2+2 and Editing: Oh, the Irony

[Nate.]

The general attitude toward 2+2's editing is roughly similar to that toward Shaq's free throw shooting. An incomparably good product makes us shrug our shoulders at a glaring flaw.

If I recall correctly, Mason has claimed to be committed to better editing (and general appearance) of 2+2 books. Whatever he's doing isn't working; I just picked up Winning in Tough Hold'em Games and it's dense with casualisms, solecisms, and shoddy puncutation.

Now, WTHG looks very good. I'll read it, and I'd bet it will make me money. This, however, is not the same that the language issues don't matter. If a book is hard to read, fewer people will read it, and the ones who do will either learn less or have to spend more time to get the same information.

The irony is that grammar is to book-writing roughly what math is to poker. Mason Malmuth makes books that point out that poker players who believe that math isn't too important only succeed because their competition is bad and/or because they are doing other things that allow them to succeed (usually while misjudging the relative importance of math vs. the other things). Yet he constantly and, judging by certain prefaces and comments, arrogantly commits an analogous mistake in the publishing business. He out-sells his pathetic competition with products that are excellent in some, but only some, respects.

I am a grammar nerd, but my intent here is not to turn up my nose while flaunting my deep knowledge of phrasal adjectives and the differences between the em- and en-dashes. My intent is to wonder, publicly, why Mason seems not to realize that making a book hard to read costs him readers; that good English is the substance, not the dressing, of a book; and that good editors aren't too expensive.*

I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts about whether this assessment is fair, how they think the poker-book scene might change as gambling gets more popular, and what the funniest mistakes in 2+2 books are.

--Nate

*Yes, I'm an editor. Yes, I'm making this post in part because I figure there's a small chance Mason will it and decide to give me some work--he stopped answering my e-emails. I'm better and probably cheaper than whoever he's employing now.