When we write a book and submit it to our editor we have a course of action that occurs afterwards. Generally the first thing on the list is revisions, but when a book goes through without revisions the first time the author gets to see it again is at ‘line edits’. It was about at this stage when my editor let me know that in TYCOON’S VALENTINE VENDETTA we’d have to change my hero’s name from Hunter Dolan to something else, because another book (a continuity book which couldn’t be changed because it affected five other books) to be released in February also had a hero named Hunter. So we duly rechristened Hunter to Jack, and when I next saw my manuscript, at what they call ‘AA’ (author alteration) stage, his name had been changed throughout the manuscript. AAs are when we get to have a final poke at anything that doesn’t sit right in the manuscript, to check whether there are errors either of our own making or ones that have appeared during copy editing etc.
As authors we don’t see the back cover copy or the inside cover copy until we get our eager hands on our books so it was quite a surprise, and a shock, to me when the first person I gave a copy of the book to read asked why my hero was called Hunter Dolan on the back cover blurb and on the inside cover copy when his name was Jack inside the book! Argh!
Unfortunately, it’s one of those things that we as authors have no control over and to my readers I can only apologise that the error has occurred and say that I hope it doesn’t affect your reading pleasure of the book when it comes out.
