Copyediting Time on Theodore Roosevelt for Kids!

As you can see from the gap in posting, it's been quiet at my end as the Teddy Roosevelt book goes through edits. At this point, the book is off to the designer. I had a glimpse of the layout -- it has a nice look about it -- both western and "presidential." My publisher does 2-color interiors, and the designer chose a warm brown and pretty soft blue color.

The copy editor had a chance to get his/her (I don't know who that is) questions to me about a month ago and I spent a few days double checking on facts, figures, and images. Here's what the process can look like. My original work is in black, followed by the copy editor's queries, the development editor's comments, and my answers back. You get the idea!

Here are two -- I was amused by the second question but of course not at all surprised. I've been spending so much time in the 18th century I figured everybody knew this stuff about little kids.

The strike dragged on all summer. The mine owners refused to meet with John Mitchell, the head of the United Mine Workers union. Autumn came, and coal prices skyrocketed as the nation’s supply dwindled. Schools in New York closed. [DO WE WANT TO SAY “BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T AFFORD FUEL TO HEAT THEM” OR SOMETHING TO CONNECT THIS SENTENCE?] [I WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND A PRECISE REASON WHY THEY CLOSED.]

PERHAPS WE SHOULD DELETE THAT LINE THEN? IS IT EVEN RELEVANT THAT THEY CLOSED? THE IMPLICATION IS THAT THEY CLOSED BECAUSE OF THE STRIKE.

[CAPTION] The Roosevelt Children in 1899. Left to right: Ethel, Ted, Alice, Quentin, Kermit, and Archie. [CREDIT?] [THIS PHOTO APPEARS TO HAVE 4 GIRLS AND 2 BOYS IN IT, NOT 4 BOYS AND 2 GIRLS, BUT IN THESE OLD PHOTOS IT’S HARD TO TELL—PLEASE RECHECK THE CAPTION TO MAKE SURE IT TELLS THE CORRECT NAMES IN THE CORRECT ORDER.] [QUENTIN IS WEARING A BABY DRESS, AS ALL LITTLE KIDS DID. IT MAKES HIM LOOK LIKE A GIRL J]