Earlier this week, I received the following e-mail from one of the editors working on Geoff’s book:
Just search your ms for "thongs" and see what Geoff has to say about them. :)
So, I dutifully opened the book manuscript, did a global search, and discovered this gem:
The effective riding program features exercises that force students to figure thongs out on their own.
Of course, I’m appalled that something so simple got past me. My editor had this to say:
The "thong" typo is one of the better ones I've seen in a while...mostly because it actually made sense in context!!
I’m glad she got a kick out of it. At least it served a purpose!
I'll chalk the "thong" up to experience. My favorite typo story: when I worked as head of proofing for an ad agency, there was a big internal brouhaha over whether or not my position was actually "necessary."
Anyway, they were doing a very brassy ad campaign for a MAJOR national client. It had gone through umpteen revisions and incarnations, and was nearing Final. I pitched a rare fit when one Ad Exec tried to circumvent my department, and I insisted on running the thing through Proofing.
With much grumbling, they brought it to me. And there, in one of the smaller asides in the text, was what was supposed to be an admonishment to "Duck Responsibility!" Instead, some genius had typed too fast and instead of the "D," had hit the letter next to it. (No -- not "S.")
While hilarious, it was hardly something we wanted to present to the Big Kahuna.
Proofing was vindicated. There is justice in the world. :)
I guess it just goes to show you that nothing is ever perfect. Whenever possible, have a pair of fresh eyes read over something you’ve written. You never know when you might inadvertently miss some-thong.
