Fresh and Easy
Jan 31st 2007, 11:14 pm
#31
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Aspen, CO
Posts: 9,845
Re: Fresh and Easy
Ahh.. the Macdonalisation of Society... Sociology was always my favourite subject at Uni..
Feb 1st 2007, 1:32 pm
#34
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Re: Fresh and Easy
Regards
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Scarlett
Feb 1st 2007, 1:37 pm
#35
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Joined: May 2004
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Re: Fresh and Easy
Did you miss out what I said about the HP books becoming less and less "Americanised" over time? The most recent book has little more than the usual spelling changes (colour/color). Even esoterica like chipolatas stay in, and HP fans take pleasure in learning about them -- after all, if you are interested in learning the ins and outs of a fictional world, it's no great leap to learn about a "real" one.
Also, it's a sad fact of publishing that when an author is new and untried, their books are edited heavily, usually with good results. As they get more of a name, they get more control over the editing process. The result is often sloppier later books that are much longer--much less edited. Think about some of the major authors you know, and ask yourself whether quality has suffered and the pagination increased over time. Isn't true in every case but holds true for many. A divergent point, but an interesting one.
Regards
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Scarlett
Feb 1st 2007, 2:24 pm
#36
Banned
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 93
Re: Fresh and Easy
I think it was safe to change less later on when Rowling had gathered such a fan base. It wasn't safe--apparently--in the early days.
Also, it's a sad fact of publishing that when an author is new and untried, their books are edited heavily, usually with good results. As they get more of a name, they get more control over the editing process. The result is often sloppier later books that are much longer--much less edited. Think about some of the major authors you know, and ask yourself whether quality has suffered and the pagination increased over time. Isn't true in every case but holds true for many. A divergent point, but an interesting one.
Regards
-=-
Scarlett
Also, it's a sad fact of publishing that when an author is new and untried, their books are edited heavily, usually with good results. As they get more of a name, they get more control over the editing process. The result is often sloppier later books that are much longer--much less edited. Think about some of the major authors you know, and ask yourself whether quality has suffered and the pagination increased over time. Isn't true in every case but holds true for many. A divergent point, but an interesting one.
Regards
-=-
Scarlett
Stephen King would be a great example of this...I swear I'm the only person in the world who thinks this self important, pretentious rambler is seriously overrated.
Feb 1st 2007, 3:30 pm
#37
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Joined: Apr 2006
Location: Tucson, AZ
Posts: 387
Re: Fresh and Easy
Lots of examples, not just Harry Potter. Bill Bryson's books have different titles - Down Under became something else, perhaps because Australia isn't Down Under relative to the USA, but others have different titles too (oddly he's not really popular here, at least no-one I have spoken to reads his books). I recently read a Ken Follett novel set in Scotland. The book was littered with Americanisms which you'd never hear in the Highlands; it does spoil the atmosphere a little.
Feb 1st 2007, 3:47 pm
#38
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,014
Re: Fresh and Easy
Lots of examples, not just Harry Potter. Bill Bryson's books have different titles - Down Under became something else, perhaps because Australia isn't Down Under relative to the USA, but others have different titles too (oddly he's not really popular here, at least no-one I have spoken to reads his books). I recently read a Ken Follett novel set in Scotland. The book was littered with Americanisms which you'd never hear in the Highlands; it does spoil the atmosphere a little.
Feb 2nd 2007, 4:00 pm
#40
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Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Dahn Sarf
Posts: 287
Re: Fresh and Easy
They also had the name of the James Bond movie "Licence Revoked" changed to "Licensed To Kill" as the market research showed that many Americans didn't understand the word "Revoked"....
Feb 2nd 2007, 4:01 pm
#41
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Dahn Sarf
Posts: 287
Re: Fresh and Easy
The Philip Pullman book "Northern Lights" is called "the Golden Compass" over here -- presumably the movie will be too.
Feb 2nd 2007, 4:12 pm
#42
Unmitigated Gall
Joined: Dec 2006
Location: it's still too dark to tell
Posts: 16,162
