kate rothwell

So let's say you have a blurb/back copy for a book and a kind reader points out that there are glaring historical issues with the copy. (and really, a very kind reader since he/she didn't blast it all over the internets.) The issues are only with the blurb, not the book. Trouble is you've put those particular paragraphs all over the webs. Every. Where. You. Can. Do you. 1. Go back and change the very few places you can change....very quietly. Don't say anything and post correct info henceforth. 2. Go back to the various groups you've visited and say "HEY, yeah, we got that wrong. Here's the right way. And not to look defensive or anything but it's not like that in the book. No really!" It's not a life or death issue, barely worth a groan and eyeroll. But it's interesting only because the times I've seen public corrections by authors they tend look defensive or nit-picky or both. So that's why it's worth writing a post about-...

me: hey, mike, look at this listing. Gene Weingarten's selling a car for charity. mike: Pretty sweet wheels. We definitely should bid. me: ha! ha! ha! two hours later.... me: okay, I bid mike: wt? f? me: It's fine. I mean Gene Weingarten is famous! A famous funny guy!** Surely someone will outbid this paltry sum of mine. mike: How much did you bid on that piece of crap? Do you recall we have a kid in college? me: He's at a state school. It's fine! mike: Didn't you tell me that your writing income is going down rather than up? me: Oh, it's fine. It really is a good cause. And this conversation is moot because any second now someone else will outbid me. six days later .... Oh, shit. the auction's going to end in an hour and fifteen minutes. No one has outbid me and I'm freaking doomed. Here's what I tell myself: On the plus side, there's a clock and a cool teeshirt thrown in--a teeshirt I'd never get in the usual manner because I'...