I wrote a new end for Prize in the Game in page proofs.
I read it, did the corrections, walked up to the post office to post it back to NY, on the way back realised the end sucked, emailed pnh to ask if it was OK to write a new end, wrote a new end (with the subject line "Urgent aesthetic problem"), got his email saying it was OK and emailed him the new end.
The new end isn't perfect, but the old end sucked.
So the moral of the story is, page proofs are not too late.
However, if you're reading the paperback and it sucks, then it's really too late. I heard a story about John Updike reading a famous award-winning book of his to his kids, from the mmpb, and correcting it in marker as he went along. That is too late. I have come to accept that chapter 32 of The King's Peace is never ever going to get fixed at this point.
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I read it, did the corrections, walked up to the post office to post it back to NY, on the way back realised the end sucked, emailed
The new end isn't perfect, but the old end sucked.
So the moral of the story is, page proofs are not too late.
However, if you're reading the paperback and it sucks, then it's really too late. I heard a story about John Updike reading a famous award-winning book of his to his kids, from the mmpb, and correcting it in marker as he went along. That is too late. I have come to accept that chapter 32 of The King's Peace is never ever going to get fixed at this point.