Justin emailed me yesterday, with a comprehensive analysis of Up The Creek Without A Mullet:
I appreciated your use of the Oxford comma and of hyphenation. Hardly anybody likes to put hyphens in words any more… And (I’m not being sarcastic here) the font was really nice too, which added to the readability.
Excellent. But he goes on…
I did notice a small handful of things that had slipped under the radar of proof-reading/editing.
I knew it. I knew it would happen sometime soon.
Despite going through the book with several ultra-fine toothcombs and it being scrutinously edited and copy-edited, some typos are now emerging.
I am really quite annoyed – I am a pedant for grammar, spelling, syntax and all sorts of other wordy-nerdy things, and prided myself on the final text for the book being error-free as far as I could see. Inevitably, though, with 70,000 words or thereabouts, there will be one or two mistakes and I guess I should prepare myself for them.
My friend Neil in Edinburgh texted yesterday too, saying that on page 87 it refers to the 2004 World Cup – a careless schoolboy error. I should have known it was the European Championships that year.
Perhaps Justin will be along soon to list the mistakes he’s found.
And if you’ve found an error in the book – be it grammatical or factual – then add a comment here and I’ll pass the list on to Sandstone Towers.
And I’ve just had an email from my publisher saying he’s been told that on page 82 I have Bloody Sunday happening in the 1960s, when it was actually 1972. Ah well, only two years out, and I am sure my mis-dating is the least of that event’s disputed facts…
Another friend has told me that I should have referred to the Post Office in Dublin as the GPO, and that Liffey is mis-spelt. Ireland seems to have been quite a weak spot for me in terms of accuracy!
And yet more from a keen-eyed Aussie reader (and these are rather embarrassing and basic errors ones to confess):
On page 129 I say I headed south from Artarmon, but I end up in Mona Vale and Palm Beach which are to the north. On page 176 I refer to ‘Whiting and Flatfish.’ They’re actually Flathead.
Finally, and this is a corker of a mistake, chapter nine is called ‘Sidneysiders’. I really ought to pay more attention…
Hi Simon – if it’s any consolation, the first edition of The Wrong way Home had me heading west to Sydney from Adelaide. And I’m an Aussie so I’ve got no excuse!
Simon… more of a FYI than anything else ..
page 125 – “Benj popped in .. looking immensely suave and dapper, full of wise cracks and engaging anecdotes .. ”
Just wanted to let you know that there is no error in this sentence and it reads perfectly and correctly !!!
Congrats on a great book …
(and I’ll send through a few corrections – nothing major – in an email)
Cheers
Benjamin
When I talk to Ian at ABC Perth towards the end, it should read “Eoin”.
Tut tut, self – third paragraph, first line, there should be a space after “Dapto”.