incorrect ISBNs, which makes accessing someinformation a problem. I have seen characters' names misspelled. I once read that a friend had "one" the Edgar Award.

The most recent paperwork has been bugging me. It may seem obvious, but I have encountered these errors. Here's what to do in a press release that goes out with a galley or book for review:
1) Spell the character's name(s) correctly. This is especially easy to do when the author is writing a series using the same character. Lots of ways to check. And do please check.

2) Spell the author's name correctly. Even if the name is unfamiliar to you, don't guess. Check and ask someone else to check. For example, let's talk hyphens. Hyphens-are not interchangeable punctuation marks, to-go whever you think they look snazzy. If the author is Candi-Wrapper Horowitz, she will probbly not understand why you decided to call her "Candi Wrapper-Horowitz." Subtle, huh?

3) Spell the names of real people correctly. Please, historical reference or walk-on, do not spell someone's name wrong. It's real gosh darn easy to check on the names of certain post-Impressionist artists. Don't assume. Check. And for the sake of all, ask someone else (or elses) to look over your write-up which is going to to dozens, maybe hundreds, of readers. Your job is to communicate. Please do not communicate "I am a dope who ony has this job until I can write the perfect play, stunning novel, or marry a rich author." (that was was a joke, folks).


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