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Mage Tyler wrote:Any news about what is missing?

Yeah, to be honest with you, the spelling and grammar is unebelievably bad. It needs to almost be totally rewritten. The content is actually really good, it's such a shame the book is ruined by this. How this ever got printed in this state beggars belielf, it really does. The 'supplement' as Luke has called it doesnt make any apologies for the state of the book, he's acted as if it's a free addition to the book and promises a second, which seems to have never been written.

There's a card trick which starts off being explained and then just stops. Half an effect is just missing. But to be honest with you, it comes as no surprise if you read the rest of the book as you battle to understand what is going on. A template for a trick or two is promised to be shown at the back of the book, this ofcourse doesn't exist.

The 'supplement' which he has called it can found here (copy&paste the link into browser)..

http://www.yousendit.com/download/Y2o5Z ... V3p2Wmc9PQ

MasterCyde wrote:

Craig Browning wrote::roll: Never heard of it

Are u telling porkies Mr. Browning?..

I just came across a lovely effect from yourself in the book and a bit of a background of your life written by Luke. You are quite the veteran it seems

Though I've yet to actually see a copy of the book I felt it very much an honor when Luke asked me to share a routine with him that I'd been doing. He's one of my more proud moments I guess you can say (and just think, Fairie now has to fill those same shoes )

MasterCyde wrote:

Mage Tyler wrote:Any news about what is missing?

Yeah, to be honest with you, the spelling and grammar is unebelievably bad. It needs to almost be totally rewritten. The content is actually really good, it's such a shame the book is ruined by this. How this ever got printed in this state beggars belielf, it really does. The 'supplement' as Luke has called it doesnt make any apologies for the state of the book, he's acted as if it's a free addition to the book and promises a second, which seems to have never been written.

There's a card trick which starts off being explained and then just stops. Half an effect is just missing. But to be honest with you, it comes as no surprise if you read the rest of the book as you battle to understand what is going on. A template for a trick or two is promised to be shown at the back of the book, this ofcourse doesn't exist.

The 'supplement' which he has called it can found here (copy&paste the link into browser)..

http://www.yousendit.com/download/Y2o5Z ... V3p2Wmc9PQ

Thats our luke for you.My writings usualy need a good going through too.

So, i think everyone agrees that the grammer/spelling/writing styly is of a shocking standard - but the actual content? I noticed that someone said it was very good - anyone care to elaborate on that? I mean compared to Building Blocks and Fang - better? worse? or of a similar standard? I really enjoyed Building Blocks - and if 3510 is of similar content I would be willing to put up with a degree of decipering

Yes, the content of the book can be worth deciphering, but I ask - should you have to?

This man is supposed to be a professional. He's supposed to be one of the leading minds in this field. All of the praise and accolades afforded to him, and he can't seem to either run a decent spelling/grammar check, or pay someone to do it for him?

I respect Mr. Jermay, but this book is just completely unacceptable. A few typos here and there happen all the time, that's to be expected. However, this isn't a case of one or two errors. There are multiple errors, some of which are glaringly obvious. Even a casual glance would have picked up some of these mistakes. If this was an isolated incident, it would be easy to look past it. But this happens with every single release. The same problem occurs with every book he puts out, and yet no changes are made.

That's not even the worst of it. Typos are one thing, but missing content? An entire section of the book is missing, and no reprint was issued. This goes beyond respect for his own work. In my opinion, it also speaks to the level of respect he holds for his customers. He has, no doubt, heard the comments and criticism. he simply chooses to ignore it.

Regardless of his content, this was the final straw. Unless I hear of a massive change in the level of quality control, I won't purchase anything he produces.

Demitri,

i understand that you are mad about it. I would not mind though the spelling mistakes if the content is good. would you recommend it?

best regards

memorire wrote:Demitri,

i understand that you are mad about it. I would not mind though the spelling mistakes if the content is good. would you recommend it?

best regards

It goes beyond 'spelling mistakes', it's a complete mess. The content IS good though.. I don't know.. I feel a bit cheated paying £30 for something that's been thrown out without any care. It's almost illegible at times. It's up2u..

MasterCyde wrote:
It goes beyond 'spelling mistakes', it's a complete mess. The content IS good though.. I don't know.. I feel a bit cheated paying £30 for something that's been thrown out without any care. It's almost illegible at times. It's up2u..

heh ok ill better wait then probably till there is a revised edition or something must be really bad. and yeah spending so much money on it is not acceptable!

best regards

C'mon guys this is the age of Ebonics and "anything goes"... we are infringing on the rights of others if we expect them to write in a manner that is intelligible to the rest of society.

I just wrote an article covering this very topic (kind of), the fact that so many kids, especially here in the states, can't spell, haven't a clue as to what penmanship is let alone having pride in it or anything about grammar and spelling other than which keys to hit to "fix" it (and I've seen grammar check make some serious goofs in it's suggestions).

What ticks me off is the fact that certain folks defend this kind of schlock saying "it's the information that's important, not the quality". For some reason though I just don't think Random House or any other major publishing company would accept that argument, let alone someone that would produce actual EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS.

On the bright side, Mark Lewis and I both know of a chap notorious for food & coffee stains on his notes that he charges a small fortune for... and some consider the man a "god" when it comes to mentalism. I'll just accept the word of others in that the roaches in my building are fat enough, I needn't feed them with such poorly produced tripe.

I realize how difficult it can be to produce a solid piece of business. I've just gone through and re-edited two pieces I've had on the market for a while and was shocked to see everything I, three proof readers and an editor all missed... it happens. That's one of the reasons it not only takes to long to publish a real book, but why the price on them tends to be set as high as it is...everyone gets their cut.

As has been mentioned here many, many times, the use of a basic spellchecker makes all the difference to posts and would do the same for the commercially published word. As for the excuse that it's the information rather than the spelling, if you can't read or understand the words then the information is lost. If people have something of worth to put into print, then it's worth taking the trouble to make it as universally understandable as possible. Let's face it, why should any reader bother to work out what's being said if the author can't be bothered to use correct spelling and grammar?

Mandrake wrote:As has been mentioned here many, many times, the use of a basic spellchecker makes all the difference to posts and would do the same for the commercially published word. As for the excuse that it's the information rather than the spelling, if you can't read or understand the words then the information is lost. If people have something of worth to put into print, then it's worth taking the trouble to make it as universally understandable as possible. Let's face it, why should any reader bother to work out what's being said if the author can't be bothered to use correct spelling and grammar?

absolutely

Spellcheckers are useful as a pre-screen for catching typos, but they're no substitute for knowing how to use the language. For instance, a spellchecker would be perfectly happy to have "their" or "there" instead of "they're" in the previous sentence.

If you're going to the trouble of writing a book and having it published, then there's no excuse not to have it properly sub-edited, or at the very least proofread. Even if you're confident in your language skills, a second pair of eyes can be a great help -- everyone has blind spots.

There's also layout and page design to consider. These can determine whether your work is: (1) enjoyable to read and clear to follow, (2) basically readable, or (3) a pain to drag your eyes over.

This also goes for apparent "throwaways" like instruction sheets. One trick I have, which shall remain nameless, is a very good effect but came with several pages (printed both sides) of badly written and almost unreadably laid out instructions. A good firm edit would have made them clearer and easier to follow, and probably would have shrunk them down to a single page, or at least a single double-sided sheet of paper, reducing the costs.

Here's something to think about. Puzzle magazines are meant to be scribbled over and thrown away, not preserved as timeless literature. But even so, every issue is checked by two separate proofreaders as well as an editor, plus an independent designer, before going to print.

Just some thoughts on professionalism from your friendly local freelance.