Back off, Chef!
Okay, okay.
(leans behind evilbeth’s back and mouths “e-mail me” to Pattycake)
As a person in a profession that’s supposed to involve writing accuracy (newspaper reporter), I’d like to make two observations:
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I’d rather be a professional dental patient than a proofreader.
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It never ceases to amaze me how, after carefully reading and re-reading a written product and finding no errors, then submitting it to an editor who finds no errors, who forwards it to a copy editor, who finds no errors, who passes it on to a page layout person, then to a person who does a final check of the page before print …
And then, the moment you have that printed copy in your hand, those ‘invisible errors’ could be flashing neon, they are so instantly spottable.
Sorry, guys! It’s strictly an in-office deal, and since you guys are in Texas and Tennessee, it’d be a hell of a commute to New York City. 
Some typo examples:
- “I am able to edit without loosing the writer’s voice…”
- “I have been lucky to live our the American dream…”
- Using “copy editor” and “copyeditor” interchangeably.
I know, I know, pick pick pick. I’m still interviewing people…
How much does it pay? I can always relocate!
So far as the typo examples:
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Could be a typo but many people do make this mistake–especially on this board!
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This one should have been caught. That is just sloppy.
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I don’t think this is a typo–he/she probably wasn’t sure which way is correct so he/she tried both.
Just my opinion!
I would run like buggery away from anyone who uses “I have been lucky to live out the American dream” (whether the correct or incorrect spelling) in their CV. What the hell does that tell you about their abilities?
Hmmm…
Stylistic inconsistency, “loose” vs “lose” and someone who obviously didn’t re-read “our the American dream.”
All in one resume. Imagine what they could do with a whole magazine!
I could not possibly even think about considering this person for a copy editing job at a magazine. Please, keep looking.
Another humble opinion – the “loosing” error would seal the deal for me. No excuse for that one. I have a lot of trouble proofing my own work, because, as has been pointed out, I know what it’s supposed to say. I make mistakes like “out” vs. “our” all the time. (But I agree: Living out the American dream?? ick) Thankfully, there are editors who save me from myself. :o But since a lot of what I write (for television) is spoken, I can be bad about spelling if it doesn’t really matter, like “i before e” or something.
On a related note, I’m in the midst of reading a book for review and the editing is truly horrible. The book itself isn’t that bad, on a Sidney Sheldon model, but it’s astounding what poor editing this novel received! On the surface are tons of typos of the lose/loose its/it’s variety. Others include sloppy quotation marks (such as forgetting to close a quote, or sticking them prior to the quote’s beginning). One really glaring one is a character named Mae who appears about every third reference as “May.” Arrg! I suspect the final edit was done by the spellchecker.
However, the worst disservice by the editors of this book, whomever they may be, is refusing to cut the daggone thing. It’s 800 pages long and could have been a snappy little surface romance/thriller of around 200 pages. Instead it’s been an absolute chore to read.
(BTW I’ve enjoyed reading this thread to discover who the writers and editors are among us! And don’t you know I proofed this post three times! And there’s still no doubt a typo or two!)