My plan over the next three weeks was to write the seven chapters of my Bible Introduction. The best laid plans…. On the theme of “life sometimes interferes” I was presented yesterday, to my chagrin, with two tasks that require my attention, right away. Both of them unpleasant. Ugh.
As I have indicated on this blog, I have a couple of books in the publication pipeline. One is The Text of the New Testament in Contemporary Research, which I am co-editing with my friend Michael Holmes (it’s the second edition; the first edition came out in 1995 in honor of Bruce Metzger; it is being published by E. J. Brill in the Netherlands). This book consists of a collection of essays on every major aspect of New Testament textual criticism, for scholars and their students who are already abreast of the basic issues in the field. The other is my scholarly version of the forgery book, Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics (being published by Oxford University Press).
As fate would have it (cruel fate), I received the page proofs for both books yesterday.
So here’s the deal. When an author writes a book, s/he submits the final version to the publisher, who hires a typesetter to make it into a book. When the typesetter has finished working his/her magic, the pages are run off. They are to look exactly like they are to look in the final book between hard covers. And they are sent to the author to check. These are the “page proofs.”
Checking page proofs is a MAJOR pain in the WAZOO. You have to read every word and make sure there are no typographical mistakes, left out parts, incorrect punctuation, wrong hyphenation, mistakes of any kind. It is slow and painstaking work, but it has to be done. And it is worse, so much worse, when the manuscript contains quotations from other languages. These two books are full of other languages. My Forgery book quotes scholars in French and German and cites texts in Greek and Latin. All that has to be checked. Ai yai yai….
So, the Bible Intro is on hold, for a while. Gods willing, only a week. OK, I said page proofs are slow and painstaking, but I work very fast and am focused when I have to do something like this. I hate doing it, but the sooner done, the SOONER DONE!! So that’s what I’m doing all day every day this week, instead of watching the Olympics or eating bon bons and watching soaps…..
But reading through the Forgery book today, it did occur to me that it might be interesting to post a few passages here and there on the blog over the next week or so. And that’s what I think I’ll do!
I love your sense of humor! I loved it when I heard you and Jodi Magness at a week long seminar at St. Olaf’s College in Minnesota in 2001. I had fractured my hip 2 weeks before and my husband was pushing me around in a wheel chair. We’ve been following you around the Internet pages and in your books ever since. You probably don’t remember me showing you a Roman coin ring at lunch one day. I asked if you could translate the inscription. You looked at it carefully and replied, “It’s pretty!” LOL! I have since found out that the emperor on the coin is none other than Constantine, the not-so-great. Everything went down hill since then. Oh my! Maybe you would have ended up in some other profession?
2001?!? Wow — was it that long ago??? (Jodi and I are now colleagues: when I was chair of the Department at UNC I hired her).
Yes, if it had not been for Constantine I’d be writing books like Misquoting Mithras….
Isn’t it the job of the editor (or a specialist hired by the publisher) to do proof-checks?
Yes, they have a copy-editor to go over the manuscript. But after it is type set, it is up to the author. Ultimately, I guess, because the author needs to make sure everything is exactly as s/he wants it to be.
bty, great cover for the book: http://www.amazon.com/Forgery-Counterforgery-Literary-Christian-Polemics/dp/0199928037/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343585641&sr=8-1&keywords=Forgery+and+Counterforgery%3A+The+Use+of+Literary+Deceit+in+Early+Christian+Polemics
ps. i renewed my membership for a year
Great! Greater!
Yay! Previews! Another benefit of membership.
Is the “Gods willing” expression really necessary, considering you don’t believe in any gods? Some may find it offensive.
Well, good question. I’m not sure it would be offensive to anyone who did not believe in multiple gods. Or to those who do! So, well, it’s not necessary, but then again, what is?! 🙂
Just wanted to say that I really have enjoyed all of your books, and now this membership.
You do your own editing and proofreading? No outside copy editors?
Yes, there is definitely a copy-editor. That person prepares the manuscript (correcting all the mistakes) for the typesetter. But once it is set in type, the author is responsible for making sure it is exactly as s/he wants it to be.
My goal for the summer was to read your 500 page textbook on the New Testament. I have just about finished and both in content and format it is a splendid book. So, don’t get discouraged with the proofreading. Your books are so helpful to so many of us.
Love the forgery book, Bart. I’m reading it now. You’re one of those authors that when a new book comes out, I buy it without hesitation, because I already know it’s going to be good. You tell it like it is.